Hey Scott,
I break down the pros and possible cons of the WWE Network, as well as how pissed I am to be graduating and missing years of watching during classes.
Six days left! Although I'm way less excited now than I was on announcement day, which I maintain was a major boner on their part. They should have had that sucker ready to go 48 hours after announcing it. They get fans whipped into a frenzy, mainstream publicity follows for a bit, and then BAM, one million subs locked in for six months. Now, I'm not so sure what the interest level will be.
I'm definitely gonna wait for reviews to pop up before I buy it.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think I am going to get it. The only thing worth it to me right now is the free monthly PPV's, but even then I probably would only watch them because I had the Network and if I didn't have the Network I probably wouldn't even watch them. I have the entire WCW 1993 Saturday Night, PPV's and Clash's to get through first before I consider getting the Network.
ReplyDeleteOr I'll end up just convincing myself to get it because Mania is like $89 for HD by itself now lol
They are banking on everyone signing up so they can get WrestleMania. Honestly, that is not a bad way to go.
ReplyDeletehaha Liger vs. Pillman Superbrawl II: The match that could destroy WCW
ReplyDeleteNew Wave? Didn't get that one here.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the fence about it. However, they aren't rolling it out in New Zealand until early next year, so I can take my sweet time deciding.
ReplyDeleteI missed the Daily Update thread but I'm really pissed if in fact they are editing chair shots. It's not like backyard wrestling is still a thing and kids are going to being bashing their brains in like it was 1999. I'm essentially getting the network for the monthly PPV's as I find $10 for a PPV incredibly reasonable. As far as old content, I still have a VHS player hooked up in my basement (my basement not my parents) and 2 bins full of old tapes from the 90's.
ReplyDeleteDo people not know it's streaming? My blog post on the Network gets a crazy amount of Google traffic every day, and it's always something like, "Is WWE Network available on DirecTV?" or "What channel is WWE Network"
ReplyDeleteIt's really weird. I haven't watched a lot of Raw lately, but why do so many seem to not realize what it is?
I'm a cheap bastard so will be passing to start. A crash free Mania will go a long way to convincing me to give it a go down the line. Can easily see getting turned off on the product though when Smackdown/Raw become OCD ads for it 5 hours a week.
ReplyDeleteThey can't handle a wrestler with two names, you expect them to understand new media?
ReplyDeleteDino Bravo, the man Hulk Hogan can't beat?! WTF? When was Bravo any sort of contender?
ReplyDeleteWell I remember those stupid bits with Michael Cole telling people how to download the App step by step (Step 1: Take out your phone), I figured they'd be as obvious as possible for the Network.
ReplyDeleteNo idea. Maybe right before the Canadian Earthquake was brought in.
ReplyDeleteWWE can eat a dick here is some chair shot porn - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLM-RZ5oT5w
ReplyDeleteOh they have been. Complete with the Bellas doing an ad for it that you'd think they were trying out for the SNL porn ad skit
ReplyDeleteI had a coworker ask me if DirecTV sold laptops so he could get the WWE Network.
ReplyDeleteChrist. Yeah, on the one hand, I wouldn't search out shots like that, just stupid for them to 1984 that shit like it never happened.
ReplyDeleteMan I miss going to the local video stores and renting Coliseum videos every Friday.
ReplyDeleteQuestion...for right now I just wanna watch it on my IPad. Can I just buy it when I go to the network page and ill get instant streaming.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty miserable compared to other 26 year olds when it comes to technology so any help would be wonderful
here's more - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejpBMwSQxm8
ReplyDeleteNo idea how WWF ever thought chairshots to the head were good ideas. Anyone with any small medical background, even then, knows what concussions are.
ReplyDeleteI think it's an App you have to install.
ReplyDeleteOkay that's easy enough. I at least know how to do that. The Bellas promo threw me off.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably buy just for the savings on PPVs, but getting past six months I'll need to see what they keep on demand. They get my money forever with the right territorial stuff, though admittedly old SLWC cards might not be for everyone.
ReplyDelete100 chair shots http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uicjzk2EeuI
ReplyDeleteIt used to be such a challenge to track old videos down, that was half the fun.
ReplyDeleteThe Network is such an amazing idea that it could've been months longer down the line and I'd still get it day one. Not quite working the same way for a Batista run.
