WWE Netflix/Peacock/ESPN Discussion Thread

[TheMatrix31]

I don't know, I guess I just don't like seeing how the sausage is made. Or at least to this level. Like the show for me is the show, not all the behind the scenes ****. I don't work for the company. Why should anyone know all this?

LFG is different than ins and outs of business, writing decisions, etc. Those are just amateurs trying to come up.

Yes we always knew wrestling is scripted, but I don't think it does anyone favors with this level of insight. At least before, there was still intrigue and wonder, even with decisions and stuff we'd never know "why" and quite frankly it's none of our business.

I know it's just catering to people who always want to be "in the know" and people who love feeling too cool for school. Before it was dirt sheets and **** that scratched that itch for people.

I won't watch it but I know "the news" from it will make its way throughout everything and even those who don't watch it will learn about all the super cool insight.

[Majingir]

That's the bittersweet part of modern wrestling.

You can't go on being like "it's still real to us!" because then it just looks childish. But you can't pull the curtains too far back or else it just becomes the whole "magician revealing their tricks". But at the same time, it is ok revealing some stuff and going more behind the scenes to an extent because people love that kind of stuff (the making of ___ types of documentaries are popular among tv shows/movies for a reason).

But speaking of news making it's rounds from this, one idea pitched was KO winning the title at Elimination Chamber.

Seems like it wasn't a serious pitch, but it was shown on the episode. But that's also an issue with stories/rumors. I'm sure 100 ideas were thrown around at some point, maybe 20 of them seriously considered, maybe 5 that made its way past the initial stage, then maybe 1 or 2 that actually have a shot to happen.

[TheMatrix31]

You're also opening up to "damn, they should have" "why didn't they" this that even more than it already happens.

I mean we talk and give suggestions. It's a forum. But more you pull back the more you're making people feel like they're part of the booking process. And that's dumb. The inmates can't and shouldn't run the asylum.

[SmashMan]

You're also opening up to "damn, they should have" "why didn't they" this that even more than it already happens.

I mean we talk and give suggestions. It's a forum. But more you pull back the more you're making people feel like they're part of the booking process. And that's dumb. The inmates can't and shouldn't run the asylum.

Agreed on not letting inmates run the asylum, I just don't see doing something like Unreal as leading people to think they're part of the booking process, or at least not any more than they already think they are. It's just modern kayfabe though. We know more than we used to, but companies can exploit that by intentionally giving us what we think is a further look behind the curtain when it's really not.

Having said that, seeing a little bit of the "how" (even as a slick WWE production)? Seeing that they tentatively planned X vs Y for WrestleMania before pivoting to something else? Seeing them brainstorm ideas? That's a little interesting to me . Do I need to see it? Of course not, but it's out there so I'll give it a look.

[SmashMan]

[TheMatrix31]

Agreed on not letting inmates run the asylum, I just don't see doing something like Unreal as leading people to think they're part of the booking process, or at least not any more than they already think they are. It's just modern kayfabe though. We know more than we used to, but companies can exploit that by intentionally giving us what we think is a further look behind the curtain when it's really not.

Having said that, seeing a little bit of the "how" (even as a slick WWE production)? Seeing that they tentatively planned X vs Y for WrestleMania before pivoting to something else? Seeing them brainstorm ideas? That's a little interesting to me . Do I need to see it? Of course not, but it's out there so I'll give it a look.

Oh I mean the sad thing is that it *is* interesting since we're hardcore fans. But I hope your previous point about companies knowing this is "modern kayfabe" and using it to their advantage is the case. I just get the sense they're doing this so they can become "real" like their "big brother" UFC, and other leagues. And I know the more they cater to that, the less they remain wrestling and that's bad because I'm a wrestling fan and I already feel like product is too surface-level as my incessant complaints are.

[UFCMPunk]

You're also opening up to "damn, they should have" "why didn't they" this that even more than it already happens.

I mean we talk and give suggestions. It's a forum. But more you pull back the more you're making people feel like they're part of the booking process. And that's dumb. The inmates can't and shouldn't run the asylum.

