WWE sent out a survey on Wednesday to gauge fan interest on a possible “premium tier” for the WWE Network and new programming options.

The idea of a tiered structure for the WWE Network has been considered for quite some time and the company is once again inquiring about whether or not WWE fans would pay for content from rival promotions.

Among the new programming options proposed are:

• Historic and new programming from Impact Wrestling, Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling, ECW, PROGRESS, ICW and more.
• Original scripted comedies like Southpaw Regional Wrestling and a WWE version of “The Office”
• Audio channel, featuring podcasts and “Sports radio” style call-in shows
• Streaming of select WWE live events / house shows
• Tournaments such as WWE vs. NXT, Lucha libre, tag teams and King/Queen of the Ring

Here’s a screenshot of the survey (click to enlarge) – hit up the comments section and tell us which of these options you’d pay extra for on the WWE Network.

WWE has announced the WWE Network is launching in China next Friday, August 18th. With over 1.3 billion people, this presents a valuable opportunity for WWE to expand the footprint of the company’s OTT streaming service.

It would appear Wall Street is liking this news, as WWE stock is up over 2% as of this writing when the market is flat.

WWE returns to China on Sunday, September 17 with a live event from Shenzhen.

Press Release:

PPTV and WWE® to Launch WWE® Network in China

08/10/2017 – SHANGHAI & STAMFORD, Conn.– WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and PPTV (a Suning Sports Media company) today announced that WWE Network will be available in China for the first time beginning on Friday, August 18, launching exclusively on PPTV as a subscription video-on-demand service featuring all WWE live pay-per-view events, including WrestleMania® and the upcoming SummerSlam®.

PPTV customers can download the PPTV App and watch WWE Network content via smart TVs, set-top boxes, mobile devices and tablets, as well as on www.wwe.cn,www.PPTV.com and www.Sports.PPTV.com. Fans can sign up in time to watch one of WWE’s marquee events of the year, SummerSlam®, live in Mandarin, on Monday, August 21 at 7:00 AM Beijing time.

“When we began our exclusive partnership with WWE, we brought WWE’s signature programming Raw® and SmackDown® to PPTV and received a great response from WWE fans in China,” said Godfrey Zeng, Executive Vice President of Suning Sports Media, parent company of PPTV. “In April, we offered WrestleMania as a pay-per-view event, and again, our fans responded enthusiastically. We are now launching WWE Network on PPTV and presenting the entire lineup of WWE pay-per-views and other premium content to continue to better serve WWE fans in China.”

“PPTV is a tremendous partner and has been key in helping us engage with WWE fans in China and further establishing our brand in this important market,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer. “With this launch, WWE Network is now available in every market, reaching more than 180 countries around the world, delivering all our premium live events and an archive of action-packed, family-friendly entertainment that has thrilled WWE audiences for years.”

WWE Network on PPTV will showcase WWE’s major live events and ground-breaking original series, including NXT®and 205 Live™; reality shows, such as Total Divas;documentaries; and classic matches from WWE’s storied history. PPTV will continue to expand WWE Network’s video-on-demand library, adding more than 1,000 hours of content over the next 12 months.

In addition to offering WWE Network as a subscription service, PPTV will also offer its customers premium live events such as WrestleMania®, SummerSlam®,Royal Rumble® and Survivor Series® as well as other WWE Network Specials on a pay-per-view basis.

Last year, WWE announced an exclusive multi-year agreement with PPTV to deliver its flagship shows, Raw and SmackDown, live in Mandarin. In addition, WWE short-form content is available on PPTV’s digital platforms, and PPTV leverages popular digital and social platforms, including WeChat and Weibo, to share WWE content with fans throughout China. This year, WrestleMania was made available in China for the first time, via PPTV.

The WWE Network has added 6 new cards to their “Old School” section. All 6 events added took place inside Boston Garden in 1986.

New Content Listings

• Boston Garden January 11th 1986
  • Bruno Sammartino & Paul Orndorff vs. Roddy Piper & Bob Orton
• Boston Garden February 8th 1986
  • Bruno Sammartino vs. Roddy Piper – steel cage
  • Macho Man vs. Tito Santana – IC Title
• Boston Garden May 24th 1986
  • Macho Man vs. Hulk Hogan – WWE Title
• Boston Garden June 27th 1986
  • Macho Man vs. Hulk Hogan – WWE Title
• Boston Garden September 6th 1986
  • British Bulldogs vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff – TT Titles
• Boston Garden October 4th 1986
  • Macho Man vs. George Steele – IC Title

New content has been added to the WWE Network recently.

