WWE announced on Wednesday that a press conference will be held at Noon on March 30th to discuss the progress of the WWE Network, including an update on the latest official subscriber count.
The expectation is that in the days following the WrestleMania 31 pay-per-view, the subscriber number will likely be the highest of the year, so it makes sense to release that figure as soon as possible.
Also planned for the press conference are some announcements regarding the WWE Network program schedule.
Vince McMahon and WWE executive George Barrios will be hosting the conference, which we will have coverage of on 3/30.
WWE has released the full schedule of special programming airing on the WWE Network during WrestleMania week:
MONDAY, MARCH 23
Schwarzenegger/Triple H: The Interview
Immediately following Raw
Michael Cole sits down with 2015 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Arnold Schwarzenegger and WWE COO Triple H in an exclusive, revealing interview, from this year’s Arnold Classic.
THURSDAY, MARCH 26 and FRIDAY, MARCH 27
WrestleMania Today
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET – LIVE
Just days shy of WrestleMania, get all the insides stories leading up to WrestleMania from a panel of WWE Superstars and analysts.
SATURDAY, MARCH 28
WWE Hall of Fame 2015 Red Carpet
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET – LIVE
Before the ceremony, get a glimpse of what the stars are wearing, plus exclusive interviews with past and present WWE Superstars and Divas.
WWE Hall of Fame 2015
8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. ET – LIVE
On the eve of WrestleMania, Superstars and Divas join with the WWE Universe to pay tribute to this year’s inductees to the WWE Hall of Fame. This year’s live broadcast will honor the legendary “Macho Man” Randy Savage, as well as box office titan turned Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, among others.
SUNDAY, MARCH 29
WrestleMania 31 Kickoff
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m ET – LIVE
Hosted by a panel of WWE Superstars and analysts, get all the inside stories leading up to WrestleMania — plus an exclusive match.
WrestleMania 31
7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. ET – LIVE
WrestleMania features epic battles and never before seen confrontations between the greatest Superstars spanning generations.
MONDAY, MARCH 30
Raw Pre-Show
7:30 p.m – 8:00 p.m. – LIVE
– WWE developmental talent Leyvonna Zakari has been rehabilitating an undisclosed injury. She revealed on Instagram that the injury has prevented her from working out much as of late.
“I really haven’t worked out much since my injury. I’ve just been rehabing and trying to get back right. Well today, I went at it!” she wrote Monday. “I can’t feel my arms and I’m red in the face. I love this job!”
– As reported earlier today, Sting is in Des Moines, Iowa—the site of tonight’s Raw. The news broke when a fan saw him arriving at the airport late last night and posted this photo on Twitter.
– The “Quick Hits” section on the WWE Network was updated Monday with two music videos and clips featuring “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon. In one music video, Run DMC pays tribute to D-Generation X in the music video for their song “The Kings.” The other music video has “Rowdy” Roddy Piper singing a song called “I’m Your Man.” The song and music video were released in 1992 in the United Kingdom.
– The Lucha Dragons (Sin Cara and Kalisto) vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass in a tag-team match to determine the number one contenders for the NXT Tag-Team Championship has been announced for this week’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.
– Speaking of NXT, former NXT World Champion Sami Zayn is now officially on Facebook. You can check out Zayn’s page at Facebook.com/SamiZaynWWENXT.
– Lucha Underground and Ring Of Honor star Alberto El Patron will be coming out with a new YouShoot DVD produced by the folks at Kayfabe Commentaries on March 17th. The DVD will be available at KayfabeCommentaries.com.
– Former WWE Diva Melina Perez will be the guest on this week’s Jim Ross “Ross Report” podcast, which will be available on Tuesday night at approximately 9pm EST. at PodcastOne.com.
– All tickets available for the WWE SummerSlam 2015 pay-per-view pre-sale are officially sold out.
– VIP tickets for the Jim Ross “RINGSIDE” one-man show on March 28th in San Jose, California are sold out.
– The “Black History Month” and “12 Days of Attitude” segments are both no longer available on the WWE Network. Both were meant as temporary content for the digital subscription service.
– Former WWE Hall Of Famer Jimmy Hart is featured on the web series “Loud Satisfaction,” a comedy show based out of Boston. You can check out the episode below.
