Tag: WWE Network

WWE announces broadcast details for Worlds Collide specials

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has announced broadcast details for the four Worlds Collide specials that were taped at WrestleMania Axxess.

NXT vs. NXT Alumni, Cruiserweights Collide, Women Collide, and Brands Collide are the themes of the specials. NXT vs. NXT Alumni will be the first to air, with it premiering on the WWE Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday (April 14).

Roderick Strong vs. Tyler Breeze, Dominik Dijakovic vs. Luke Harper, SAnitY (Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain) vs. The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish), and Kassius Ohno vs. Aiden English will air on the NXT vs. NXT Alumni special.

The remaining specials will air at 9 p.m. Eastern on the WWE Network over three straight Wednesday nights. Cruiserweights Collide will premiere on April 17 and will feature Tyler Bate vs. Brian Kendrick, Akira Tozawa vs. Jordan Devlin, Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews vs. Ariya Daivari & Mike Kanellis, and Albert Hardie Jr. (ACH) vs. Gran Metalik vs. Ligero.

Women Collide premieres on April 24 and has Io Shirai vs. Sonya Deville, Toni Storm vs. Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair, Piper Niven vs. Zelina Vega, and Candice LeRae vs. Kay Lee Ray.

Brands Collide airs on May 1. It features men’s and women’s battle royals, with wrestlers from NXT and NXT UK taking part in the matches. The men’s battle royal also includes wrestlers from 205 Live.

Charlotte episode of Chronicle, new WWE Untold to premiere next week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

New Chronicle and Untold episodes will be airing on the WWE Network during WrestleMania week.

The updated Network schedule for next week lists that a new episode of Chronicle will air after NXT TakeOver: New York next Friday (April 5). Charlotte Flair will be the focus of the episode.

Chronicle is listed in an hour-long time slot, with it scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Here’s the brief description for the show: “Follow Charlotte Flair on The Road to WrestleMania as she becomes one of the first women to main event The Show of Shows.”

This will be the seventh Chronicle that WWE has produced, with the show following a wrestler during a significant moment in their career. Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Dean Ambrose, Becky Lynch, Paige, and Roman Reigns have been featured on past episodes.

A new WWE Untold will then air on the Network after the Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday (April 6). It’s listed in a 30-minute time slot (starting at 10 p.m. Eastern) and will be about Sting’s WWE debut: “Get the true story behind a moment many fans thought would never happen: Sting’s WWE debut at WrestleMania 31.”

Untold looks back at stories from WWE history. Past episodes have been on Undertaker and Mankind’s Hell in a Cell match from King of the Ring 1998, WWE’s ECW revival, and Eddie Guerrero.

Worlds Collide specials, NXT UK tapings set for WrestleMania Axxess

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Worlds Collide matches and NXT UK television tapings are set for this year’s WrestleMania Axxess.

Ahead of it beginning one week from today, WWE has announced the in-ring schedule for WrestleMania Axxess. It features Worlds Collide matches between wrestlers from WWE’s five brands, along with three sets of NXT UK tapings.

WWE.com noted that Axxess “will be your only chance to see these matches before they air on WWE Network.” Triple H also tweeted: “This year at #WrestleMania #Axxess, Superstars from EVERY @WWE brand will collide. Men and women from #Raw, #SDLive, @WWE205Live, @WWENXT and @NXTUK battle at each session for future episodes of @NXTUK and four @WWENetwork specials”

A Worlds Collide tournament took place at Royal Rumble Axxess in January. It included wrestlers from NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live, with Velveteen Dream winning the tournament and later winning the NXT North American Championship from Johnny Gargano.

Brooklyn Pier 12 in Brooklyn, New York is hosting WrestleMania Axxess from Thursday,  April 4 to Monday, April 8. Here are the matches that have been announced thus far:

NXT vs. NXT Alumni (Thursday, April 4 — 6-10 p.m.)

  • Roderick Strong vs. Tyler Breeze
  • Dominik Dijakovic vs. Luke Harper
  • SAnitY vs. Undisputed Era
  • Kassius Ohno vs. Aiden English

Cruiserweights Collide (Friday, April 5 — Sessions one and two)

  • Tyler Bate vs. Brian Kendrick
  • Akira Tozawa vs. Jordan Devlin
  • Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews vs. Ariya Daivari & Mike Kanellis
  • Albert Hardie Jr. (ACH) vs. Gran Metalik

NXT UK TV tapings (Saturday, April 6 — Sessions one, two, and three)

Brands Battle (Sunday, April 7 — 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.)

  • Men’s 20-entrant battle royal (Wrestlers from NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live)
  • Women’s 20-entrant battle royal (Wrestlers from NXT and NXT UK)

Women Collide (Monday, April 8 — 12-4 p.m.)