The streaming service has begun rolling out episodes of WWE’s ECW relaunch. The first 143 episodes are now available (although you still have to search for them on some devices), with the remaining episodes to be added later.

Other New Content on the Network

Additionally WWE added 2 new collections:

• Piper’s Pit: Born to Controversy”
  • over 30 videos of Roddy Piper’s famous interview section.
• Razor Ramon: Oozing Machismo
  • 29 videos of Razor Ramon in WWE. Does not contain Scott Hall matches.

WWE has released a preview on the new collections being added to the WWE Network this month.

Cathy Kelly hosted a sneak peak at the new collections on behalf of WWE.

WWE Collections Added to Network in July

• Piper’s Pit – 30 episodes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s talk show segment, dating back to the very first episode to the final one in 2014.
• The Best of Razor Ramon – Hosted by Scott Hall himself, this collection looks at the best matches of Razor Ramon’s WWE career – looks to be just Razor and not Scott Hall.

– WWE.com has a photo gallery looking at 15 classic Superstars who wrestled barefoot, including Yokozuna, Haku and Kamala.

– RAW General Manager Kurt Angle announced on Twitter that his WWE 24 special will premiere on the WWE Network in July.

My #WWE 24 Special Episode will be airing in July on the WWENetwork. #itstrue #MyStory https://t.co/d4njXts0Gc

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) June 1, 2017

– WWE is close to bringing UK independent promotions Progress and Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) to the WWE Network. According to the Wrestling Observer, “there are deals in place” with both companies and it’s now a matter of Vince McMahon giving it the final approval.

– Kennadi Brink (@LadyKBrink) made her debut as an NXT referee at Thursday night’s live event. She’s now going by the name Jessica, according to JJ Williams, who regularly attends NXT shows in the Orlando area.

https://twitter.com/JJWilliamsWON/status/870428441287557121

– Wrestling industry legend Bruce Prichard has announced several more dates his “Something to Wrestle” live tour. In addition to adding an extra show in New York City during SummerSlam weekend, Prichard and his podcast co-host Conrad Thompson are coming to Philadelphia (July), Detroit (October), Houston (November) and Boston (December) later this year.

For dates and ticket information, visit LiveNation.com.

– During WWE’s ongoing European tour, the company will be holding a tryout camp from 5/7 through 5/10. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that wXW Champion Jurn Simmons will be among the talents involved.

The Observer also noted that for the first time since it’s premiere, last week’s 205 Live didn’t even crack the Top 20 most watched shows on the WWE Network.

– Vickie Guerrero was recently interviewed by Memorabilia Guy and commented on a potential WWE return. “I get that bug every once in awhile,” she said. “I look in the ring and think, ‘God I just want to be in there for one moment, one more time’ – so never say never. If Vince ever called and said ‘We need you again, Guerrero’ my answer would simply be – When? That adrenaline can only be found in the ring.”

– Last month, WWE announced that a Women’s Tournament is coming this summer to the WWE Network. The news had been rumored for months after the success of last year’s Cruiserweight Classic and UK Championship events. The tournament will air exclusively on the WWE Network and will feature 32 female competitors from 17 countries.

As of this writing, the current plan is for the inaugural Women’s Tournament to begin some time during the third quarter of this year. This is consistent with the ‘summer’ announcement, but we’re told the project is moving a bit slower than expected.

During Wednesday’s investor conference call to discuss WWE’s Q1 2017 earnings, Michelle Wilson noted that the current plan is for the tournament to take place during the third quarter of this year. The tournament will be held from Full Sail University starting in July.

According to PWInsider, the finals of the tournament will take place on Tuesday, August 29th and will air live on the WWE Network. As we saw with the Cruiserweight Classic and UK Championship tournament, expect to see some of the standouts signed to WWE deals.

– Also coming to the WWE Network is a new series featuring talent from the United Kingdom. As part of the ongoing European tour, WWE will be taping the first episodes for the new UK TV this weekend from Norwich, England.  WWE is booking smaller venues in the UK for future UK Championship TV tapings. The plan is appears to be monthly tapings from the UK starting as early as June or July, according to the Wrestling Observer.

– After the recent round of NXT releases, the Wrestling Observer notes that Theophilus Agbi is also gone from the company. Agbi is a 6-foot-5 270 pound former college wrestler that had been under contract since October .

