Tag: WWE Network

New WWE 24 episode premiering after Royal Rumble

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new episode of WWE 24 is set to debut on the WWE Network after the Royal Rumble.

“WWE 24: WrestleMania New York” will premiere on the Network following the Royal Rumble on January 26. WWE described the episode:

Titled WWE 24: WrestleMania New York, the new release will feature loads of original Superstar interviews and never-before-seen backstage footage, giving you unprecedented insight into WWE’s marquee event, which saw Kofi Kingston’s crowning as WWE Champion, Seth Rollins’ slaying of “The Beast” Brock Lesnar and Becky Lynch’s triumph in WrestleMania’s first main event featuring female Superstars.

The upcoming episode covers all that and much more, from Ricochet’s long-awaited debut on The Grandest Stage of Them All, to two tales of enduring friendships, as the teams of The IIconics and Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins achieve their dreams of experiencing WrestleMania Moments together.

Episodes of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions had premiered after Survivor Series in November and TLC in December, but this month’s Broken Skull Sessions instead aired in the post-NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II time slot on Sunday. Kane was Austin’s guest on the show.

Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas is hosting Royal Rumble 2020. The men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches, Becky Lynch vs. Asuka for the Raw Women’s Championship, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan for the Universal Championship, and Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin have been announced for the pay-per-view.

Kane appearing on next episode of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Kane will be Steve Austin’s guest on the next episode of the Broken Skull Sessions.

The WWE Network’s Twitter account announced today that Kane will be the guest on the third episode of Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions interview series. The episode is airing on the Network after NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II on Sunday, January 12.

Broken Skull Sessions premiered after Survivor Series in November. The Undertaker was the guest on the debut episode, with Goldberg appearing on the second episode after TLC in December.

NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II will begin at noon Eastern time on January 12. Five matches have been confirmed for the show:

  • WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER defending against Joe Coffey
  • NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray defending against Toni Storm and Piper Niven in a triple threat match
  • NXT UK Tag Team Champions Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) defending against The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake), Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner), and Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster in a four-way ladder match
  • Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin
  • Trent Seven vs. Eddie Dennis

Seth Rollins WWE 365 episode to premiere later this month

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Seth Rollins is the subject of a WWE Network documentary premiering later this month.

A WWE 365 episode on Rollins will premiere on the WWE Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, December 22. Rollins tweeted about the show: “The time frame of this couldn’t have been any more interesting. A lot can change in year.”

WWE 365 follows one wrestler over the course of a year. This is the fourth episode of the series that WWE has produced. Kevin Owens was featured in the first WWE 365, which aired after Survivor Series 2017. An episode on AJ Styles debuted after last year’s Survivor Series, while Alexa Bliss’ episode premiered after Stomping Grounds this June.

Rollins’ heel turn was officially confirmed on this week’s Raw, with him aligning with AOP and beating down Owens. Rollins then cut a promo where he blamed the fans and said their negativity turned fiction into fact.

Goldberg appearing on next episode of Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has revealed the guest for the second episode of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions.

Goldberg will appear on the Broken Skull Sessions episode that’s airing on the WWE Network after TLC on Sunday, December 15. The interview series debuted after Survivor Series on November 24, with The Undertaker appearing as Austin’s guest for the premiere.

Goldberg was also featured on an episode of WWE Chronicle that premiered on the Network following Hell in a Cell in October. It followed him as he returned against The Undertaker at Super ShowDown and then faced Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam.

Broken Skull Sessions is a monthly series that will “feature no-holds-barred, one-on-one conversations with the biggest names in WWE history, including legends, superstars, and celebrity guests.”

TLC is taking place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. WWE hasn’t announced any matches for the pay-per-view, but the Target Center is advertising Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin in a TLC match, Asuka & Kairi Sane defending their Women’s Tag Team titles against Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair in a TLC match, and Rusev vs. Bobby Lashley.

KO Show segment with Ric Flair set for WWE Starrcade special

Posted on by Joseph Currier

This year’s WWE Starrcade will include an appearance by the event’s most iconic performer.

WWE announced today that Ric Flair will appear on a KO Show segment with Kevin Owens at Starrcade on Sunday (December 1). The segment will be part of the WWE Network portion of the show.

Starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time, one hour from Starrcade will air live on the WWE Network on Sunday. The show is taking place at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia.

Two matches have also been confirmed for the Starrcade Network special. Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka & Kairi Sane will defend their titles against Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks & Bayley, and Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way match. Rusev will also face Bobby Lashley in a last man standing match.

This is the third straight year that WWE has held a Starrcade show. Flair also made appearances in 2017 and 2018, with him taking part in a segment with Elias last year.

Steve Austin ‘Broken Skull Sessions’ series coming to WWE Network

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new series hosted by Steve Austin is coming to the WWE Network later this month.

It was announced via Variety today that the first episode of “Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Broken Skull Sessions” will premiere on the WWE Network after Survivor Series on Sunday, November 24. It will be a monthly interview series, with The Undertaker appearing as Austin’s guest on the debut episode.