We already do the whole "they should have done this" stuff, so Unreal wouldn't change much. Though, I will say since seeing the original Mania card that I've been pondering back & fourth on whether I prefer the original card or the one we got. I think a blend of the card we got and what the original card is best. Like, Rhea vs Bianca is totally going to happen one day at Mania BUT I'm not losing that Triple Threat match which is a match of the year candidate. You had Jey in the IC Championship Ladder Match and Jey in the US Championship Match, so was the original plan Jey & Jimmy holding both midcard titles at the same time? I mean, I'd trade Jey & Jimmy winning the IC & US Titles this year. Punk winning the WHC at Mania for a guaranteed Jey Uso becomes World Champion a year later.

[SmashMan]

But I hope your previous point about companies knowing this is "modern kayfabe" and using it to their advantage is the case.

I could be wrong, it's just a feeling I've had since Triple H took over creative. He's not as closed off to internet rumbling as I imagine Vince would be and he's not as hyper-online as Tony Khan is, but it's somewhere in the middle. Regardless of how he downplays it, I think he's well aware of how things are received and discussed online and to some extent likes to stick it to those types of fans (read: us sometimes, haha) when he can.

So something like Unreal is done in a way to give us a slight taste of behind-the-scenes but at the risk of repeating myself, because it's a WWE production it's a WWE-approved look so we're not really seeing anything they don't want us to see. We're being worked under the guise of being given more access.

[SmashMan]

This is before Nitro so Saturday Night was still the A show, but even so this is a lot of star power.

Ric Flair & Steve Austin vs Sting & Ricky Steamboat

[Majingir]

This is before Nitro so Saturday Night was still the A show, but even so this is a lot of star power.

Ric Flair & Steve Austin vs Sting & Ricky Steamboat

It's still weird to think Austin had a decent career in WCW before he even went to WWE, yet very few people will ever remember that because obviously everything that happened after overshadows all of it.

[UFCMPunk]

Watching the episode on the Rumble, it's crazy to think how much the Rumble set up most of the current storylines. Hell even Bron speared Reigns back at the Rumble. Punk eliminated Reigns & Rollins setting up the Triple Threat at Wrestlemania, Logan eliminated AJ Styles to set up their match at Mania.

[UFCMPunk]

WWE Unreal is starting to grow on me, it doesn't bother me too much about what they are showing. Though, hearing how Chelsea got her friends and family tickets for Survivor Series in Vancouver and she wasn't even booked is exactly why pre-show matches need to be a thing again. Chelsea could have easily been a pre-show match, especially if you have 3 hour pre-shows, have 1 or 2 matches at least.

[Majingir]

USA PLEs are moving to ESPN.

Didn't read enough to see what happens to the on demand content, but this sounds more like the deal WWE wanted.

A deal just for PLEs, but maybe there will be a separate deal for on demand stuff.

Obviously if you subscribe just to ESPN for WWE this price will be so much higher than people have been used to the last decade, but if you already subscribe to ESPN for other sports, this will be a nice bonus.

For once, international fans have a much better/cheaper deal than the US.

Does suck for the US fans needing Netflix, Peacock and ESPN at the same time. International fans just have Netflix for everything.

[UFCMPunk]

USA PLEs are moving to ESPN.

Does suck for the US fans needing Netflix, Peacock and ESPN at the same time. International fans just have Netflix for everything.

Yeah, so I guess Peacock is done or is their library of content still going to be there? That's what I'm curious about, I was planning on canceling Peacock at the end of the year thinking I'd only need Netflix. Looks like I'll just renew NordVPN and pay for it to watch everything on Netflix next year.

[Majingir]

Yeah, so I guess Peacock is done or is their library of content still going to be there? That's what I'm curious about, I was planning on canceling Peacock at the end of the year thinking I'd only need Netflix. Looks like I'll just renew NordVPN and pay for it to watch everything on Netflix next year.

If you use Peacock to watch SD/NXT then you might as well keep it. But seems like right now there's no word on the wwe on demand content, or even NXT PLEs. There's a chance those could wind up staying on Peacock, or moving to Netflix, ESPN or elsewhere.

I'm curious what happens for international Netflix subscribers. People speculated a reason for lack of a wwe vault is because wwe is still negotiating a USA deal. If the USA deal winds up being Netflix, maybe they move over everything at once for everyone?