WWE’s weekly 205 Live cruiserweights show on the WWE Network has been struggling with viewership, according to Dave Meltzer. 205 Live draws significantly fewer viewers than NXT on a week to week basis.

There are many factors that play in to the issues for the Cruiserweight brand, one of the biggest being over saturation of the WWE product overall.

The in ring content that WWE produces currently sits at nearly 10 hours per week, not to mention the creation of a UK based show that will be airing on the Network in the coming months.

Are you a fan of 205 Live? Then check out the latest show from R&J Podcasts discussing the Cruiserweight division:

https://audioboom.com/posts/5822067-what-s-what-205-live?t=0

– Earlier this week, the WWE Network added several episodes of Prime Time Wrestling hosted by Bobby “the Brain” Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon.  The episodes were taped in 1987 from Baltimore, MD. According to WWE Network News, expect to see more episodes of Prime Time Wrestling from 1987 and 1988 added soon.

– WWE released the following trailer for the “Fight Owens Fight” DVD and Blu-ray, due out July 3rd. You can pre-order now at Amazon.com.

He is @FightOwensFight, and he has proven them ALL wrong! "Fight Owens Fight: The Kevin Owens Story" is coming soon… pic.twitter.com/laifWX8HU4

— WWE (@WWE) April 12, 2017

– John Cena tweeted the following to hype “The Wall,” which hits theaters on May 12 and co-stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Cena won “Action Star of the Year” for at CinemaCon a few weeks ago for the performance. ICM Partners, who reps Cena, took out a full-page advertisement in Variety last week to congratulate Cena on the award.

Keep fighting, keep living. See #TheWallMovie on May 12. @TheWallMovie pic.twitter.com/yoxGywaxGi

— John Cena (@JohnCena) April 13, 2017

Here’s the first official trailer for the film:

WWE executives at the company headquarters in Stamford, CT held a post-WrestleMania 33 conference call today where they discussed the growth of the WWE Network.

WWE Financial Officer George Barrios spoke on the call about the huge success of WrestleMania 33, and says the event drove new subscriptions to the WWE Network. He says the Network now has “nearly 2 million” subscribers, and subscriptions are up 11% domestically from this time last year. The official numbers are 1,949,000 subscribers of the WWE Network in total, with 1,661,000 of those being paid subscriptions.

WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Michelle Wilson chimed in to say the company is pleased with how the Network is progressing, and says they’ll continue to “super serve” new programming.

WWE announced the following programming schedule for WrestleMania Week:

WrestleMania Week on WWE Network schedule

WWE Network presents a full week of all-new episodes, specials and live coverage, culminating with WrestleMania.

MONDAY, MARCH 27
Raw – Live at 8/7 C on USA Network
See what unfolds on the final Raw before WrestleMania 33.

WWE 24: WrestleMania Monday – Immediately following Raw on WWE Network
Celebrate the perennial hottest Raw of the year, as WWE 24 cameras take you behind the curtain of the Raw the day after WrestleMania 32.

TUESDAY, MARCH 28
SmackDown LIVE – Live at 8/7 C on USA Network
Luke Harper will literally meet his maker when he battles his former leader, WWE Champion Bray Wyatt.

205 Live – Live at 10/9 C on WWE Network
Witness WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville, Brian Kendrick and many more world-class Superstars perform breathtaking feats of athleticism.

WWE Talking Smack – Live at 11/10 C on WWE Network
Renee Young catches up with SmackDown LIVE Superstars to get their thoughts on the evening’s action as they head into WrestleMania.

Kurt Angle: Oh, It’s True…It’s True! – Immediately following WWE Talking Smack on WWE Network
Corey Graves sits down with 2017 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Kurt Angle to discuss his favorite matches and moments, his battle with personal demons and his triumphant return home in this WWE Network exclusive interview.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29
NXT – 8/7 C on WWE Network
Kassius Ohno and ‘The Drifter’ Elias Samson face each other in a Loser Leaves NXT Match.

THURSDAY, MARCH 30
Bring it to the Table – 8/7 C on WWE Network
On site from the Orlando Citrus Bowl, home of WrestleMania 33, Corey Graves, JBL and Peter Rosenberg debate, discuss and dissect all things WWE, just days away from The Ultimate Thrill Ride.

FRIDAY, MARCH 31
WWE Hall of Fame 2017 Red Carpet – Live at 7/6 C on WWE Network and more platforms*
Maria Menounos hosts the most glamorous event on the WWE calendar, as Superstars, Legends and a host of celebrities walk the red carpet.

