As you may remember, last semester I was musing on canceling my subscription to the WWE Network. I’ve become pretty numb to the current product, but decided to stick it out until after Wrestlemania.
Well, it’s come and gone and after an abysmal Backlash pay per view, I’m taking a break from the current product. I may watch a show or Raw and Smackdown if I hear something amazing happened, or if my dad is watching it.
Yet I realized there is a much better reason to have and keep the WWE Network. That is the extensive back catalog of old Raws, Smackdowns, ECW and WCW shows, and pay per views from all these promotions.
That’s not even counting certain promotions I’m unfamiliar with that have shows on the network, like the AWA, NWA, WCCW and Deep South Wrestling. Plus all the original content like the documentaries, the shows and everything else.
The WWE 24 series is almost always a winner, with the amount of backstage access offered to viewers being a highlight. WWE 365, while having flaws, is a fascinating concept that provides insight into the daily trials and tribulations of being a wrestler in the company (Also, if we don’t get a WWE 365 on the first year of Daniel Bryan returning to the ring, I’ll be very disappointed).
Ride Along and Table for 3, while kind of being the same show in different environments are really fun to watch and are worthwhile additions to the network. While they can be hit or miss, original comedies like Legends House, the Edge and Christian show and Camp WWE are good options as well.
At the end of the day, there is way more content available on the network than I realized when I first got it. I’ll never be able to get through the whole library of content that interests me.
Yet someone else can watch a completely different selection of shows than I ever will and will be satisfied with what they get. That’s one thing the network excels at, is offering a plethora of content for all kinds of wrestling fans.
That’s why I feel like it is actually a very important tool for the wrestling fan and even people in the business. It is the great wrestling time capsule.
Fans can relive some of the best programming from wrestling’s golden era, or they can go into uncharted territory and experience something different. And aspiring performers of the squared circle can watch the best and worst at the craft and learn more about what they can do.
And I guess that’s a pretty good value and makes the network worthy of its price tag, even if the current product is mediocre. So I’ll be keeping the network for a while, and soon I’ll be watching old school raws from 1996 into 1997.
Henry Wolski
Executive Editor