“Mark has been doing The Undertaker for 30 years and he has had one of the greatest runs in the history of the business,” Austin told Variety. “He’s stayed in character all this time. He’s made a few appearances on some talk shows way back in the day, but no one has really ever heard from Mark Calaway the man…I think he was enthusiastic because he has been quiet for so long so now he has the chance to share some stories like everyone else has. He’s had one of the most high-profile careers and, back in his heyday, had some of the most outlandish stories from the road. We had a great time shooting the breeze.”

Austin previously hosted the Stone Cold Podcast on the WWE Network. He spoke to Variety about the difference between that show and his new series: “I think this is going to be a little more relaxed and laid back. The other one was live and I was flying around to accommodate the schedule and going out on the road. This is over at the Broken Skull studio, which we’ve built up…It’s basically like a bullsh*t session, talking about someone’s career and trading stories, shooting the breeze.”

WWE noted that the Broken Skull Sessions “will feature no-holds-barred, one-on-one conversations with the biggest names in WWE history, including legends, superstars, and celebrity guests.”

WWE no longer airing new episode of 205 Live tonight

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new episode of 205 Live won’t be airing on the WWE Network tonight after all.

Post Wrestling’s John Pollock reported that a call was made to air a repeat episode of 205 Live tonight: “I’ve been told by multiple people that a call was made to air a repeat of 205 Live tonight instead of taping a new show after Smackdown in Los Angeles. They had previously announced two matches for 205 Live and it was described to me as a ‘late call’.”

WWE had announced that 205 Live would be moving to airing live on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time on Fridays starting this week. Earlier today, Tony Nese vs. Humberto Carrillo and Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick had been announced for the episode that was supposed to take place tonight.

WWE.com has removed the preview for this week’s 205 Live and the announcements of Nese vs. Carrillo and Tozawa vs. Kendrick. The WWE Network schedule also no longer lists a new 205 Live episode for tonight. Last week’s 205 Live will air at 9 p.m. Eastern, with the NXT episode from this Wednesday airing at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Tommaso Ciampa documentary to air on WWE Network next week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After he returned from injury last night, a documentary on Tommaso Ciampa is set to air on the WWE Network next week.

The special is titled “Tommaso Ciampa: blackHEART.” It will debut on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern next Wednesday (October 9), which is right after next week’s NXT airs live on the USA Network.

WWE.com described the special: “Witness the heroic struggle of former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa as he embarks on a difficult road to recovery from a devastating injury and finds strength from his wife, baby daughter, friends and the NXT Universe.”

The special may feature footage from the three-part series on Ciampa, his family, and his injury and recovery that was uploaded to the WWE Performance Center’s YouTube account. Part one was released this April, part two was released in May, and part three was uploaded in August.

Ciampa vacated the NXT Championship after undergoing neck surgery (an anterior cervical fusion) in March. He made a surprise return at the end of last night’s NXT and confronted current champion Adam Cole.

205 Live moving to Fridays on WWE Network

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has made an official announcement regarding the status of 205 Live.

With SmackDown shifting to Fridays on FOX, 205 Live will also make the move to Fridays and air live on the WWE Network at 10 p.m. Eastern time: “Beginning this Friday, Oct. 4, The Most Exciting Hour on Television is moving to Friday nights. As part of WWE Premiere Week, the home of the Cruiserweights — WWE 205 Live — is moving to Fridays at 10/9 C, streaming live on the award-winning WWE Network.”

Dave Meltzer reported on 205 Live moving to Fridays in the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter: “With SmackDown tapings on Fridays, the temporary plan for 205 Live is to tape at 10 p.m. Eastern each week and air live on the WWE Network on Fridays. We were told this was only temporary. As noted before, there were many different ideas suggested for 205 Live, including eliminating the show completely. No final decision has been made, so this is really just a temporary fix until that decision is made.”

Drew Gulak is the current Cruiserweight Champion. On NXT’s live premiere on September 18, Lio Rush made his return and defeated Oney Lorcan in a Cruiserweight title number one contender’s match. 

Lorcan & Danny Burch defeated Gulak & Tony Nese in the main event of last week’s 205 Live.

NXT UK moving to Thursdays on WWE Network starting next week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE’s changing television schedule will include NXT UK switching nights.

During this week’s NXT UK episode, it was announced that the show will move to airing on Thursdays starting next week. It will remain in its 3 p.m. ET/8 p.m. BST time slot on the WWE Network on Thursdays.

NXT UK had been airing on Wednesdays up until now.

NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray vs. Tegan Nox in a non-title match and Piper Niven vs. Isla Dawn have been announced for next Thursday’s episode.

Next week marks the start of a new TV schedule for WWE. Raw will remain on the USA Network on Monday nights, but SmackDown is moving to Fridays on FOX.

Next Wednesday will also be the first time that NXT airs live on USA Network for its full two hours. Due to the final episodes of the USA Network series “Suits,” the first two live editions of NXT have been split across USA Network and WWE Network.