WWE Hall of Fame 2017 – Live at 8/7 C on WWE Network
Kurt Angle, Beth Phoenix, Diamond Dallas Page, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Teddy Long and The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at the sold-out Amway Center.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1
NXT TakeOver: Orlando Pre-Show – Live at 7:30/6:30 C on WWE Network and more platforms*
Before the Superstars of NXT take to the ring, join an all-star panel, including Charly Caruso, Sam Roberts and Nigel McGuinness, as they share their thoughts and predictions for the evening’s matches.

NXT TakeOver: Orlando – Live at 8/7 C on WWE Network
On the eve of WrestleMania, NXT comes home to Orlando at a sold-out Amway Center, where Shinsuke Nakamura tries to reclaim his title from NXT Champion Bobby Roode.

SUNDAY, APRIL 2
WrestleMania Kickoff – Live at 5/4 C on WWE Network and more platforms*
Renee Young joins WWE Hall of Famers Jerry Lawler, Booker T and Shawn Michaels to discuss the events leading up to all the action of The Ultimate Thrill Ride.

WrestleMania 33 – Live at 8/7 C on WWE Network
A sold-out crowd will descend upon the Orlando Citrus Bowl for WWE’s annual pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania.

MONDAY, APRIL 3
Raw – Live at 8/7 C on USA Network
Don’s miss the most must-see Raw of the year, featuring all the fallout from WrestleMania 33.

Raw Talk – Live immediately following Raw on WWE Network
Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler analyze everything that went down on Raw following an historic WrestleMania weekend.

WWE Ride Along – Immediately following Raw Talk on WWE Network
Hit the road with The Miz & Maryse, and Carmella & Alexa Bliss, for an exclusive look at life on the road for a WWE Superstar.

* Watch the WWE Hall of Fame 2017 Red Carpet, NXT TakeOver: Orlando Pre-Show and WrestleMania Kickoff for free on WWE.com, the WWE App, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

Goldberg is currently not scheduled to appear on this coming Monday’s RAW (3/20) from Brooklyn, New York. WWE’s reigning Universal Champion is slated to appear on RAW the following week (3/27) in Philadelphia, the final RAW before Wrestlemania. Brock Lesnar has been booked for both of the remaining episodes of Raw before Wrestlemania.

Goldberg has appeared on one episode of Raw since winning the Universal Championship on March 5th at WWE Fastlane. It looks like he will only be on one more episode before he likely loses the title to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 33.

Tuesday night on 205 Live, Austin Aries won a Fatal 5 Way Elimination Match to earn a match against Neville at Wrestlemania 33 for the Cruiserweight Championship. Aries sent out the following posts on social media about making it to Wrestlemania 33.

https://twitter.com/AustinAries/status/841857819041226752

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRp4_ljjXst/

On Jerry Lawler’s podcast Dinner With The King, Lawler revealed that he wanted to wrestle a farewell match. Lawler believes that the WWE would never clear him to wrestle again, but if they did he would like to wrestle Dolph Ziggler at Wrestlemania. You can listen to the entire episode by clicking here.

AJ Styles appears to be on a WrestleMania collision course with SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon, but one person who is not a fan of this matchup is Corey Graves. During Monday night’s Bring it to the Table episode, no topic was off limits – including WWE booking.

In particular, Graves said, “The prospect of AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon does absolutely nothing for me.”

The comments by Graves echo the sentiment from many WWE fans who worry that a match with Shane McMahon will not provide the excitement that an AJ Styles WM match with another opponent would. Graves continued that what fans remember about Shane McMahon matches are one big spot, such as diving off the Hell in a Cell, whereas AJ Styles is more about complete match.

“AJ Styles is an artist, he can give you a full bell-to-bell experience,” Graves added.

Watch #BringItToTheTable RIGHT NOW on the award-winning @WWENetwork! @Rosenbergradio @WWEGraves @JCLayfield pic.twitter.com/q3xNHglGA6

— WWE (@WWE) March 14, 2017

Honesty on WWE Network Shows

Graves’ comments continue a noticeable trend of superstars coming out of character and making honest comments about the company on shows like Talking Smack and Bring it to the Table.

Daniel Bryan hinted on a recent episode of Talking Smack that when his contract is up in 18 months he may be leaving the company in order to go somewhere which will allow him to wrestle. Whether such comments are being encouraged or if Daniel Bryan and/or Corey Graves are taking a risk by pushing the envelope on their own is currently not known.

