Tag: the roku channel

John Cena Roku series announces return date

Posted on by Joseph Currier

“What Drives You” — a Roku Channel series hosted by John Cena — is returning with more episodes later this month.

Season two of the series will be available to stream for free on The Roku Channel starting on Friday, January 16. There are four episodes in the season, with WWE star Charlotte Flair among the celebrity guests. The concept of the show is Cena spending time with famous people and finding out what drives them — both in terms of their motivations and the actual vehicles they drive.

“John Cena is back, fueling his two biggest passions: cars and connecting with people,” a press release said. “This season, singer and rapper Saweetie, WWE champion Charlotte Flair, country superstar Kane Brown, and future baseball hall of famer Mookie Betts join John in the driver’s seat. John spends time with each of these successful and talented celebrities, talking about their journey and discovering what drives them – both on the road and in their hearts.”

Season one of the show debuted in 2025 and had The Miz, Logan Paul, and Jelly Roll as guests.

Cena, who retired from the ring with a loss to Gunther last month, is now contracted to WWE in an ambassadorial role. His upcoming acting projects include starring alongside comedian Eric Andre in the Netflix movie “Little Brother.”

The trailer for season two of “What Drives You” can be seen below.

NWA announces streaming deal with Roku

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The NWA and Roku are joining forces for a new streaming deal.

It was announced today that the two sides have reached an agreement to make The Roku Channel the new streaming home of the NWA in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Starting on July 29, new episodes of NWA Power will air every Tuesday on The Roku Channel for free at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

The NWA touted that this is the “biggest first-run television deal” for the promotion in over 25 years.

Since October 2024, episodes of Power have aired on X/Twitter. Previous broadcast homes for the show include YouTube, Triller TV, and The CW App.

“When I purchased the National Wrestling Alliance in 2017, it was understood we were inheriting the history and legacy of the most storied brand in all combat sports, so to announce today we have now partnered with the number one TV streaming platform in North America is indeed a moment to be proud of,” NWA President Billy Corgan said in a press release. “I look forward to sharing new episodes of NWA Powerrr with the incredible audience that Roku brings.”

“We’re thrilled to call The Roku Channel the streaming home of the National Wrestling Alliance, and as Billy and his team continue to excite audiences, we look forward to tapping into the scale of our platform to bring this historic and storied promotion to millions of viewers,” said Joe Franzetta, Roku Media’s Head of Sports.

Viewers do not need a Roku device to watch The Roku Channel with it also being available through Roku’s website and the Roku app.

NJPW’s Roku Channel debut to feature Wrestle Kingdom 14 action

Posted on by Josh Nason

New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Thursday debut on The Roku Channel will begin with a ten hour marathon featuring action from 2020’s Wrestle Kingdom 14.

Last week, NJPW announced their new deal with Roku for a weekly show available in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada via The Roku Channel, accessible with nearly any kind of device. Starting with this marathon, the weekly show will air at 5 PM Eastern with the content available on demand after each initial airing.

The ten episodes of “New Japan Pro-Wrestling” will feature the following matches, all from Wrestle Kingdom 14:

  • Jay White vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito
  • Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi; Juice Robinson & David Finlay vs. Guerrillas of Destiny
  • Jushin Thunder Liger retirement matches
  • Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer; Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White; Bullet Club vs. Roppongi 3K
  • KENTA vs. Hirooki Goto; CHAOS vs. Bullet Club
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs SANADA; Suzuki-gun vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon
  • NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Championship gauntlet match

NJPW announces deal with The Roku Channel

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

On Thursday, New Japan Pro Wrestling announced a TV deal for a weekly one hour television show on The Roku Channel in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.

“New Japan Pro Wrestling” will debut on the channel weekly starting next Thursday, February 11th at 5 PM Eastern and the show will be available on demand each week after the initial airing. The show will air weekly footage from major arenas in Japan.

The channel will also have on demand footage of New Japan historical content, including some of the major matches of 2020. 

The Roku Channel is available in nearly 62 million U.S. homes, available via their app, Roku TVs and Roku streaming devices. 

The deal, completed in December, brings New Japan back to weekly TV. They were canceled at the end of 2019 by AXS TV following a series of successful years as part of the fallout of the sale of the station by Mark Cuban to Anthem Entertainment, the parent company of Impact Wrestling.

“Expanding the breadth and quality of our programming has fueled The Roku Channel to one of the largest and fastest growing channels on our platform,” said Ashley Hovey, Director of AVOD Growth, Roku. “Sports programming continues to be an important category for our users, and we are very excited to partner with NJPW to put the world of professional wrestling at the fingertips of millions of engaged users on The Roku Channel.”

“Our fans in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom are among our most loyal, and they have been very clear that they want NJPW’s content made available to them,” said Takami Ohbari, President of NJPW. “NJPW is unlike any other pro-wrestling in the world. It is the most athletic, sports-oriented pro-wrestling on the planet, and we are excited to bring our athletes and matches to these markets in such a major way. Thank you to The Roku Channel, and we look forward to a successful partnership that brings NJPW to millions of new fans around the world.”

The news comes after a talent trading partnership between New Japan and AEW opened up nearly 25 months after their first attempt to work together in January 2019. The first example of that partnership will be on February 10th with a Kenny Omega & KENTA vs. Jon Moxley & Lance Archer lights out match on AEW Dynamite with another example coming on February 26th with Moxley vs. KENTA for NJPW’s IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship airing on New Japan Strong.