One-hour Starrcade special to air live on WWE Network on December 1

Posted on by Joseph Currier

For the third straight year, WWE is putting on a Starrcade event.

WWE confirmed on Tuesday night that this year’s Starrcade will take place at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth, Georgia on Sunday, December 1. The show will include a one-hour live WWE Network special that will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston, Becky Lynch, Bayley, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Daniel Bryan are advertised for the event. Tickets will go on sale via the Infinite Energy Center’s website at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Friday, September 27.

WWE noted that the in-arena portion of Starrcade will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

In 2017, WWE revived the Starrcade brand for the first time since WCW closed its doors. That event was a house show at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Starrcade 2018 took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a one-hour WWE Network special from it airing a day after the show.

Like the previous two years, Starrcade 2019 is taking place during Thanksgiving weekend.

UPDATE: Adrian Street documentary to air before NXT UK TakeOver

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

WWE.com notes that the Adrian Street documentary will air before NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff this Saturday instead of after the event. The documentary will be called “Adrian Street: Imagine What I Could Do to You.”

The documentary on Street will be a half-hour long and will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern time. The half-hour UK TakeOver pre-show starts at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

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Original —

Adrian Street & Miss Linda will be the subject of the WWE Network’s next documentary.

WWE Network News reported today that “Exotic: The Story of Adrian Street and Miss Linda” will premiere on the WWE Network after NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff next Saturday (August 31).

The special will include footage of Street visiting WWE’s Performance Center in London, England.

The brief description of the documentary is: “British sports-entertainment legend Adrian Street reflects on his life and career in and out of the ring. Join him as he relives his journey to becoming one of the most outlandish and polarizing Superstars in history, and witness his emotional experience coaching at the WWE Performance Center in the United Kingdom.”

Street won “Best Gimmick” in the 1986 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards. He’s from Wales, and next Saturday’s UK TakeOver event is taking place at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff.

UK TakeOver: Cardiff is the second TakeOver special in NXT UK history. A documentary on Nigel McGuinness premiered after NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool in January.

New editions of WWE Chronicle, 24 to premiere this weekend

Posted on by Joseph Currier

New editions of WWE Chronicle and WWE 24 are set to premiere this weekend.

An episode of Chronicle focused on Seth Rollins will air on the WWE Network after NXT TakeOver: Toronto this Saturday (August 10). It comes in advance of Rollins challenging for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship at SummerSlam.

After SummerSlam on Sunday, a new episode of WWE 24 will premiere. It will feature Kofi Kingston and his visit to Ghana for the Year of Return. A WWE film crew accompanied Kingston to document his first time in Ghana in 26 years.

Kingston is defending his WWE Championship against Randy Orton at SummerSlam.

Tonight, new episodes of WWE Day Of and Table for Three will premiere on the WWE Network after Raw. The Day Of episode will focus on Raw Reunion, while Rollins, Cesaro, and Nigel McGuinness are on Table for Three.

Prime Target: NXT TakeOver Toronto is scheduled to premiere at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time this Wednesday. It will build up Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano’s NXT Championship match at TakeOver.

A new WWE Untold episode premieres at 8 p.m. Eastern this Friday. Daniel Bryan & Kane’s Team Hell No partnership is the subject of the show.

WWE Network launching tier system within next year

Posted on by Josh Nason

Among some of the changes the WWE Network is undergoing, the company announced they will move to a tier system to be rolled out within the next 12 months.

Discussed on the Thursday quarterly conference call, they will launch a free tier with “select” programming with a VIP tier coming several months after that. It’s unclear what different content would be on the VIP tier (or the cost), but shows like EVOLVE’s recent 10th anniversary event were referenced to our Dave Meltzer. 

In the past, promotions like PROGRESS and ICW have been linked to the Network but nothing has come from that to this point.

Other Network updates began to roll out to subscribers Thursday which includes improved search functionality, the ability to go to specific segments and matches on PPV shows and skip to the next match on an event without having to fast forward through everything in between. Localized languages in key markets is also expected within the next year.

Some devices haven’t received the update as of this writing, but those will continue to roll out throughout the week.

WWE Network subscribers averaged 1.6 million over the last quarter and is expected to drop again in the next quarter, per the company.

Updated WWE Network design debuts

Posted on by Joseph Currier

An updated version of the WWE Network will be debuting this week.

WWE sent out an email to subscribers Wednesday announcing the news: “We are pleased to inform you that WWE Network is being updated this week with a new design, a simpler navigation and smarter search tools.”

WWE uploaded a video featuring the new design. It also hyped that the updated version of the Network will include “signature superstar pages” and new streaming features.

It was noted that the update will occur at different times for different devices during the week. Users will need to log in with their email address and password the first time they use the updated Network on each device, but they won’t need to create a new account.

It was announced in January that WWE had signed with Endeavor Streaming to be their new streaming infrastructure partner. WWE had been partnered with Disney Streaming Services (formerly known as BAMTech) since the Network launched in 2014. Their deal with Disney Streaming Services expired at the end of last year.