  • Io Shirai vs. Sonya Deville
  • Toni Storm vs. Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair
  • Piper Niven vs. Zelina Vega
  • Candice LeRae vs. Kay Lee Ray

More WCW Thunder episodes being uploaded to WWE Network

Posted on by Joseph Currier

More episodes of WCW Thunder are set to be made available on the WWE Network next week.

WWE Network News reported today that more Thunder episodes will be uploaded to the Network next Monday (March 18). The report stated that 20 episodes will be added.

The first set of Thunder uploads were added to the Network in March 2018. The first 77 episodes of Thunder are currently available on the Network, with them ranging from the show’s premiere in January 1998 to the end of August 1999.

The final edition of Thunder aired in March 2001, which was the month that WCW closed its doors. Thunder was a two-hour show that aired on TBS and ended up serving as secondary in-ring programming to Monday Nitro.

Episodes of WWE Confidential were added to the Network as last month’s classic content drop, while episodes of WWF Superstars from 1992 were uploaded in January. 

Roman Reigns episode of Chronicle to air on WWE Network

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Roman Reigns’ return is the focus of the next edition of WWE Chronicle.

The WWE Network schedule for next week lists that an episode of Chronicle on Reigns will air after Raw on Monday (March 4). The show is listed in a half-hour time slot, starting at 11 p.m. Eastern time and ending at 11:30 p.m.

The brief description for the episode is: “Follow Roman Reigns as he returns to Raw to give an update on his battle with leukemia.”

Reigns returned to WWE television on this Monday’s Raw and announced that his leukemia is in remission. He also took part in a segment later in the show, with Reigns and Seth Rollins saving Dean Ambrose from Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Elias.

Reigns will be in action in a tag match at Fastlane on March 10.

Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Becky Lynch, Paige, and Ambrose have been featured on past editions of Chronicle.

Following Reigns’ Chronicle episode, a new WWE Untold will air on the Network at 11:30 p.m. Eastern on Monday. It will look back at WWE’s ECW revival from 2006: “Get the extreme story behind ECW’s 2006 return from those who lived it, including Paul Heyman, Shane McMahon, Tommy Dreamer, and more.”

Mark Henry documentary to air after WWE Elimination Chamber

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mark Henry will be the subject of WWE’s next Network documentary.

“The Mark Henry Story” is listed as airing on the WWE Network after Elimination Chamber on Sunday, February 17. It’s in an hour-long time slot on the Network schedule, with it beginning at 10:30 p.m. Eastern time.

Here’s the brief description for the documentary: “Witness an incredible tale of strength, passion and the will to succeed in this revealing documentary about WWE Hall of Famer, Mark Henry!”

Henry was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the 2018 class and works for the company in a behind-the-scenes role. His most recent in-ring appearance was as an entrant in last April’s Greatest Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia.

WWE Network specials on “Mean” Gene Okerlund and Nigel McGuinness premiered last month. An edition of WWE Chronicle focused on Paige and a WWE 24 episode on last year’s WrestleMania aired on the Network over Royal Rumble weekend.

WWE reveals broadcast details for Worlds Collide tournament

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After noting that it would be taped for a Network special, WWE has revealed when the Worlds Collide tournament that’s taking place at Royal Rumble Axxess will be airing.

The tournament will be held across three sessions at Royal Rumble Axxess in Phoenix, Arizona this weekend. Matches from the opening rounds will then air on WWE.com, WWE’s app, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter starting at noon Eastern time on Saturday, February 2. The WWE Network special will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern on February 2.

The Network special will include the battle royal to determine the seeding for the tournament (based on elimination order) and matches from the later rounds, including the final. The winner of the battle royal will get a first-round bye.

The 15-wrestler Worlds Collide tournament features participants from NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live, with WWE promoting that the winner will receive a title shot of their choosing on either of those brands.

Here are the participants for the tournament:

NXT —

  • Adam Cole
  • Velveteen Dream
  • Dominik Dijakovic
  • Keith Lee
  • Shane Thorne

NXT UK —

  • Mark Andrews
  • Tyler Bate
  • Travis Banks
  • Jordan Devlin
  • Zack Gibson

205 Live —

  • Cedric Alexander
  • Tony Nese
  • Drew Gulak
  • TJP
  • Humberto Carrillo

WWE Network partnering with Endeavor Streaming

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has found a new streaming infrastructure partner for the WWE Network.

WWE has signed with Endeavor Streaming and is leaving Disney Streaming Services, which was formerly known as BAMTech. Disney/BAMTech had been WWE’s streaming provider since the Network launched in 2014.

