– WWE has quietly moved away from featuring matches during its Premium Live Event kickoff shows—and now we know why. The company has made a deliberate creative change to shift the focus of its pre-shows toward a more sports-style presentation. Instead of opening up with an undercard match, the kickoff now centers around panel discussions, storyline breakdowns, and hype segments.
The inspiration reportedly came from shows like ESPN’s College GameDay, where analysis and commentary drive the viewer experience. This change is meant to modernize WWE’s presentation and better cater to how fans watch content today. The goal is to build anticipation for the main card rather than squeeze in matches that might be treated as filler. WWE sees the new format as a way to create more anticipation while giving top-level focus to the rivalries and matchups on the main show.
– Former AEW star Saraya has said that she is ‘surprised’ by the number of fans that want to see her return to WWE
She says not to get your hopes up for this year, noting that she wants to focus on outside projects in 2025, and says she doesn’t even know if there’s a place for her in a ‘stacked’ women’s roster
(source: Grue Rume Show)
I was never really a fan of kickoff shows that took place before WWE’s PLEs anyway, but that’s okay. I have no complaints when it comes to saying goodbye to matches that occur on kickoff shows.