– CM Punk is scheduled to attend the UFC 185 pay-per-view next Saturday night in Dallas, Texas. Punk will be walking his Roufusport teammate Anthony Pettis to the cage for his UFC Lightweight Championship defense against Rafael dos Anjos. For UFC 185 live results coverage next weekend and more updates on Punk’s UFC status, visit our MMA sister-site at MMANews.com.
– This Tuesday on the WWE Network, a new episode of WWE Countdown will premiere looking at the “top ten strange bedfellows.”
– Also new on the WWE Network is the 2010 DVD “Wrestling’s Greatest High Flyers,” which will be added to the “Beyond The Ring” section on Friday.
– “36 fearless dives outside the ring” are featured on the latest edition of WWE’s “30 Second Fury,” which you can check out below.
– Triple H conducted an interview with 2015 WWE Hall Of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger in Ohio this weekend. The interview is going to air on the WWE Network in the future. Triple H tweeted the following photo of the two together this weekend.
This time, Jericho simply stated that he has a “ton” of thoughts on DeMott stepping down as head trainer in NXT, however he didn’t get into detail.
Jericho put over Bray Wyatt as an “excellent” performer, and also revealed Finn Balor, Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn to be his favorite talents in NXT.
Speaking of Jericho, he will be the subject of next Monday’s post-RAW special on the WWE Network, as WWE will premiere a 30-minute preview of the new “Road Is Jericho” DVD and Blu-ray immediately following RAW.
Below is the official synopsis for the special.
“A first look at Jericho’s new home video! Jump in a limo and ride with Chris as he shares his favorite stories while traveling the country.”
– After returning to the promotion at their 13th anniversary pay-per-view event this past weekend, Ring Of Honor has announced that Samoa Joe will face Michael Elgin at their March 14th event at The Frontier Fieldhouse in Chicago Ridge, Illinois.
– WWE has released additional information regarding their latest Royal Rumble pay-per-view. The 2015 edition of the Royal Rumble drew 141,000 buys on pay-per-view, 92,000 from international buys and 49,000 domestic. The 2014 edition of the pay-per-view, which took place prior to the launch of the WWE Network, drew 467,000 buys on pay-per-view.
– The move of voting Triple H and Stephanie McMahon onto the WWE Board of Directors was said to be done in an attempt to give the two more legitimate corporate experience for if and when they end up running the company. It’s believed that with WWE being a public company that Wall Street, at this point, would have qualms about an ex-wrestler with limited business management experience actually being in the CEO position.
– The following is the official video preview for tonight’s edition of NXT television on the WWE Network.
– WWE referee Scott Armstrong celebrates his 56th birthday today. Armstrong was born on March 4, 1959. Also celebrating birthdays today are former WCW star Crowbar (41) and former TNA Knockout Sarah “Sarita” Stock (36).
– WWE taped the following matches for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.
Adam Rose comes vs. Tyler Breeze
Blake and Murphy vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins
Baron Corbin vs. Tony Briggs
Solomon Crowe vs. Bull Dempsey
Charlotte vs. NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks
The following matches were taped on Monday night in Newark, New Jersey for this week’s edition of WWE Superstars on the WWE Network.
– The Ascension def. The Prime Time Players in tag-team action to kick off the taping. The Ascension picked up the win at about the four or five minute mark after hitting Darren Young with “The Fall of Man” for the pin fall victory.
– Zack Ryder def. Adam Rose in singles competition to close out the taping. Ryder got a great reaction coming out, as he lives close to the area. Rose was boo’d throughout. In the end, Ryder picked up the “W” after hitting his finisher.
– Speaking of tonight’s RAW, Paul Heyman is hyping a big WrestleMania 31 promo on social media. He tweeted the following promising fans that he “has plenty to say.”
– Part two of Roddy Piper’s interview with Colt Cabana is featured on this week’s edition of the “Piper’s Pit” podcast, which you can download at PodcastOne.com.
– WWE will be airing a new special called “WWE 24: Booker T: Sentenced to Greatness” on the WWE Network immediately following tonight’s edition of RAW. Below is a preview for the special.
– Below is this week’s “After Total Divas” web episode.
While nothing is official yet, there is speculation going around that Sheamus could potentially make his WWE return on tonight’s edition of RAW from Newark, New Jersey.
Speaking of tonight’s RAW, the WWE Network is advertising Alex Riley to return to the RAW pre-show tonight, however that appears to be a case of the Network not updating their listings. As things stand now, tonight’s RAW pre-show is set to feature the usual trio of Scott Stanford, Corey Graves and David Otunga.
