The WWE on Netflix era has officially begun in the UK and multiple international markets.
While the wrestling world is still awaiting the all-important Raw on Netflix debut episode on January 6th which could be one of the biggest shows in company history, fans outside the United States have already seen WWE content come to Netflix ahead of time as the WWE Network is no more. As of 8 am UK time, an extensive back catalogue of pro wrestling content became live on the platform for fans to watch at their pleasure to get ready for the start of the new era on Monday. Unfortunately, as many had expected, not everything made the jump over to Netflix as part of the switch.
WWE On Netflix: What’s Included?
All content that has been added is included with the price of a standard Netflix subscription, meaning that fans who previously had both streaming services are now £9.99 better off each month in the UK. In terms of content, just about every major PLE from the past has become available to watch on January 1st. Every WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble is now on the app and easy to find by simply selecting the year. Along with the Big 4, there are also a lot of popular one-off events such as Evolution and the UK show One Night Only included. In terms of TV shows, this is where things get a bit complicated.
With archive TV still popular among wrestling fans, the fate of classic Raw, SmackDown and NXT shows was one topic that was consistently brought up in the past year. With Raw, SmackDown and NXT Vault being listed on the platform ahead of the launch, there was uncertainty around what exactly would make its way over. For Raw, select episodes from 1993 to 2001 are included along with every Raw from 2022-204. For SmackDown, select shows from 1999-2008 are included with along with the full catalogue from 2022-2024. For NXT, TakeOver events from 2014 to 2021 are included along with every NXT show from 2022-2024. There are also numerous best-of-shows available highlighting the biggest moments from Raw’s 32-year history.
In terms of playback features, as of the time of writing, there are no chapter features available for the WWE shows, which was available on the Network, meaning that fans wanting to see the main event of a PLE will have to manually scroll through 3 hours of the show before they get to the match that they want. However, for those who like to watch shows with subtitles, the onscreen text is much more in sync compared to the Network era. Additionally, manual scrolling hours in advance does not crash the app and no bugs have been seen in the on-demand viewing.
Although it is not an ideal switchover compared to what fans are used to, WWE’s Netflix launch looks to be a success so far given the vast library that was available to stream on day 1 and with no technical issues. It remains to be seen how much more classic content will make its way over from Raw, SmackDown and NXT or if other promotions will ever make their return to streaming.
While the initial signs are promising, the real test begins when the first live show finally drops.
Featured image: WWE
