As announced on Monday Night Raw, starting on Monday February 24, 2014, members of the WWE Universe will be able to sign up for a one-week free trial of WWE Network right here on WWE.com. The volume of must-see video available on WWE Network is mind-blowing. Therefore, WWE.com has sorted through the menu of mat memories and chose a few of the essentials to help streamline the process. So, here are nine things you absolutely, positively have to know about WWE Network.
Your first thought upon hearing WWE Network was digital-platform exclusive might have been, “OK, so it’s Netflix for WWE.” As a certain someone might say, “NO!!!!”
True, WWE Network will feature an on-demand library with thousands of hours of content that will only going to grow with time, but it’s also an actual network, with pre-scheduled programming blocks that run 24/7. These shows include all-new original content, like the in-depth “The Monday Night War” series, interactive programs like “WWE Countdown” and the much-touted “Legends House,” a reality show starring several WWE Legends living under one roof.
Let’s make like DX and break it down: WWE Network costs $9.99 a month, and a subscription runs for six months at a clip. That’s $60, give or take, for every piece of classic and current sports-entertainment content you could possibly imagine, including all 12 live pay-per-views, WrestleMania 30 among them should it fall within your six-month commitment. All that comes for the same price as a single WrestleMania ordered from a local cable or satellite provider. That’s a steal even Cryme Tyme couldn’t pull off. As The Million Dollar Man used to say, everybody’s got a price, and we’re pretty sure that in this case, this price is for everybody.
Self-explanatory, but unbelievably important. For those who think WWE Network will require its own application, they’re in luck: the WWE App will upgrade to include Network content upon the service’s launch. All users have to do is download the update on launch day to hold the whole of WWE’s history in, literally, the palm of your hand. It’s as easy as The Rock’s favorite dessert treat.
If you can’t get enough WWE between Raw and SmackDown, you’re in luck: WWE Network will put some extra meat on both of WWE’s flagship shows with an exclusive live Pre-Show that sets the stage, as well as a live Post-Show that ties up the chaos when all is said and done. On top of that, the WWE Universe will get replays of Raw and SmackDown that they can watch anytime, anywhere. That’s a lot of DVR space freed up. Best for business indeed.
If you fondly remember a time before WWE went TV-PG, WWE Network will include Attitude Era content in all its grimy glory. That’s unrestrained, uncensored and unedited, just the way you remember it. In other words, you can ease up on the bootleg YouTube searches, call your middle-school buddies over and relive the moments that made you go scream, “Oh hell yeah!”
Speaking of which …
In addition to classic WWE pay-per-views, the WWE Universe can also get full, uncut and uncensored WCW and ECW pay-per-views to boot, putting the entirety of sports-entertainment’s diverse history at your fingertips. So if you’re a lifelong a WWE fan but “The Fingerpoke of Doom” and “The Night The Line Was Crossed” are as foreign to you as Nikolai Volkoff’s accent, consider this your Rosetta Stone.
Who exactly is this Sami Zayn you’ve been hearing so much about? What about the much-touted “Diva of Tomorrow,” Paige? If you have trouble keeping up with Byron Saxton’s weekly reports, chances are you’ve been missing out on the best-kept secret WWE has to offer. No longer. A WWE Network subscription not only grants you a passport to the past, but also a glimpse at the future of the business with premiere episodes of WWE NXT, which stars WWE’s immensely talented up-and-comers. So snap yourself a Tyler Breeze selfie, declare yourself a Bo-liever and get to watchin’; we hear there’s a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match that’s pretty good.
Chances are, if you have a device that streams or downloads digital content, it’s compatible with WWE Network. It’s not available everywhere yet, but you’ll be able to get the service on Desktops/Laptops, iOS and Android phones, Sony PlayStation 3 and 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Roku, and Amazon’s Kindle Fire. In other words, ladies and gentlemen, business is about to pick up.