According to the official FAQ section of the WWE Network, the following programming is scheduled to be added to the digital service later this year:
In-Ring
WWE Tribute to the Troops 2014
Originals
The Monday Night War
WWE Total Divas
WWE Rivalries
Vault
WCW Clash of the Champions
WWE Saturday Morning Slam
Rock n’ Wrestling (tentative)
WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event
WCW Nitro
Vault Specials
– AT&T U-Verse has joined DISH Network and DirecTV in the list of cable providers that will not be carrying this Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view. As previously reported, WWE acknowledged the fact that DISH and DirecTV dropped their pay-per-views on RAW, and encouraged fans to subscribe to the WWE Network as the primary way of watching future WWE pay-per-views.
– The following is the official preview for tonight’s edition of WrestleMania Rewind, which focuses on the WrestleMania XXIV showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Big Show.
– Today’s wrestling birthdays include WWE Diva Aksana (32) and Paul Roma (54).
– WWE has released the following list of the 10 most-watched WWE Network shows of the past week:
1. Legends House, Episode 2
2. RAW Pre-show
3. Legends House, Episode 1
4. WrestleMania XXX
5. RAW Backstage Pass
6. WWE Main Event
7. WWE Slam City
8. WWE Hall of Fame
9. Ultimate Warrior: Ultimate Legend
10. WWE NXT
– Former WWE Superstar Chris Masters recently paid tribute to The Ultimate Warrior at a wrestling show in England by donning Warrior’s face paint and using Warrior’s signature spots during his match. He tweeted:
Went full Warrior this past Friday at @PCW_UK with my partner @DaveRayne It was so much fun painting my face and running out to that theme!
— Chris Masters (@ChrisMasters310) April 28, 2014
Here’s a photo of Masters wearing Warrior’s face paint:
– As we reported last week and reiterated earlier tonight, it’s very likely that Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger will be taking place as a triple-threat match at this Sunday’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which takes place from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Apparently this match was confirmed during the RAW post-show on Monday night, which airs live on the WWE Network after RAW every week.
– Following Monday’s Extreme Rules “go-home” edition of WWE RAW, which took place in St. Louis, Missouri, it was announced to the live crowd in attendance that this year’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view, which takes place on November 23rd, will take place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Top WWE executive Perkins Miller, who played a key role in the development and launch of the WWE Network, has jumped ship to the NFL.
Miller will serve as the Chief Digital Officer for the NFL, and will help with their “NFL Now” project, which is a digital service much like the WWE Network.
For more on this story, visit LATimes.com.
– Next week’s edition of WrestleMania Rewind, which airs on Tuesday night on the WWE Network, will take a look back at the WrestleMania 24 match between Floyd Mayweather and Big Show.
– The following is a video of Triple H making the announcement for the second live NXT special, “NXT Takeover,” which will air live on the WWE Network on May 29th from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
The following are results for the WWE NXT episodes that will air on May 1st, May 8th, May 15th and May 22nd. All four episodes were taped on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
Dark Match
– Alexander Rusev def. an unknown wrestler in a dark match to open up the tapings.
Spoiler Results for May 1, 2014
– Tyson Kidd def. Bo Dallas in the first television match of the evening.
– Sasha Banks (with Charlotte) def. Bayley in an opening round match of the NXT Women’s Championship tournament.
– Adam Rose def. Danny Burch. After the match, Camacho appeared during Rose’s big after-match party.
– Natalya def. Layla in an opening round match of the NXT Women’s Championship tournament.
– Mojo Rawley def. Oliver Grey. After the match, Aiden English came out and cut a promo on Rawley.
– Adrian Neville def. Brodus Clay in a no-disqualification match to retain the NXT Championship in a what that served as the main event for this episode.
Spoiler Results for May 8, 2014
– This show kicks off with Triple H in the ring for a promo. He talks about how NXT is the future and is taking over wrestling. He pushes the NXT Takeover special, which will take place live on the WWE Network on May 29th. Additionally, he announces a battle royal to determine the new number one contender to the NXT Championship.
– Charlotte def. Emma in a second round match in the NXT Women’s Championship tournament.