ICW recently announced the appearances of two top UK performers for their On Demand Fight Club show in March.

WWE UK Champion Tyler Bate and WWE UK Tournament Runner Up Pete Dunne will be making appearances for the company on March 19th and March 11th respectively.

Dunne’s appearance for the company at the Motion in Bristol will be his debut for ICW. It is especially telling that the majority of the WWE UK Tournament competitors are now beginning to make regular appearances for ICW as rumours of an ICW/WWE Network deal are still apparently in the works.

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/836631851490021376

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/836246843835166721

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/836246843835166721

WWE will be releasing the first episode of “My Son is a WWE Superstar” at 10am est today. The first episode features Finn Balor.

The first episode of "My Son is a @WWE Superstar" featuring @FinnBalor premieres TOMORROW at 10am ET on https://t.co/wNpELtT99X! pic.twitter.com/VcuPvldEdP

— WWE (@WWE) February 15, 2017

WWE Network Content

WWE seems to be throwing a lot of content at the wall and seeing what will stick.
Here is just a sampling of the programming WWE has produced and then let slide:
– Holy Foley
– Camp WWE
– Table for 3
– Storytime
– WWE 24
– Ride Along
– Superstar Ink
– the Edge and Christian Show
– Breaking Ground
– Legends House
– Slam City
– Culture Shock are all

How long “My Son is a WWE Superstar” will last will depend on how many people watch.

ICW have announced that the newly crowned ICW World Heavyweight Champion Trent Seven will be defending his title this Sunday against Wolfgang Young.

Seven dethroned Wolfgang and this big rematch is set to headline the ICW Fight Club event in Manchester.

Both men were recently featured in the WWE UK Championship tournament and while rumours of ICW being brought over to the WWE Network are still unsubstantiated the company has seen a huge boost in popularity recently.

If you have never had the opportunity to watch an ICW show then check out their Pivotshare page here: icwondemand.pivotshare.com

https://twitter.com/InsaneChampWres/status/831573947909021700

JBL’s Network show has gone the way of the Stone Cold Podcast. The former WWE Champion announced on Twitter that the show has been dropped by the Network.

Thanks to all who enjoyed #LegendswithJBL. I loved it, wish I could do more-but not to be, maybe one day @WWE will bring it back.

— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) February 9, 2017

WWE Network Dropping Unscripted Interviews?

While this is only speculation, one might be able to connect the dots between both JBL and Steve Austin’s podcasts being dropped from the Network. It appears as though “real” interviews are no longer going to be featured on WWE programming.

The Stone Cold Podcast’s last episode aired in August, and management was said not to be happy with how his interview with Dean Ambrose went. There had been earlier concern as well when Austin suggested that Chyna should be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

According to JBL, there is one episode left to air, an interview with Jimmy Hart. Following that episode there are no plans to film anymore.

.@toso957 @WWE unfortunately only Jimmy Hart is left for Legends series, looks like there won't be any more. I really enjoyed all of them!

— John Layfield (@JCLayfield) February 8, 2017

WWE’s Q4 2016 earnings report released on Thursday included the latest WWE Network subscriber numbers.

As of January 31st, 2017, the WWE Network had 1.5 million paid subscribers.

The Network averaged 1.41 million paid subs in the 4th quarter of 2016, with 1.1 million in the US and 400,000 internationally. This is up from 1.22 million paid subscribers at the end of 2015 and consistent with the company’s projections.

WWE Network subscribers watched a total of 294 million hours of content (up 15% from 256 million in 2015), yielding an average of 194 hours per household that places it among top cable and broadcast networks.

Here are a few more WWE Network notes from today’s investor conference call, courtesy of Chris Harrington of Wrestlenomics.com:

Barrios talking about how WWE Network library is four-times as large as it was compared to when it launched in Feb 2014. #wweq4

— Chris Harrington (@mookieghana) February 9, 2017

WWE is committing to giving WWE Network sub update on 4/3/17 (day after WM) as they have in prior years. #wweq4

— Chris Harrington (@mookieghana) February 9, 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fiqwu_pXgqQ

Don’t expect to see the Stone Cold Podcast return to the WWE Network any time soon.

The popular sit-down interview show hasn’t been since last summer, when then-WWE Champion Dean Ambrose was a guest. The overwhelming consensus is that Ambrose’s appearance did not go well, with Austin essentially telling him to ‘show more effort’ if he wants to carry the company on his back.