The press release announcing the news included a statement from Vince McMahon on what the move could mean for WWE Network subscribers: “Endeavor Streaming’s best-in-class technology enables us to offer more features, elevate the user experience and provides us even more opportunity to delight our fans around the world.”

In addition to joining Endeavor Streaming, Variety noted that WWE has announced a partnership with user-interface design firm Massive Interactive. WWE said the new partnerships are “part of our evolving strategy to own more of the WWE Network technology stack.”

Endeavor is the parent company of the UFC, and UFC Fight Pass is also supported by Endeavor Streaming. Endeavor Streaming is newly created and was announced on Monday. Endeavor notes that incorporates their internal video platform technology with “OTT leader NeuLion, acquired by Endeavor in 2018, will be absorbed within the new group.”

WWE 205 Live moving back to Tuesdays

Posted on by Joseph Currier

205 Live is officially moving back to Tuesday nights.

WWE has officially announced that 205 Live is moving back to airing live in its original time slot starting this week (Tuesday, January 15). The episodes will air on the WWE Network on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern time.

The WWE Network schedule for this week and WWE.com had listed the move back to Tuesdays before the official announcement was made.

205 Live aired in that post-SmackDown time slot on Tuesdays until it switched to airing on Wednesdays due to Mixed Match Challenge season two premiering in September. Following the end of the Mixed Match Challenge season, 205 Live continued to air on Wednesdays until now and was being taped before SmackDown.

Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy issuing a non-title open challenge to anyone who meets the 205-pound weight limit has been announced for Tuesday’s 205 Live episode, which is taking place at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama. WWE has hyped that there will be fresh faces added to the cruiserweight division in 2019.

Murphy will defend the Cruiserweight title against Kalisto, Akira Tozawa, and Hideo Itami in a fatal four-way match at the Royal Rumble on January 27.

Nigel McGuinness documentary to air on WWE Network

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A documentary on Nigel McGuinness will be premiering on the WWE Network after NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool.

The WWE Network schedule notes that an original special called “The Nigel McGuinness Story” will air on the Network at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, January 12, which is the post-NXT UK TakeOver time slot. The documentary is listed as airing from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Eastern.

Here’s WWE’s brief description of the documentary: “The story of Nigel McGuinness, a man with lifelong aspirations of becoming a WWE Superstar, whose career was unceremoniously cut short.”

McGuinness and Vic Joseph are the commentary team for NXT UK, and McGuinness also does color commentary for NXT, 205 Live, and Main Event.

TakeOver Blackpool is the first TakeOver special for the NXT UK brand. It’s taking place at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, England on January 12 and will air live on the WWE Network starting at 2 p.m. Eastern, with a 30-minute pre-show airing before that.

WWE Network adding Ibushi vs. Roode to Hidden Gems next week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Next week’s additions to the WWE Network’s Hidden Gems section will include one of Kota Ibushi’s matches for WWE.

WWE Network News reported that Ibushi vs. Bobby Roode will be uploaded to the WWE Network’s Hidden Gems section on Thursday, January 3. The match took place at an NXT house show at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California on October 30, 2016. The video of Ibushi vs. Roode is listed as being 22 minutes and 16 seconds long.

A triple threat match from the same house show where Shinsuke Nakamura defended the NXT Championship against Samoa Joe and Eric Young will also be one of next Thursday’s Hidden Gems.

Ibushi took part in the Cruiserweight Classic and Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic for WWE in 2016 but didn’t end up signing with the company. He’s currently NJPW’s NEVER Openweight Champion and will defend the title against Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 13 on January 4.

Japanese wrestlers are the theme of next Thursday’s Hidden Gems. Here are the four other matches that WWE Network News reported will be added:

  • Antonio Inoki vs. Larry Sharpe (Showdown at Shea, August 9, 1980)
  • Jerry Lawler & Greg Gagne vs. Riki Choshu & Mr. Saito (AWA, May 14, 1988)
  • Sting vs. The Great Muta (WCW Power Hour, September 1, 1989)
  • Shinjiro Otani vs. Dean Malenko for the WCW Cruiserweight Championship (WCW Worldwide, May 18, 1996)

Four new WWE Network shows set to air next week

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A slate of new WWE Network shows will be airing on the WWE Network next week.

The four shows, which appear to be pilots, will debut over the next week starting on Christmas Eve and running through the end of the week on Friday, according to the WWE Network schedule. These all appear to be based off a recent survey asking subscribers what kind of shows they would be interested in.

On Christmas Eve, a new series called Fashion Files: Cold Case Unit will air, apparently a show about solving long-running WWE mysteries. The WWE Network description says “It’s do-or-pie for detectives Tyler Breeze and Fandango, as ‘The Fashion Police’ close in on Kevin Owens’ mysterious Pie Face Perpetrator!”. This is to air following Raw at 11 p.m. EST.