ReplyDeleteshout out for the UHF reference earlier.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to watch WM for 10 dollars without having to go a bar nearby that consists of a lot 30 year old people marking out over every little thing that happens is a good deal. But if WM 30's build is less than stellar, I'll save my money and watch it on a stream.
ReplyDeleteHoly shit, now I see the confusion...this ad makes no sense, other than I should turn the power on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9fECjle0qU
ReplyDeleteI had a bunch of those, too. Read them cover to cover and thought I knew all there was to know about wrestling.
ReplyDeleteThat's the thing for me. If you plan on ordering WrestleMania and SummerSlam, it doesn't make sense NOT to get the Network for the six month commitment. You're getting both PPV's at a fraction of the cost, in addition to a bunch of shows and access to their video library. The ONLY downside is the potential for a choppy streaming experience. And frankly, it's not as if I'm looking SO forward to WrestleMania that that alone would prevent me from getting it.
ReplyDeletePossibly. Even so, I'd guess it would have been a blink and you'll miss it thing. I certainly can't remember it...
ReplyDeletehey! i was the one who started it!
ReplyDeleteBecause of their incorrect use of the word "Network" in its title.
ReplyDeleteThe wwe has AN APP? I'm gonna need some step-by-step instructions, preferably from Michael Cole, on how I can get THEIR APP onto MY PHONE.
ReplyDeleteIt's the subtle editing over time that they won't tell you about that's more insidious.
ReplyDeleteI think it's hilarious that the Bella promo on how easy it is to use confuse you. Not making fun of you, I saw it too and wondered what the fuck they were talking about.
ReplyDeleteTo increase the tension before WM VI) IIRC Hogan did a stretcher job to a bear-hug by Bravo at (I think) a house show.
ReplyDeleteWe subscribed (in Australia) to PWI for about three years (1988-90), and it was the only knowledge of non-WWF events that we had.
You're certain that this stream is going to be perfect from the get go?
ReplyDeletei'm not as blown away as others are, in terms of the archives
ReplyDeletei had 24/7 since early 2007 and saw a lot of great stuff come and go that might not get featured on the network. one of the awesome things about 24/7 was they had a lot of standalone matches from all over (either organized around a person or a theme), and i'm not sure the network is going to do that. so i got a buffet of to-the-point awesome stuff. they also had lots of wwf house shows
like many, the appeal to me is being able to watch ppv's on the cheap. the archival stuff, not so much unless it mirrors 24/7 in some fashion (weekly tv from mid atlantic, nwa, wccw, random non-ppv supershows)
i do look forward to catching up on ntx (assuming they put up the archives; they'd be stupid not to, at least for this run the last couple years from full sail u.)
"Also,
ReplyDeleteTommy Rich on the cover of the World's Sexiest Wrestlers seems like a
strange way to sell magazines. Maybe Jim Barnett was the audience?"
lonely italian housewives
If Wrestlemania goes the way they say it'll go, I'll be glad to have the network so i can watch something OTHER than that shitshow.
ReplyDeleteHulu has the entirety of NXT it seems, starting with Daniel Bryan in episode 1.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to pick what I want to watch makes Network>24/7
ReplyDeleteI hope some of the wrestlers use the archives to bring back cool shit. I pulled up a Kevin von Erich - Ron Starr match from St. Louis on YouTube and Starr (he was a face here - weird enough) used the rolling short-arm scissors. I'd like to see guys bring back those goofy holds.
ReplyDeleteDo I need to get my phone out?
ReplyDeleteYeah, the oft-trotted line of "We didn't know how serious it was back then" is total bunk. Whilst we do know MORE about concussions these days, it was still pretty freakin' obvious in the 90s that taking shots to the head, especially unprotected chair shots, was not a great thing for your health.
ReplyDeletementioned it before, but already having every single ppv from the big 3 and probably 70% of the tv, I'm not interested
ReplyDeletefree hulu or hulu plus?
ReplyDeletefor you, yeah, but for me i've already seen a ton of the shit that is what they're gonna have at launch. i've already seen all the ppv's for the most part
ReplyDeleteAppears to be free Hulu. Wonder how long that will be there past the 24th.
ReplyDeleteWith Superstars looking like it will be a Network show, will WWE finally do something to improve it? Since it will be more than Stranger and I watching, it may be worth it.
ReplyDeleteWhy air it at 10 pm on Thursday? That's such an awkward time to air a wrestling show.
ReplyDeleteAll I can think is they want people who just finished watching Impact to switch over.