Dave Meltzer commented on the situation on the the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. In response to a fan question asking why the Stone Cold Podcast hasn’t returned, Meltzer said management wasn’t happy with how Austin approached the role and was too “real” for what they’re looking for.

“The Ambrose one… I didn’t think it was a disaster, but many did.”  Meltzer said. “Steve tries to be real and they don’t want real. They want their version of real.” Meltzer stated.

Ambrose also revealed that Brock didn’t really want to do much in their WrestleMania match last year. We learned later that Lesnar didn’t take a lot of risks at WrestleMania because he was already training for his UFC return later that summer.

Other previous guests include Vince McMahon, Triple H, Paul Heyman, Paige, Edge and Christian, Brock Lesnar, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Big Show, Mick Foley, AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose.

Austin was said to have gotten some backlash as a result of the interview he did with Lesnar in October 2015 as well. In that interview he teased a possible WrestleMania match with Brock. In fact he mentioned if they were to wrestle it should be in a “Texas Death Match.”Vince was apparently upset about this, thinking fans would believe the match would happen since they mentioned it on-air.

On another episode, Austin expressed to Triple H that Chyna deserves to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, which probably didn’t go over too well either.

Meltzer would continue to speculate that the “Legends With JBL” interviews have essentially replaced Austin’s show. “JBL at least knows the framework of what they want, and Steve tries to be real. JBL will do their version of real”

WWE Network has added new content under the “Hidden Gems” collection. The new content was released this morning.

New Matches Added:

A Killer Challenge
Killer Kowalski takes on Mr. Moto and Duke Keomuka in a 2-on-1 handicap match
from April 29th 1952

Legends of Texas Rasslin’
Joe Blanchard, “Cowboy” Bob Ellis and Duke Keomuka vs. Bob Geigel, Gary Hart, and Waldo Von Erich
from November 8th 1966

Bruno Battles a Caged Animal
Cage Match
Bruno Sammartino vs. George “the Animal” Steele
from July 29th 1970

A Moving Demonstration
Wrestling moves demonstrated by Danny Hodge, Harley Race and others
from June 15th 1972

the Cowboy and a Texas Bronco
North American Championship Match
“Cowboy” Bill Watts vs. Terry Funk
from November 27th 1975

Inoki Faces the Lariat
Antonio Inoki vs. Stan “the Lariat” Hansen
from Stampede Wrestling August 17th 1979

Battle of the Nature Boys
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair vs. “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers
from November 22nd 1979

Big Cat vs. Modern Day Warrior
Ernie Ladd vs. Kerry Von Erich
June 7th 1981

the Size of a Giant
Andre “the Giant” segment from Mid-South Wrestling
from September 1st 1983

Cruiserweight Pioneers
best 2-of-3 falls
the Lighting Kid (Sean Waltman) vs. Jerry Lynn
from January 6th 1992

the Funks Make Bad Company
the Funk Brothers vs. Brian Pillman and Bruce Hart
from Stampede Wrestling December 15th 1995

Festival De Lucha
Konnan, Rey Mysterio Jr., Hector Garza, and Silver King vs. Chris Jericho and team
pilot for a WCW lucha show that never aired
from January 27th 1999

An Ultimate Encounter
Edge and Christian vs. Nova and Frankie Kazarian
from April 25th 2001

the Beast Meets Leviathan
Batista vs. Brock Lesnar 
from OVW July 28th 2001

Gold Before Justice
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns
before they were the Shield February 5th 2012

– We’ve noted in recent weeks that WWE is looking to bring independent wrestling to the WWE Network, likely a response to streaming service FloSlam signing companies left and right. A deal has already been agreed upon with UK promotion ICW and you probably noticed officials from Progress and Over The Top shown on camera during the UK Championship Tournament. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is in talks with both Progress and OTT about bringing them to the Network.

An official announcement of the ICW deal (and other companies, if the deals are made) could come as soon as this week.

– Over the past year, we’ve seen a major overhaul of WWE’s championship belts, with new belts created for the Universal Championship, RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships, RAW and SmackDown tag team championships, Cruiserweight and United Kingdom titles. According to belt maker @BeltFanDan, WWE has commissioned new Intercontinental and United States belts.

New WWE IC and US title designs coming from Overseas. Not getting my hopes up. Gotta sell them replicas!

— Dan Beltzer (@BeltFanDan) January 19, 2017

No word on when the new IC & US belts will be unveiled, but they will not be replicas of the “big logo” WWE Championship (as the Women’s belts are).

