WWE takes on Super Bowl LIII halftime show with 'Halftime Heat' broadcast
World Wrestling Entertainment is planning a rival broadcast for fans looking for other entertainment options during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show on Sunday.
The company announced during last Sunday’s “Royal Rumble” event that “Halftime Heat” would air for the first time in 20 years. The event will feature a six-man tag team match consisting of stars from NXT, the WWE’s developmental arm. WWE legend Shawn Michaels will be part of the announcing team for the match.
WWE took a comedic shot at Super Bowl halftime performer Maroon 5 in a promotional video, asking fans why they’d want to watch the band when they could be watching “Halftime Heat.” The wrestling event will stream live during the halftime show on WWE Network, WWE.com, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
“Halftime Heat” hasn’t aired since 1999, when wrestling legends Mick Foley and The Rock faced off in an empty arena during Super Bowl XXXIII.
WWE officials have a history of airing counter-programming during NFL games. Aside from “Halftime Heat,” WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon bankrolled the upstart “XFL,” which positioned itself as a direct competitor to the NFL in 1999 before folding two years later.
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McMahon recently announced a re-boot of the XFL, which is set to begin play in 2020. However, McMahon and other XFL officials have said the new version of the league will not attempt to directly compete with the NFL.