– Kalisto & El Locale (Ricardo Rodriguez under a mask) def. The Legionnaires (Sylvester Lefort & Marcus Louise).
– Camacho def. Captain Comic from Adam Rose’s party group. After the match, Camacho came out and had a confrontation with Rose.
– Alexa Bliss def. Alicia Fox in another match in the NXT Women’s Championship tournament.
– Next up was the battle royal announced by Triple H earlier in the show to crown the new number one contender to the NXT Championship. The participants were Xavier Woods, Brodus Clay, Baron Corbin, Curt Hawkins, Aiden English, Jason Jordan, Danny Burch, Oliver Grey, Marcus Louise, Sylvester Lefort, Big Cass, Camacho, Mason Ryan, Kalisto, El Local, Mojo Rawley, Sami Zayn, Yoshi Tatsu, Tyler Breeze, Bo Dallas and Tyson Kidd. In the end, Breeze, Zayn and Kidd were the final three and all were eliminated at the same time. This leads to Triple H coming back out and announcing that the three will compete in a triple-threat match to determine the official number one contender to the title.
– The Ascension def. Buddy Murphy and an unknown wrestler in the main event of this episode.
For results of the May 15, 2014 edition of WWE NXT TV, as well as the May 22, 2014 edition of the show, click ahead to page two …
The following matches are scheduled to take place at the NXT Takeover special, which will air live on the WWE Network on May 29th at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
NXT Championship
– Adrian Neville (c) vs. Tyson Kidd
NXT Women’s Championship
– Charlotte vs. Natalya
Number One Contender Match
– Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze
The first two matches were announced during the NXT television tapings, which took place on Thursday night. The number one contender bout was not yet officially announced, but is listed on the event poster.
WWE issued the following press release today …
WWE NXT Takeover to air LIVE on WWE Network on Thursday, May 29 at 8 p.m. ET
STAMFORD, Conn. — WWE announced today that NXT Takeover, a live, two-hour action-packed special, will air exclusively on WWE Network on Thursday, May 29 at 8 p.m. ET. Following the success of NXT ArRIVAL, the special will once again showcase the best and brightest from the WWE Performance Center and include appearances by WWE Superstars and Legends.
30 minutes prior to the event, the NXT Takeover pre-show will air at 7:30 p.m. ET and include exclusive interviews and appearances by NXT Superstars, WWE Superstars and Legends.
“As NXT continues to grow in popularity and our fans demand to see more of the next generation of WWE Superstars, we are going to deliver live, in-ring programs featuring up-and-coming talent on WWE Network,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “Our live NXT specials on WWE Network bring out the very best in our performers and make for must-see TV for the WWE Universe.”
On February 27, NXT ArRIVAL on WWE Network had 21 worldwide Twitter trends and was No. 3 in overall social mentions for primetime programs on both cable and broadcast. The event had more social mentions than American Idol, the Vikings premiere on History Channel, college basketball on ESPN and Vampire Diaries on CW.
– There is really nothing new to report in terms of Sting’s contractual status with WWE, past the point that it’s been considered a formality for weeks that he will be signing. At last check, it had yet to be confirmed as to whether or not he officially signed a contract with the company. As previously reported, WWE will be releasing a Sting DVD in the fall, and he was also all over the recent Ultimate Warrior documentary that aired on the WWE Network last week.
– Apparently many top executives in WWE were said to be very upset at Mick Foley for the blogs and tweets he wrote criticizing the company after the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view for the way they were handling Daniel Bryan’s push.
– As previously reported, WWE Diva AJ Lee asked — and was given — time off from WWE. As of right now, there is no definite timetable for her return.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– WWE Hall Of Famer Tammy “Sunny” Sytch noted on Twitter recently that she is “very sick” and has been in and out of the hospital. Sytch tweeted the following:
ill be starting skypes this week again….sorry, been very sick and in and out of tyhe hospital…. just got out today actually…..see you
— Tamara Sytch (@WWEHOFerSunny) April 23, 2014
– The following is the official synopsis for this week’s edition of WWE Legends House, which airs on the WWE Network on Thursday night:
“The legends play a polo match WWE Style. Back at the Legends House, Tony Atlas and Hacksaw Jim Duggan attempt to co-exist.”
