It’s official: 2014 is definitely the year of World Wrestling Entertainment

It is hard to say with (genuine) confidence that some company will have some year be “its year,” let alone 8 days into the new year. However, entertainment analysts, fans of WWE and other professional wrestling organizations, and most importantly – Stevens’ resident professional wrestling enthusiast – I are somewhat forced to say so after WWE announced the coming of the WWE Network on January 8.
The WWE Network is an unprecedented movement for the professional wrestling industry, and even the television and entertainment industries. Despite its name, the WWE Network is not a cable channel. It is a streaming service that is accessible from nearly every platform available, from Android and iOS-enabled devices to Roku to the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and 4 (Xbox One support is confirmed to be released at a later date).
So, what’s in the WWE Network? Despite my hatred for clichés, the better question would be: What isn’t? An announcement almost too good to be true, the WWE Network’s key features will be to have over 1,500 hours of content from WWE Libraries, a WWE-subsidized collection of footage with the largest amount of copyrights in the industry. In short, episodes upon episodes of Raw, Smackdown, ECW, WCW, and even more promotions and shows dating back to the beginning of each show’s first episode, will be available for on-demand streaming at launch – this includes all pay-per-views from the above shows, too.
In a more current sense, the WWE Network will have pre- and post-shows for Raw and Smackdown, its current flagship shows, including a live studio show to debut shortly after the network’s launch. WWE NXT, WWE’s show focused on its developmental talent, will air weekly as well. Along with its currently produced content, the WWE Network will have several original shows, including WWE Legends’ House, WWE Countdown, and WrestleMania Rewind (a retrospective look at the most memorable moments in WrestleMania history).
If all of this sounds great, well, in the words of the late Billy Mays, “Wait! There’s more!” In addition to the wonderful content listed above, the WWE Network will also feature all 12 of its monthly pay-per-view events. This may not sound like much on paper, but to put it in perspective, all 12 pay-per-view events cost approximately $640 a year. To be a part of the WWE Network, the cost is only $9.99 a month. WWE could have sold the WWE Network with all of the aforementioned, excluding all of its pay-per-views. And the value, from a fan’s perspective, would have been more than worth it. To add all 12 of its pay-per-views, the WWE not only delivers a product that exceeds any fan or critic’s expectations, but also tackles another problem: Piracy.
By becoming the lead distributor of its paid content, offering its services at an affordable price, WWE not only has more control over its content, but also, in making the WWE Network affordable, discourages piracy of its ordinarily expensive events, as subscribing to the WWE Network has benefits beyond its 12 pay-per-views. The caveat to such a bold move on WWE’s part is that it has already made enemies with its normal pay-per-view distributor, DirecTV, who has publicly stated that it is unsure about whether it will renew with the WWE. Objectively evaluating this, DirecTV’s bitterness is understandable. However, in terminating its contract with WWE, it essentially loses an opportunity at free money. Sure, the pay-per-view buys will be less, but the all-or-nothing mindset DirecTV seems to possess won’t prevail in this scenario.
For anyone wondering how the WWE can possibly handle such an arduous task on its own, and rightfully so, there is no cause for concern, as the WWE is strategically partnering with MLB Advanced Media to handle its execution of the WWE Network. For those who don’t know, MLB Advanced Media is the handler of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) television broadcasts, covering over 4,900 live baseball games each year, in addition to the 24/7 MLB Network. WWE does deserve credit for this partnership, as there is no other entity that handles such a high volume of viewers in a year than the MLB.
Logistically, the WWE Network will also be a 24/7 service, airing programmed content at certain time slots, encouraging viewers to watch together, but also giving the option to watch non-programmed content in a Netflix-like fashion. As an objective bystander, the WWE Network is a fantastic-looking service that caters to its constituency at a level like no other company in the world. As fan of the WWE and professional wrestling overall, I cannot be more excited for the WWE Network. The giddiness that took over me during this announcement is both ridiculous and important, as it does illustrate the response of an average fan, highlighting how wise this decision by the WWE is. Having an all-inclusive center for WWE programming, including its pay-per-view events, is something that no one in the professional wrestling industry has come close to doing, and a feat that no media company has ever been able to achieve in completion.
The big question on everyone’s mind at the time of this announcement was, “When?” When can we get our eyes in front of the WWE Network? On February 24, 11:06 EST, after Raw, the WWE Network will launch in the United States. This means that the first pay-per-view to be aired on the WWE Network will be next month’s event, the biggest of all, WrestleMania 30, a true test of the capacity of the WWE Network.
For the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Nordic countries, the WWE Network will debut later this year. As far as actual wrestling is concerned, this Sunday, the WWE will be hosting the 27th annual Royal Rumble. The marquee, titular match of this event is the Royal Rumble match, which begins with two men in the ring. After 90 second intervals, another Superstar will enter the ring until all 30 participants have entered. The only way to win this match is to throw your opponent over the top rope. The winner of this match will receive a guaranteed opportunity for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 30. This event is beyond exciting and is one that even non-professional wrestling fans enjoy. Also, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton will be facing John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The winner of this match will look forward to facing the winner of the 2014 Royal Rumble at WrestleMania 30. There is so much happening now in WWE, and thus professional wrestling, that it truly is looking to be the year of the WWE. As a result, this is going to be the year of its fans. Until next time, order the Royal Rumble, watch Raw on Monday, and save some money for the WWE Network!