WWE Network will reportedly begin airing Insane Championship Wrestling content soon, according to a new report by PWInsider. ICW is a top UK indy promotion featuring recent appearances from Finn Balor and Mick Foley.

Specifics of the deal have not been revealed yet but word is that it could be officially announced within a week or so. The deal is rumored to be for 2-3 years but is confirmed to be a multi-year deal.

No word yet on if ICW will air on-demand or live content via the WWE Network but it was noted that their not-so-PG style of wrestling won’t be toned down for the most part.

WWE is reportedly talking to other indy promotions, so it will be interesting to see if they announce deals with more promotions for the Network.

Bring It To The Table debuted last night on the WWE Network. The show features Peter Rosenberg, Paul Heyman and JBL. It is essentially WWE’s version of First Take, only much less annoying.

Goldberg Defeating Brock Lesnar At Survivor Series

.@Rosenbergradio kicks off #BringItToTheTable with a look at how @Goldberg beat @BrockLesnar in 86 seconds! @WWENetwork @HeymanHustle pic.twitter.com/vMI90csSjP

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 3, 2017

Heyman tried to weasel his way out of this topic by stating that nobody was talking about Goldberg defeating Lesnar so quickly. JBL said that Lesnar had a good opponent in Goldberg and hinted that they might face each other once again after the Royal Rumble. Rosenberg asked the panel if they thought that Lesnar losing so quickly cheapened him breaking the Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak in any way. Heyman laughed off the question and said that it was just people bitching and complaining on the internet. Rosenberg asked why Goldberg and Lesnar weren’t facing each other at the Royal Rumble and JBL had a very interesting response. JBL claimed that they weren’t fighting at the Rumble because the WWE is not stupid and knows how to promote. JBL said that he loves the UFC but they burn through their big name talent so quickly. Instead of referring to it as promotion, Heyman decided to call it foreplay and instructed Rosenberg to stop complaining about it.

Yay or Boo (Thumps Up or Thumbs Down Segment)

James Ellsworth: JBL said he liked Ellsworth and that even though he is not your typical WWE Superstar, he draws ratings. Rosenberg mentioned that their are people who were bitching that an NXT Superstar wasn’t given that spot. JBL said that if there is anyone out there bitching about it they should figure out how to draw more ratings than Ellsworth.

205 Live: Paul Heyman raved about 205 Live. Rosenberg asked JBL is following Smackdown was a problem for 205 Live given the fact that the crowd may be worn out. JBL said that if the roster of 205 Live can’t capitalize and energize the crowd, they shouldn’t be there. JBL referenced being in the main event and how he had to follow big names and generate a response from the crowd. JBL stated that he believed in 205 Live and that he thinks they can make it work after Smackdown.

Sasha Banks vs Charlotte: Rosenberg asked if the Women’s Championship was devalued because neither of them could hold onto the title and kept trading it back and forth. Heyman didn’t really answer the question and simply praised both Charlotte and Banks for breaking down the gender barrier in wrestling. JBL basically said the same thing and the original question that was posed went unanswered.

Brand Extension: Is Smackdown Live Better Than Monday Night Raw Right Now?

.@JCLayfield: "Right now, I think #SmackDownLive is the better show" #BringItToTheTable @Rosenbergradio pic.twitter.com/M4WK21iiTN

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 3, 2017

JBL claimed that it was a better show because it takes more risks and is faster paced. Heyman didn’t get a chance to respond or he simply chose not to.

Was John Cena Drafted Too High On Smackdown?

.@HeymanHustle: @JohnCena has had the greatest run of any @WWE Superstar. "No one has matched his box office appeal!" #BringItToTheTable pic.twitter.com/2hksa6axkY

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 3, 2017

JBL said that he would have drafted John Cena number one but he understood why Dean Ambrose was chosen because he held the WWE Championship at the time. Heyman stated that John Cena has had the greatest run in WWE history. Heyman said that nobody has had the longetivity as a box office attraction as Cena.

NXT Call Ups For The Rumble

Which @WWENXT Superstars would @HeymanHustle and @JCLayfield like to see make an appearance in the #RoyalRumble Match? #BringItToTheTable pic.twitter.com/yu34Hh0FDD

— WWE (@WWE) January 3, 2017

JBL said that he wanted to see Nakamura on the main roster and in the Royal Rumble match. Heyman disagreed with the premise of the question and said that he would rather see the NXT Superstars promoted before the Rumble event. Instead of it being a surprise, Heyman wants NXT Superstars to be on the main roster before the Royal Rumble match in order to promote them and give them more attention to the general audience. Rosenberg disagreed and said that some fans feel like everything is too promoted and there is a lack of surprise in some instances in the WWE. Heyman fired back and stated that those same fans would also bitch that if Samoa Joe showed up on the main roster, they would complain that he wasn’t promoted before he made his debut.