ReplyDeleteSUPERSTARS!! WOO-HOOO! High Five, Biscuit!
ReplyDeleteSo have I, but with 24/7, I was at their mercy(even though 90% of what they programmed was awesome).
ReplyDeleteEvery single show will be on Demand, so the air times are kinda pointless.
ReplyDeleteMan, you'd think they'd want to publicize something like that! I'm gonna Tout all my buddies ASAP to let them know about this new facet of our favourite sports entertainment company!
ReplyDeleteBecause they're airing NXT at 9pm on Thursdays.
ReplyDeleteThat's when the show is first available. It's on Demand. You can watch it whenever you want.
ReplyDeleteAre you crazy? You're not gonna watch Extrreme Rules and Payback? The Spring of Batista is upon us, dude! It's gonna be as wild as that rad tattoo he has around his belly-button!
ReplyDeleteYou realize that nobody knows if they will be editing anything, right?
ReplyDeleteThe archival stuff has no mass appeal. At its peak, 24/7 had like 150,000 subscribers. And they gave you the current PPVs too after a couple months.
ReplyDeleteAnd by far the best thing about 24/7 when I had it was the weekly tv, especially mid-80s NWA and early ECW. That won't be on the Network. At least not on day 1
What is there to do with it? Raw and Smackdown eat up 5 hours of wrestling. NXT already has the 'up and coming' wrestlers. What sort of niche is there for Superstars to fill?
ReplyDeleteShould be full episodes of the old 80s and 90s Superstars of Wrestling show!
ReplyDeleteOMG, it's so fucking awesome when people get concussions! Now if only one of them were to actually die on camera, then my life would be complete!
ReplyDeleteI have all that on vhs too..since 1986. But I will buy it just for the convenience I think.
ReplyDeleteMy interest level has gone down with the announcement of the lineup.
ReplyDeleteYou're not going to be happy unless somebody actually winds up paralyzed in the ring, huh?
ReplyDeleteE-C-DUB! E-C-DUB!
The Bellas aren't good enough actresses to make it in porn.
ReplyDeleteIf you had actually bothered to read the Daily Update thread you would have noticed that nobody actually knows if those edits are part of the Network or are being done for something else (like their Youtube channel).
ReplyDeleteI've actually never seen that 1996 February WWF ppv with Shawn vs Owen. Can't wait to see that. I'll probably just start back as far as the catalog goes-with some promotion and watch it all in order.
ReplyDeleteAlso Steve Blake to splash city... huge huge addition to the bench. That guy is underrated.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy violence. Certainly you wouldn't say this if I posted an NFL highlight video. I enjoy violence, no apologies.
ReplyDeleteSo NXT was mentioned below about being on Hulu. I decided to check it out. First episode of season 1, first segment is Miz in the ring with Bryan asking him to come up with a catchphrase. Pretty sure he found one.
ReplyDeletesee my reply below.
ReplyDeleteTommy Rich's face makes me want to punch someone. Seriously, it's that annoying.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Carlito's music was awesome.
ReplyDeleteHollywood Hogan vs Bret Hart.....yep pretty much a "dream match" that WCW had an opportunity to make a move on, but did nothing with it but this? Five minutes of story-line advancement on free tv? This was actually a match that was supposed to happen back in 1993 in the Federation right? But Hogan wouldn't job I believe? A "dream-grudge match 15 years in the making" is pretty marketable Bischoff.
ReplyDeleteDamn you WCW.
Will it work on my rotary phone?
ReplyDeleteBravo was well an afterthought by then. I'd say it was around when Jesse helped him with the benchpress contest.
ReplyDeleteIf the NFL highlight video was "Football's greatest helmet-to-helmet hits", I would say exactly the same thing.
ReplyDeleteFootball players can at least hide behind the fact that it's in the spur of the moment and allegedly unplanned. Wrestling can't, since those chair shots have to be planned in advance.
Oh great, your bickering made me miss Joe Theismann.
ReplyDeleteNo, but get this - it will work on both a desktop AND a laptop! I'm still trying to figure out how that's possible.
ReplyDeleteI keep wanting to find a reason to delay getting it but honestly I'll probably just get it within 24 hours of the launch. Even assuming wrestlemania crashes it will still be worth 60 bucks for the library
ReplyDeleteJames Harrison is one of my favorite players of the last 20 years. I like the hits.
ReplyDeleteAnd Darren Young comes out with CM Punk....and people were surprised that Young was gay? "The South Beach Party Boy"? Really?
