Disney, WWE Ink Expanded Partnership

The Walt Disney Co. and the WWE are expanding their partnership, bringing a pair of major events to Walt Disney World next month while also using the WWE to bolster interest in the upcoming Marvel Studios film Avengers: Doomsday.

Disney and the WWE are already in business via ESPN, which has the U.S. rights to WWE premium live events via its ESPN app, but the two companies will be bringing their next projects to ESPN’s Wide World of Sports at Disney World.

The sports complex will host The John Cena Classic on Monday, Dec. 14, with stars from Raw, Smackdown and NXT competing for the special championship belt as voted on by Club WWE members. The Classic, which Cena announced last night on Raw, will stream on Netflix. Then the following night on Dec. 15, WWE will produce an Avengers: Doomsday themed edition of Worlds Collide, with stars from the WWE, NXT and AAA facing off.

Two-day combo tickets will be sold to both events, with plans for a WWE World immersive fan event on site, in partnership with Fanatics. Co-branded Avengers: Doomsday and WWE products will be sold at WWE World, at Disney retail stores, and on the WWE shop.

The partnership expands the relationship between the companies to experiences and retail, beyond the ESPN events. Those also happen to be two areas that Disney knows well, with the Wide World of Sports complex having hosted the Special Olympics USA, the 2020 NBA bubble season, the Invictus Games, Pro Bowl skills competitions and other major sporting events.