– Former WWE Superstar Steve Blackman was backstage at the most recent WWE live event in Hershey, Pennsylvania. You can check out a photo of him backstage at the show with Natalya below.
– WWE added the following videos on their official YouTube channel of Sting from their “Warrior Week” special on the WWE Network.
– The following is the graphic that aired on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW revealing the top ten most watched shows on the WWE Network for the past week.
– WWE added footage to their official YouTube channel of the first-ever WWE live event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. You can check that out below.
– As noted, WWE will debut their new “Best Of WWE Hall Of Fame” special on the WWE Network tonight. The Miami Herald out of Florida covered the new show in an article on their official website today, which you can check out at MiamiHerald.com.
– In the latest “Timeline: History of WWE – 1984 – Roddy Piper” video from Kayfabe Commentaries, which is excellent, by the way, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper reveals a secret he has kept for years about WWE executive Pat Patterson. You can check out a preview of the new video below, with the Piper secret discussion coming in at around the 5:20 mark.
WWE issued the following press release today.
WWE® NETWORK TO PREMIERE BEST OF HALL OF FAME
STAMFORD, Conn., April 21, 2014 – WWE Network will premiere the Best of Hall of Fame, a series of four special presentations showcasing some of the most memorable inductions in WWE Hall of Fame history. The one-hour specials begin tomorrow night at 10 pm ET and will be hosted by WWE’s Josh Mathews.
Episodes (10 pm ET, Tuesday through Friday) include:
Tuesday, April 22 – Hulk Hogan inducted by Sylvester Stallone, Trish Stratus inducted by Stephanie McMahon and Bobby Heenan inducted by Jack Lanza
Wednesday, April 23 – Pete Rose inducted by Kane and Ric Flair inducted by Triple H
Thursday, April 24 – Gene Okerlund inducted by Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels inducted by Triple H
Friday, April 25 – Jerry Lawler inducted by William Shatner and Bruno Sammartino inducted by Arnold Schwarzenegger
There will be no new episode of WWE Countdown this Tuesday night on the WWE Network. Instead, WWE will premiere the “Best Of WWE Hall Of Fame” series that we reported about this past weekend.
Episode one of “Best Of WWE Hall Of Fame” will debut on Tuesday night at 10pm EST., and will look at the past WWE Hall Of Fame inductions of Hulk Hogan, Trish Stratus and Bobby Heenan.
On Wednesday night at 10pm EST., episode two of “Best Of WWE Hall Of Fame” will air, and will look back at the WWE Hall Of Fame inductions of Ric Flair and Pete Rose.
Josh Mathews is set to host both shows.
– This week’s edition of WrestleMania Rewind, which premieres on Tuesday night on the WWE Network, will focus on the WrestleMania X8 showdown between Hulk Hogan and The Rock.
– As previously reported, the WWE Network logo is planned to be used as the regular official company logo in the near future. The company is already using the logo in NXT, as you can see in the photo of the microphone that Veronica Lane is holding below, which was taken at the NXT live event in Palatka, Florida on Saturday night.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan was at WWE’s studios in Stamford earlier this week filming several hours of interviews for future WWE projects.
– The Ultimate Warrior Legends Roundtable that aired on the WWE Network this weekend, which featured Josh Mathews, Booker T, Sgt. Slaughter and Ted DiBiase, was filmed on Thursday.
– WWE Network will be debuting a new series called “Best of WWE Hall Of Fame” next week. The series will look back at some of the different WWE Hall Of Fame inductions over the years.
– The “Yes! Movement” found its’ way to the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL game recently. After every Penguins goal was scored, the fans in the arena broke into a huge “Yes!” chant. You can check out coverage of this at 961Kiss.com.
– Adam F. Goldberg, creator of the ABC show “The Goldberg’s,” noted recently that he will be dedicating his upcoming pro wrestling-themed edition of the show to the late Ultimate Warrior.
– Speaking of Warrior, there’s a push within WWE to get the recent “Ultimate Legend” documentary that premiered this week on the WWE Network on national television. The most likely scenario would see the documentary air on the USA Network.
Since the launch of the WWE Network, over 600,000 fans have subscribed to the service. While it’s a bit below the one million subscribers they were hoping for, it’s still an admirable number for a service that is still only available in the United States.
With live access to every pay-per-view and a vault containing every special event in WWE, WCW, and ECW history, it is safe to assume that most fans signed up in order to gain access to the special events, and at the reduced price of only $9.99 per month, who can blame them?
There is a lot more to the WWE Network than just a vault of old events and live access to each month’s pay-per-view, however. There is also a boatload of original content. Here is a list of some of the must-see original content on the Network.
5. Legends of Wrestling: Families – Watching a bunch of old-timers talk about the good old days is usually about as exciting as watching paint dry, but some of these are actually pretty entertaining. One of the best round-table discussions includes a panel consisting of Sergeant Slaughter, Jim Ross, Ted DiBiase, and James J. Dillon. The group discusses the importance and prevalence of families in the WWE. It is interesting to hear DiBiase discuss how having a father in the business influenced him to become a professional wrestler.
Daniel Bryan’s journey to WrestleMania is something most fans will be able to enjoy.
4. Journey to WrestleMania: Daniel Bryan – This is obviously one of the newest pieces of original content on the Network. It follows Daniel Bryan on his week leading up to this year’s WrestleMania and provides a number of exclusive interviews leading up to the event. It also discusses his rise to the top after initially being terminated from the company, with commentary from William Regal and Pat Patterson discussing how the company made a mistake in his firing. The most interesting parts of this documentary are the backstage scenes and hearing his fellow wrestlers praise him for his accomplishments.
– According to a new TMZ article, WWE talent have been informed to stay away from Nancy Gracie following the controversial way she handled Ultimate Warrior’s recent passing. You can check out the complete article at TMZ.com.
– A fan sent along the following screen capture of the new Ultimate Warrior documentary that aired on the WWE Network on Thursday night. In the scene where Warrior meets with Triple H at WWE Headquarters, you can see on the Royal Rumble poster on the wall in the background that someone put a post-it note over the face of CM Punk. Check it out below.
Sting was once again featured on the WWE Network in the “Warrior: The Ultimate Legend” documentary, which premiered on Thursday evening. Sting spoke about entering the business with Warrior in the late 1980s, as well as his untimely passing on April 8th.
By the way, if you haven’t seen the documentary, you should absolutely go out of your way to see it. It’s arguably one of the best produced documentaries the company has released in quite a while.
SIRIUS-XM personality Sam Roberts recently interviewed “Rowdy” Roddy Piper about the upcoming premiere of the new reality show “Legends House,” which debuts on the WWE Network tonight.
The official description for the video, which you can view above, reads as follows:
“Sam Roberts talks to Rowdy Roddy Piper at WWE’s Legend’s House premiere, about what he didn’t like on the show, his character in wrestling, and a lot more.”
Here are some more notes from the 2014 WWE Business Partner Summit that took place during WrestleMania week in New Orleans:
– New features coming soon for the WWE Network include highlight markers so viewers can scroll to specific moments of a show, video bookmarks and personalized recommendations based on what people watch like, like on Netflix.
They will also be making the Network experience more personalized with viewers having the option to mark their favorite content.
– The WWE Network will be launching this spring on Amazon Fire and Xbox One, plus other connected TV’s and Blu-ray/DVD players.
– The WWE App will be launching location-based services this summer, powered by Beacons technology. This will be used to improve WWE live event experiences, providing fans with directions to the arena, exclusive merchandise deals and other perks.
– WWE plans to hold a live event in Malaysia later this year.
– WWE Studios is looking to release 8-10 movies this year.
(Source: PWInsider)
Wrestling legend Sting appeared on the WWE Network on Tuesday night in a recorded segment for Night 1 of Warrior Week.
Sting talked about his memories of Warrior, telling a story that when they first started training together, Warrior used to put tuna fish and orange juice in a blender and tell him that he was getting his Warrior dose of protein & Vitamin C.
This is Sting’s first-ever appearance for WWE.