WWE legend encourages watching via a VPN, and ESPN reportedly isn't happy

WWE legend Stephanie McMahon recently advertised a VPN service on her podcast, telling fans that they could use one to avoid paying for live WWE events. As you might imagine, ESPN, which uses Netflix to host its Premium Live Events, reportedly isn't too happy about it.

One of the most common uses for VPNs is accessing content that is exclusive to a specific region. Pretty much all of the best VPN services are compatible with Netflix and make it easy for customers to access any country's streaming library, including WWE Premium Live Events. It's easy to see why McMahon thought a VPN would be a good sponsor for her podcast, What's Your Story?

McMahon's advert - a 'read-in' where the host encourages listeners to use the product being promoted - says, "A lot of you are still watching WWE the old school way: on cable. Dealing with boring commercials while I'm enjoying uninterrupted action. Let's fix that with today's sponsor: Surfshark VPN."

Surfshark VPN can get you access to overseas streaming libraries on Netflix (it's also a good gaming VPN). Most crucially, however, any service that can access international libraries on Netflix can save ESPN subscribers a lot of money… but only if they are willing to break Netflix's terms of service. It's not illegal, but you technically could get banned for it (not that this has ever really been enforced).

ESPN's Premium Live Events sub, which allows you to watch WWE and other sports, costs $30 per month. That's on top of the Netflix subscription. But using a VPN to switch to a Europe-based Netflix library - such as the UK - removes the requirement to pay for the Premium Live Events subscription. WWE isn't as popular in the UK, so ESPN doesn't charge extra there.

Fightful Select reports that ESPN did not appreciate McMahon's promotion of the VPN service. While it is unlikely to turn into a major issue, it does highlight the extent to which using a VPN for streaming has been normalized.

Of course, SurfShark isn't the only VPN you can use for this purpose. NordVPN, Proton VPN, Cyberghost, and ExpressVPN are all suited to streaming. You can also use these VPNs for gaming.

For more on VPNs, read our Minecraft VPN and Warzone VPN guides to find out what they can do to enhance your experience.