The Undertaker’s Return

.@JohnCena vs. #Undertaker?
"That match should happen!" – @JCLayfield#BringItToTheTable @HeymanHustle @Rosenbergradio pic.twitter.com/4XnEHII6go

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 3, 2017

Rosenberg asked if JBL and Heyman expected to see The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble. Heyman said that The Undertaker does whatever he wants and will show up when he sees fit. JBL pondered who The Undertakers opponent would be. JBL said that AJ Styles would be a great opponent now and that Baron Corbin would be a great opponent for The Undertaker a year from now. JBL also said that The Undertaker versus John Cena needs to happen before The Undertaker rides off into the sunset.

Don’t Get Hot w/ JBL

.@Rosenbergradio: "Yeah, I want [#RAW] to be 2 hours…"@HeymanHustle: "OK, you're entitled to your stupid opinion!" #BringItToTheTable pic.twitter.com/vZ8K6CQOss

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 3, 2017

JBL addressed Bret Hart and wondered why Bret is so mad all the time. JBL commented on Bret Hart bashing everyone, including Michael Hayes and The Freebirds. JBL also commented on Bret Hart bashing Seth Rollins and said that people get hurt in the wrestling business all the time and he thought it was wrong for Bret to say that Rollins was to blame for hurting people legitimately in the ring. JBL also ranted about people who claim that Raw should be two hours. JBL stated that it will not happen to TV contracts and the television revenue WWE generates. Paul Heyman agreed with JBL and Rosenberg disagreed. Rosenberg stated that he has to fast forward too much during Raw and wished that the show would be cut to two hours. Rosenberg acknowledged the financial part of it but said that from a fan’s perspective, Smackdown is a better show to watch.

Peter’s Heaters

Will @TheNotoriousMMA go from @ufc to @WWE? @HeymanHustle and @JCLayfield sound off on #BringItToTheTable on @WWENetwork! pic.twitter.com/Mdt1FgD7RE

— WWE (@WWE) January 3, 2017

Rosenberg brought up the rumor started by Ric Flair that he slept with Halle Berry and that she took a ride on “Space Mountain”. JBL stated that he hoped that rumor was true because Halle Berry is his hall pass with his wife. Rosenberg promoted the Bella Twins YouTube channel and asked the panel what they thought the Bella Twins brought to the WWE. JBL said that they bring everything to the company business wise and are stars of their own reality shows. Rosenberg asked if Conor McGregor would be a good fit for the WWE and Heyman said he certainly would be. Heyman and JBL commented on McGregor bashing the WWE and claimed that it was just banter back and forth and was terrific publicity for both the WWE and UFC.

Big Finish: Hulk Hogan

BIG FINISH: Will #Hulkamania ever run wild again in @WWE? @Rosenbergradio, @HeymanHustle & @JCLayfield debate. #BringItToTheTable pic.twitter.com/VNblbtuGWM

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) January 3, 2017

Rosenberg commented on Hogan’s recent controversies and asked if Hogan will ever appear in the WWE again. Heyman said that if Vince McMahon wants him to come back, he will come back. JBL stated that he thinks Hogan will show up in the WWE once again and went on to say that Hogan’s controversial comments were abhorrent. JBL said that Hogan will be haunted by that tape for the rest of his life and he thinks that is enough. JBL stated that he would love to see Hogan come back to the WWE.

WWE held a press conference on Thursday morning to announce it will crown the first-ever WWE United Kingdom Champion live on WWE Network (Full Details).

The 16-man tournament will air during a special, two-night tournament on Saturday, January 14 and Sunday, January 15, 2017. Participants include Progress Champion Pete Dunne, ICW Champion Wolfgang, Joseph Conners, Roy Johnson, Jordan Devlin, Tyson T-Bone, Tucker, HC Dyer, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Chris Tyler, Dan Moloney, Jack Starz, James Drake, Sam Gradwell, Ringo Ryan, Saxon Huxley and Tiger Ali (two will serve as alternates).

Michael Cole and Nigel McGuiness will host the tournament, which will take place from Blackpool, England.

WWE uploaded these videos from the press conference: