A recent ad read on one of Stephanie McMahon’s new shows has reportedly drawn a negative reaction from a source at ESPN. According to a report from Fightful Select, an individual at the network “wasn’t thrilled” with McMahon promoting a VPN service in a way that could be interpreted as a method to bypass subscription-based content.
The ad in question, for Surf Shark VPN, was featured on McMahon’s show, Stephanie’s Places. During the segment, she suggested fans could use the service to watch WWE programming as a substitute for a paid Netflix subscription.
This comment comes at a sensitive time, as WWE and ESPN are set to begin a landmark partnership. Earlier this month, the two companies announced that all WWE Premium Live Events in the U.S. will move exclusively to ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service. While the deal was originally slated for 2026, the launch has been moved up to September 20, 2025.
The five-year agreement is reportedly valued at approximately $1.6 billion. The partnership will officially kick off with the inaugural Wrestlepalooza event on September 20, which will stream live from Indianapolis and feature the final local appearance of John Cena. This move marks the end of WWE’s PLE distribution deal with Peacock, though NXT events will remain on that platform.
Stephanie McMahon, who stepped down as WWE’s co-CEO and Chairwoman in 2023, has recently returned to the public eye with her podcast What’s Your Story and the show Stephanie’s Places. While she no longer holds an executive role, she remains a prominent ambassador for the company. The Fightful Select report noted that the source initially did not believe the ad read would become a significant issue.