Part-time WWE performer Chris Jericho has launched an official t-shirt store at ProWrestlingTees.com. He tweeted the following about the store, which shows off some of the t-shirt designs.
– WWE’s Chief Strategy & Financial Officer George Barrios was on CNBC earlier this week to discuss the 1-year anniversary of the WWE Network.
Although WWE’s stock got absolutely hammered last year as a result of widely perceived inflated expectations of the Network’s potential, Barrios said that WWE is still confident they can reach 3-4 million subscribers within the next 3-5 years.
– Variety has published an article looking at the 4 Key lessons WWE has learned after 1 year of the WWE Network.
– Jake “The Snake” Roberts tweeted the following about Bray Wyatt, who appears to be headed for a showdown with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31:
As far as I'm concerned BRAY IS THE SHIT!! Believe that Roman will b the champ at mania. Can he carry the load? Got build, look and smart!!
– Take this for what it’s worth, but WWE recently had old Memphis Wrestling footage, including the infamous Jerry Lawler vs. Andy Kaufman feud, pulled from YouTube in recent weeks. WWE pulled the footage claiming ownership of the tapes. At last word, WWE did not own the Memphis Wrestling tape library yet, however Lawler has been trying to get master tapes from those who owned them in hopes of selling the entire library to WWE for the WWE Network.
– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:
February 20th in Starke, FL for NXT drew 200 fans
February 21st in Cocoa Beach for NXT drew 250 fans, a sellout
February 23rd in Nashville for RAW drew 13,000 fans
– The following matches are confirmed for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.
Hideo Itami vs. Bull Dempsey
The Lucha Dragons vs. Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger
Baron Corbin vs. Tye Dillinger
Becky Lynch vs. Bayley
Brian Kendrick vs. Finn Balor (Kevin Owens is on commentary)
– Samoa Joe, who recently left TNA, and CM Punk recently had the following exchange on Twitter, leading some to speculate that the two may eventually work a match together. While there is nothing of substance to suggest they will be working together in any capacity, here is the exchange:
Just a disclaimer the ride this year is going to be a wild & unpredictable one. You have been warned
STAMFORD, Conn., February 25, 2015 – With more than 4.2 billion video views in the last 12 months, WWE has become the No. 1 Sports channel on YouTube ahead of the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, ESPN and NASCAR. In addition, WWE on YouTube has more than 5.2 million subscribers, which is more than MLB, NFL, NHL, ESPN, NASCAR, MLS and NBC Sports COMBINED.
WWE continues to remain a leader in social media, with more than 450 million combined social media followers globally. During the past year, WWE’s social media channels added more than 194 million followers, a nearly 75 percent increase year-over-year. WWE’s network of Facebook pages has more followers than the NFL and its 32 teams’ pages combined, and WWE Superstar John Cena is the No. 1 most-followed active American athlete on Facebook, with more than 36 million “Likes.”
Since launching in 2008, WWE’s YouTube channel has featured award-winning original short-form programming, including popular shows such as WWE Inbox, WWE Fury, 5 Things and WWE Top Ten. In addition, WWE uses its YouTube channel to promote its monthly WWE Network and pay-per-view events by airing live pre-shows that include exclusive matches and commentary.
– After announcing in July that WWE Magazine would cease production, WWE is once publishing magazines on a monthly basis.
In December, a Year in Photos magazine was released, and was followed by a WrestleMania 31 preview issue in January. WWE announced Monday that these “Special Edition” issues will be released on a monthly basis through retailers.
“Every month, look out for a new special collector’s edition featuring your favorite Superstars and Divas,” WWE states.
The current issue, the WrestleMania 31 Yearbook, is available now on newsstands.
– NXT star Kalisto, who made his WWE debut last week on Main Event, is backstage at tonight’s Raw in Nashville, Tennessee and dressed to compete.
– A few videos were added to WWE Network’s Quick Hits section on Monday, including a classic Randy Savage promo, “Macho Man” impersonations from WWE Superstars, and The Rock sharing the meaning of his ancestral tattoo.
WWE sent us the following press release announcing that WWE.com and the WWE mobile app will have a free stream featuring a “Best Of” programming marathon of the WWE Network.
