Speed hints at WWE return as company looks to continue livestreaming growth

Loading

During a recent livestream, Darren "IShowSpeed" Watkins Jr. hinted that a return to WWE could be coming soon. The star YouTuber made his official in-ring pro wrestling debut at WrestleMania 42 on April 18, 2026, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, with his splash on fellow influencer Logan Paul going viral.

When is Speed returning to WWE?

When pressed by chat about a possible comeback to WWE during an August 18 broadcast, the 21-year-old disclosed that he plans to return "very soon." He didn't reveal anything further, but with Logan Paul set to return from a triceps injury soon, the two could reignite their feud that began at Mania 42.

IShowSpeed says he’s returning to WWE very soon. pic.twitter.com/5L5g5PsDIB

— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) August 18, 2026

During his debut match, IShowSpeed teamed with Logan Paul and Austin Theory to take on The Usos and LA Knight in a six-man tag team match. His team lost the bout, leading to Paul turning on him and resulting in a post-match sequence where Speed hit a splash on his colleague on the announce table.

As a result, the Cincinnati native has a ready-made feud if he does return to WWE for another match. If that's not the case, he can always make a celebrity cameo during a weekly show or at one of the upcoming Premium Live Events (PLE), something he did multiple times before his in-ring debut.

IShowSpeed blew up on social media during his in-ring debut

According to Streams Charts, clips of Speed's death-defying splash on Logan Paul at WrestleMania 42 have generated hundreds of millions of views on social media. Moreover, a video of the move became one of his most popular posts.

  Speed's viewership stats from his Mania 42 debut   

Across Twitch and YouTube, IShowSpeed's broadcasts of his debut earned a concurrent viewership averaging over 40,000 viewers. His viral splash was also caught live, and the stunt earned over 58,600 Peak Viewers on YouTube Live, with another 25,000 tuned in on Twitch.

IShowSpeed's WrestleMania appearance generated even greater reach on social media after the event: Speed posted his viral splash to Instagram, where it accumulated over 119M views within a week. He also posted two YouTube Shorts for the splash, where his stunt with Logan Paul accumulated another 14M views in the first seven days.

WWE continues to make inroads within livestreaming

Since 2025, WWE has continued to build its presence within livestreaming, with more content creators covering its weekly events and PLEs. In 2025, all free official broadcasts and watch parties combined for a peak of around 179K viewers.

  Viewership stats from WrestleMania 42  

This peak viewership number dipped to around 171K PV this year, with the official WWE channel emerging as the most popular channel both times. The official WWE channel even finished among the most-watched sports channels for the Mania weekend of April 18 and 19.

Crucially, these livestreams have generated higher watch time year on year, with 2025's 952K Hours Watched improved upon by almost 8.6% this year. IShowSpeed's broadcasts played their part in more sustained engagement, while the broadcasts also featured crossover personalities such as Logan Paul and Brock Lesnar.

Overall, events like WrestleMania 42 have showcased that professional wrestling and celebrities continue to form a potent recipe for WWE. If Speed does return, another prominent appearance could give WWE an additional opportunity to generate attention across livestreaming and social platforms.