ReplyDeleteI can't give you those instructions here, but if you call Mean Gene on the Wrestling Hotline and 1-900-909-9900, he's got all the details for how you can get the WWE Network on your rotatry phone, fax machines, walkie talkies, victrola turntables and AM radios (FM radio to come 2015).
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell is the deal with that goofy assed helmet Hogan's wearing in some of them? I NEVER remember that.
ReplyDeletePhew. Good thing the Miz was there to help teach Bryan how to get over with a crowd.
ReplyDeleteNow if you'll excuse me, I have to go give George Clooney some tips on how to pick up women.
And R-Truth with Otunga? Hahaha. I miss Coffee David Otunga.
ReplyDeleteSpend one Saturday a month taping a bunch of jobber v. stars matches for Superstars.
ReplyDeleteI checked the top comments, reading a 500 + post thread isn't really my thing.
ReplyDeleteBut then it wouldn't be OVER THE TOP or something.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree. I've already seen this "chair shot glitch" thing a few weeks ago, so I didn't understand why it was news. I don't think it applies to the network, just the website clips.
ReplyDeleteOr, maybe just when the put an old clip in one of the new shows? Like if their doing a countdown of Foley stuff, editing the chairshots out of that.
Maybe it does apply to the stuff on the Network - I honestly wouldn't be surprised either way. But let's wait to get our panties all in a bunch until we actually know what's happening.
ReplyDeleteI actually have a rotary phone.
ReplyDeleteFire up a colortini.
ReplyDelete"Will the New Midnight Express Last?" initially got a chuckle from me, until I saw that it was referring to Lane/Eaton and not Holly/Gunn.
ReplyDeleteI think the Lane/Eaton version of the Midnight Express did ok for themselves...
It's taking forever to load so I can't see that specific cover. But I found this little tidbit on Bravo's Wikipedia page:
ReplyDelete" Bravo was scheduled to headline a card against Hulk Hogan
in 1986, but the match was canceled on short notice, with Bravo leaving
the company shortly thereafter; the rumor was that the company did not
want the Montreal crowd to cheer Bravo, the hometown hero, over Hogan,
and that Bravo quit after finding out"
Fair enough. I didn't realize that it had hit that many and I'm being overly snarky tonight.
ReplyDeleteBut all that was reported is that they're editing some footage. We don't really know the context - maybe it's for the Network, maybe it's just for things like YouTube and the website. I'm not as big a fan as chairshots as you are, but I agree that if they're advertising 'unedited and uncut' matches for the Network then they should be shown that way on the Network.
I wondered about that too. I don`t remember a Hogan Helmet.
ReplyDeleteAnd Ryback was Skip, yep yep yep!
ReplyDeleteIronically, the first word he said when asked that was "No!"
ReplyDeleteI think they ran some Hogan/Tugboat vs. Bravo/Earthquake matches on the house show circuit.
ReplyDeleteThe decision is sort of made for me being outside of the US, but I would almost certainly order it for 6 months, and then probably cancel it unless they came up with a hell of a hook. There`s some of those old PPV`s that I`ve never seen, especially WCW stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe hook is Summerslam.
ReplyDeleteSome of the anecdotes down below and the Torch's latest rants has me thinking: Are they going to lose some subscriptions not only because of the poor timing (announcing some seven weeks away) but because they refuse to talk to their casual audience like humans?
ReplyDeleteHere's how they should be selling it: It's like Hulu or Netflix (easy reference points), only better. You can get it anywhere you can get those programs/apps. It has hundreds of PPVs and shows on demand, but it also has a 24/7 live streaming part, too, like a television network over the internet. You have to sign up for it on the website, though.
The autistic WWE says: Finally, the ultimate source for sports entertainment has arrived in the WWE Network exclusively on WWE.com. It's available on any connected device in this Over the Top venture that brings thousands of hours of content directly to you, the WWE Universe. Try it out now/February 24th/9am/11pm/? and get a free 7 Day trial (which will lapse into an automatic subscription, shh).
Their insistence on pushing corporate speak and unnecessary branding can and will confuse and frustrate fans. Other companies try to dumb things down for the consumer. WWE wants to appear high brow (I guess) and won't relate to the audience.