WWE® NETWORK CELEBRATES FIRST BIRTHDAY WITH FREE 24-HOUR MARATHON ON WWE.COM AND THE WWE AP
STAMFORD, Conn., February 23, 2015 – In celebration of WWE Network’s first birthday, fans around the world can sample WWE Network with a 24-hour “Best Of” programming marathon streamed for free on WWE.com and through the WWE App with no WWE account or credit card required, immediately following tonight’s Monday Night Raw®. For the remainder of February, the full WWE Network experience is available for free for new subscribers.
The action-packed programming marathon will feature exclusive WWE Network programs, including groundbreaking NXT TakeOver events, original series such as Monday Night War and Legends House, WWE Network specials including The Stone Cold Podcast with Special Guests Vince McMahon and Triple H and Journey to WrestleMania 30: Daniel Bryan.
Now available on 13 platforms in more than 170 countries, WWE Network surpassed 1 million subscribers in just 11 months, making it the fastest-growing digital subscription service. In its first year, there were more than 285 million streams of WWE Network on more than 2 million unique devices.
WWE Network’s one-of-a-kind programming includes all 12 WWE pay-per-view events LIVE at no additional charge plus groundbreaking original series, reality shows, documentaries, classic matches, exclusive coverage of special events and a robust video-on-demand library with 3,000 hours available to subscribers.
Like other digital subscription services, such as Netflix and Hulu Plus, fans are able to sign up for WWE Network online by going to WWE.com and can watch WWE Network on their TVs through connected devices such as Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku streaming devices as well as Smart TVs including Sony and Samsung.
For a complete listing of WWE Network availability by country and device, please click here.
This week marks the one year anniversary of the launch of the WWE Network. Despite the milestone, other than new episodes of NXT and WWE Superstars, no new content is scheduled to premiere this week.
Instead, WWE has announced a WWE Network “birthday marathon,” which will begin immediately following tonight’s post-Fastlane edition of WWE RAW.
WWE wrote the following:
“In honor of WWE Network’s first birthday, the fastest-growing digital subscription service ever will air a marathon of its best programming, immediately following Raw. New subscribers to WWE Network can sign up now and get the rest of February FREE on The Road to WrestleMania.
Don’t miss WWE Network’s 24-hour birthday marathon, starting immediately after Raw with WWE 24: WrestleMania 30. Also, catch other amazing programs such as Warrior: The Ultimate Legend, the “Stone Cold” Podcast, NXT TakeOver: Rival, The Monday Night War, WWE Legends’ House, and much more!”
– Bell TV in Canada will launch the WWE Network this coming Wednesday, February 25th on channel 1446. As noted recently, WWE Network will officially lauch on TELLUS Satellite TV and Videotron in Canada on Wednesday as well. On Cogeco Cable and other platforms, it will become available in March.
– Jerry Lawler will be writing the foreword to longtime pro wrestling journalist Bill Apter’s autobiography, which is expected to be released in the fall.
– This week’s “30 Seconds Of Fury” video, which you can check out below, features 29 vicious spears.
As seen on tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network, former WWE Superstar Rhyno made his return to the company, squashing Elias Samson in a singles match. Rhyno also worked a backstage segment with Finn Balor and taped some work for future episodes of NXT.
It’s also worth pointing out that WWE’s official Twitter account linked to Rhyno’s Twitter account and while he hasn’t posted a new tweet since December of 2014, the most recent tweet on his page is a TNA Impact Wrestling logo.
In the above video, NXT General Manager William Regal discusses Rhyno’s NXT debut.
– Ric Flair has reached an agreement with CBS Sports to host a weekly podcast on Play.it The venture is expected to be officially announced within the next two weeks.
In addition to talking about professional wrestling, the WWE Hall of Famer will interview musicians, actors and athletes.
– Next Sunday on E!, Total Divas will air head-to-head with WWE Fast Lane. Here is the synopsis for the episode, titled “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Purses”: “Nattie renovates her mom’s house; Brie tries to help with Nicole’s out-of-control spending habits; and Eva Marie starts to fear the worse for her dad’s health, and so she comes up with a Vegas bucket list for him.”
– Five episodes of Raw from 1996 have been added to the WWE Network vault—June 24, July 1, July 8, July 15, and July 22.
– Roman Reigns is currently trending as the No. 1. topic on Yahoo.com, with John Cena trailing behind at No. 6.