Christmas Day will see Xavier Woods’ show Xavier’s Arcade Challenge debut. This will have Woods examining the arcade scene in each city he visits. The description reads “Xavier Woods invades the arcade scene in The City of Brotherly Love, and he’s seeking a challenge in the retro gaming classic, NBA Jam!” This airs at 7:30 p.m.

A kitchen competition show called WWE Kitchen SmackDown follows on December 27th at 7 p.m. EST. Hosted by Bo Dallas, it will be a cook off show similar to Iron Chef. The description says “Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox and Curtis Axel compete in a cookoff for guest judges Enes Kanter, Noelle Foley and Mark Henry, hosted by Bo Dallas”.

Finally, Botch Club will air at 7:00 p.m. EST on December 28. Hosted by Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, it appears to be similar to the popular Botchamania videos. The description reads “Gallows and Anderson watch acrobatic attempts gone awry, and take a deep dive into the circumstances behind the infamous Titus Worldslide”.

Edge & Christian show returning to WWE Network next week

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The second season of Edge & Christian’s WWE Network show finally has its premiere date.

During last night’s Raw, it was announced that season two of “The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness” will return next Monday (November 26). The season premiere will air on the WWE Network after next Monday’s episode of Raw.

The first season of the comedy series aired in 2016 and featured 12 episodes. Season two was officially announced by WWE this April.

Edge & Christian’s podcast returned from hiatus last week, with Shawn Michaels and musician NIta Strauss appearing as the guests.

WWE has also officially confirmed that a one-hour Starrcade 2018 special will air on the Network at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday (November 25), which is the night after the event takes place at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. WWE hasn’t revealed which matches will be shown on the special.

One-hour Starrcade 2018 special listed on WWE Network schedule

Posted on by Joseph Currier

It appears that a portion of this year’s Starrcade event will be airing on the WWE Network in some form.

The WWE Network schedule lists that a one-hour “WWE Starrcade 2018 special” will air at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, November 25. That’s the day after the event takes place at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The brief description for the special is: “Catch all your favorite Superstars competing at WWE Starrcade, a special event where both the Raw and SmackDown brands collide.”

This is the second straight year that WWE has used the Starrcade name for a live event. It was brought back for a SmackDown-brand house show in Greensboro, North Carolina during Thanksgiving weekend in 2017, with Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Arn Anderson, and The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express also making appearances in Greensboro for the event.

Here’s what’s currently being advertised for Starrcade 2018:

  • Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins defending against Dean Ambrose in a street fight
  • Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin
  • AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe in a steel cage match
  • United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defending against Rey Mysterio
  • SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus defending against The New Day
  • Finn Balor vs. Drew McIntyre
  • The Miz vs. Rusev (w/ Lana)
  • A “special concert” with Ric Flair joining Elias
  • Appearances by Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and Dolph Ziggler

WWE Network notes: Ride Along, NXT UK, Chronicle, 365

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The season finale of Ride Along, two NXT UK episodes, and new editions of WWE Chronicle and 365 are set to premiere on the WWE Network over the next several days.

Ride Along’s season finale will air on Monday in the Network’s post-Raw time slot. It will feature Edge & Christian and The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan).

Two new episodes of NXT UK are again listed on the Network schedule for Wednesday. They will premiere at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time. They’ll also be shown on the Network stream at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern, which is after new episodes of 205 Live and NXT.

The NXT UK Women’s title belt will be unveiled on the first episode, and the second episode will feature the beginning of the tournament to crown the inaugural champion. The episodes are from NXT UK’s tapings in Birmingham, England at the end of August.

A new edition of WWE Chronicle will premiere on the Network after NXT TakeOver: WarGames next Saturday (November 17). It will look at Dean Ambrose’s return from injury and the angle where he turned against Seth Rollins. Here’s the description for it: “Get a candid look at Dean Ambrose’s life inside and outside the ring, including his epic return and his shocking betrayal of Seth Rollins.”

WWE has also produced Chronicle episodes on Shinsuke Nakamura leading into WrestleMania 34 and Samoa Joe ahead of SummerSlam this year.

After Survivor Series on November 18, a WWE 365 documentary on AJ Styles and his year as WWE Champion will air on the Network. Here’s the brief description: “Relive AJ Styles’ historic year as WWE Champion both in and out of the ring, and witness The Phenomenal One as you’ve never seen him before!”

A WWE 365 episode on Kevin Owens aired last year, looking at his Universal Championship win, his WrestleMania match against Chris Jericho, and concluded with Owens getting back on track on SmackDown.