Yeah for sure, but probably not for me.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I remember I built my collection through eBay tape lots, but after a few purchases it was tough to find all new tapes. I remember being ecstatic that one guy sold his copy of Rumble 1988 that he taped from USA. The quality was average, but it was great to find that show.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that EVERYONE and their mother had a copy of Spring Stampede 1994, though. That has to be the highest selling WCW video tape ever.
Was his IQ on the same level as Forrest Gump? Seriously, that is such a stupid question.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I liked about COD is when they would do these 64-person tournaments and select a match between the two guys, the winner advancing. Of course, if you've seen a lot of wrestling matches then the finishes were ruined, but it was funny seeing guys still with the company like William Regal cut promos for matches that were ten+ years old.
ReplyDeleteIt's still a total buy for me. But yeah, it could have been better had they released the network within a week of the announcement. Also EC should have been the first PPV just in case so the first PPV to fuck up isn't mania. Daniel Bryan will be just about to pin Orton to win the title and bam, the network goes offline.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. The wrestling fans I've known over the years would read that and think it's science fiction.
ReplyDeleteThat would be dope! But I know they taped more then just MSG. They should also have house shows from Boston Garden, Maple Leaf Gardens, and the Capitol Centre. i believed they taped most of those. Not to mention they could run Primetime Wrestling, TNT, and a ton of their Titan Sports video collection if they wanted to.
ReplyDeleteAND Wrestling Challenge!
ReplyDeleteI only have a crystal radio. Will I have to rub them extra hard?
ReplyDeleteAT THE SAME TIME!?
ReplyDeleteI actually work for "Comcast", and you wouldn't believe the amount of questions we get every single day from people wanting to know how they can get it and what channel it will be on.
ReplyDeleteI have no doubt that it will do gang-busters, but it really wasn't advertised in easy-to-understand language.
The first two seasons of "NXT" were great. I really liked most of the "rookies" from the start, and thought many of them showed decent potential.
ReplyDeleteHey, the hero is only as good as his villain, and Miz was a great villain at the time.
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people forget (or purposely ignore) just how over Miz was a few years ago; the guy was getting face-pops from some smark-heavy cities.
They don't freezeframe the big hits and remove them from NFL network replays of old games.
ReplyDeleteI mean for the most part it's not a big deal, but Rock/Foley at the RR is going to be hilarious, it's going to look like Foley is cowering away from Rock for 20 minutes as he threatens him with a chair.
It's $10 a month, the programming could be "The Best of Brutus Beefcake, Except When He Was a Barber", and "Hillybilly Jim's Hokey Hoedown", as long as they gave me the PPV's, I'd consider it a more than fair deal. And hey, if the stream breaks, I can go to firstrowsports with a clean conscience, because I paid them
ReplyDeleteNo buy. I can get everything for free in uncut form anyway, and Vince is one of those people that I feel no guilt stealing from.
ReplyDeleteI'd like it booked in its own universe, a la the old Saturday Night Jimmy Hart did when Russo was booking. Give it a TV title and its own angles to keep the lower-level guys busy and on TV.
ReplyDeleteWhere is Nitro! Also why is there only a best of Raw and Smackdown instead of just starting from the first episode and just going from there? I know I am like the kid who has gotten almost everything I ever wanted for xmas with this thing and shouldn't complain but at this point why not just fucking go for it and give the fans everything ever!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, I'm sure Cole will explain how to sign up 65 times on Monday
ReplyDeleteI didn't even bother with Cowboy Ryback. I actually felt sorry for the man.
ReplyDeleteAlso on the Wrestling Hotline: Bobby The Brain shows you stills taken from the recent house shows in Madison Square Garden, the Nassau Coliseum, and the Boston Gardens.
ReplyDeleteThat last line just made both Vince and HHH wake up in a cold sweat. For different reasons.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they'll add shows of that nature pretty frequently. I'm actually hoping that shows like that would be part of their 'live' programming block and not necessarily yet on demand. For example, on a lazy Wednesday night, I turn it on and they're showing a MSG show from 1990, and I have to stick with it because it's first-run on the Network and not archived yet.
ReplyDeleteWell, not like it's necessarily worth anything, but when they did the demo at CES, on the menu options you could clearly see a choice for "ECW TV" or something like that.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that on PPV days, they run marathons of old shows leading up to the actual show - for example, Survivor Series day, they show Survivor Series '87 & '88 back to back, or something. And I know I could watch these on demand too, but it would still be kind of cool.
ReplyDeleteYeah I think they will put all the old Raws on at this 5 1/2 month stage.
ReplyDelete