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Netflix will be the new home of WWE's flagship show, Monday Night Raw, in 2025
Starting in January 2025, Netflix will stream Monday Night Raw every week in the US, Canada, UK, Latin America and some other countries. Netflix will also broadcast other WWE programming outside the US, including major events like WrestleMania.
Peacock is removing racist scenes from classic WWE matches
NBCUniversal's Peacock is removing racist scenes from classic WWE matches as it comes to terms with a troublesome streaming catalog.
WCW's Nintendo 64 legacy lives again, in mod form
Growing up, my friends and I were obsessed with Nintendo 64 wrestling games. That was all thanks to THQ, the AKI Corporation, and their AKI Engine. The AKI Engine made playing as your favorite on-screen personality simple yet refined, introducing a grappling system that allowed you to perform moves a heck of a lot easier than the Mortal Kombat-level button input-system other games used. Each wrestler had individual specials, taunts, and submission moves that reminded you of who they were supposed to represent, and lent itself to a variety of gameplay tactics depending on who you chose.
Netflix renews 'GLOW' for a fourth and final season
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are about to hang up their boots after one more run of shows. Netflix has renewed its '80s-set dramedy GLOW for a fourth and final season.
‘GLOW’ season 3 (elbow) drops on Netflix August 9th
Netflix's terrific '80s wrestling saga GLOW is crashing back onto to our screens August 9th. The ten-episode third season of the comedy-drama promises even more neon than ever, as the grapplers turn Sin City into Suplex City.
WWE’s live Facebook show is returning for a second season
Some of WWE's biggest superstars will return to Facebook Watch when the second season of Mixed Match Challenge premieres September 18th at 10PM Eastern. A preshow will air before each 30-minute episode this time around, while a round-robin format replaces the single-elimination tournament from the first season, which took place earlier this year.
'GLOW' season two trailer includes big hair and bigger issues
Netflix has invested a lot of energy into GLOW's second season, and now we have an inkling as to whether or not that trust is well-placed. The service has posted a trailer for the new GLOW that makes it clear the stakes are higher this time around. The ladies of wrestling have to contend with not only mounting personal drama, but creepy fans, threats of cancellation, more men on the show and racist caricatures. And of course, it's relentlessly '80s between the music, the hair and the vintage tech.
'GLOW' season two elbow drops on Netflix June 29th
At last, Netflix's comedic ode to women's pro wrestling is getting its promised follow-up. The streaming service has revealed that the second season of GLOW will premiere on June 29th. The teaser clip is really a tribute to all thing '80s (we hope you like Flashdance), but Netflix's press description gives a better clue as to what's coming next. The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling have to confront the "realities of their newfound fame," while Ruth and Debbie tackle their problematic friendship and Sam gets used to having his teenage daughter at home.
Stephanie McMahon is bringing the WWE to new audiences
Stephanie McMahon was born into the WWE franchise, and she's built a successful career inside and outside the ring. Today, her job involves spreading the word about professional wrestling and bringing WWE to as many people as possible, wherever and whenever they want to catch a match. This means interacting with fans on social media and putting WWE on new platforms, like Facebook Live and VR.
Watch WWE highlights from ringside with NextVR’s wrestling channel
The fine, well-oiled folks of World Wrestling Entertainment are bringing some of the franchise's most exciting moments to virtual reality with a new channel on the NextVR app. The WWE channel will host 10-minute experiences, uploaded for free after each participating event, that put fans in the center of the action, as if they attended the match live. NextVR is available on Samsung's Gear VR, Google's Daydream View, Microsoft's Windows Mixed Reality and Sony's PlayStation VR headsets.
WWE wrestling is coming to Facebook's Watch tab in January
We still don't know how many people actually click the Watch tab on Facebook, but that isn't stopping the social network from signing programming deals at a rapid clip. The latest benefactor of Facebook's billion dollar video fund is a bit surprising. The WWE will air a 12-episode tournament exclusively on Zuckerberg's platform on Tuesday nights starting January 16th. If you're expecting full-on storylines from Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live just because grapplers from each show are participating, you might be disappointed, though. Instead of a Spandex soap opera, Mixed Match Challenge is a single-elimination mixed tag-team tournament where top prize is a $100,000 donation to the charity of the team's choice.
Lucha Libre will stream 'Triplemania XXV' on Twitch
Triplemania turns 25 this year, and in keeping with its adrenaline-pulsing theatrics you'd expect it to do something pretty special to celebrate, which is why fans will be able to bypass pay-per-view and watch the whole thing live on Twitch. Showcasing what is arguably the match of the decade, between Dr Wagner Jr and Psycho Clown, Triplemania XXV will be broadcast with commentary in English and Spanish, with a "best of" Triplemania marathon leading up to the main event. Viewers can play with wrestling-themed emojis, and the sport's biggest stars will take to Twitch's chat function to rile up their fans.
Hulu and the WWE are now available on the TiVo Bolt
TiVo's newest set-top box, the Bolt, got some added functionality on Tuesday when the company announced the addition of two new streaming content sources: Hulu (now upgraded from Flash for the new box's HTML5 platform) and WWE. Both services are available directly through the TiVo Central screen, though you will need a subscription to TiVo as well as both channels in order to watch them.
Play as the Terminator if you want to live in 'WWE 2K16'
WWE 2K16, the latest installment in Take-Two's yearly wrestling franchise, will feature a familiar face stretched around a nigh-indestructible metal skeleton: the Terminator, as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. The Terminator is a playable character in WWE 2K16, but only for those who pre-order the game on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One or Xbox 360. Pre-orders are live now and the game is due to hit shelves on October 27th, just in time to perfect your "Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator as a wrestler in a WWE video game" Halloween costume.
WWE Network's UK launch set for January 19th, for real this time
In a couple of weeks, wrestling fans in the UK should finally have access to the WWE's standalone streaming service. It's been an awfully long wait: the WWE Network has been available in 170 countries for a number of months, and a UK launch was abandoned at the eleventh hour in November. Exactly why it was cancelled is still unclear, although negotiations over TV rights were reportedly to blame. Now, everything appears to have been cleared up, and the service is set to enter the ring on January 19th. "This time we really mean it," WWE CEO Vince McMahon has vowed. Watching endless choke-slams will set you back £9.99 per month, or €12.99 in Ireland, and the service should be available on a ton of different platforms including iOS, Android, the Web, gaming consoles and smart TVs. We're staying a little skeptical about this one -- given the problems that have plagued its UK launch so far, we wouldn't be surprised if the WWE Network was hit by another RKO.
Mortal Kombat developer grapples with WWE Immortals next year
WWE is partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios to create a new spin on the wrestling company's brand of brawling, WWE Immortals. The game will launch on iOS and Android devices for free next year, and will feature "epic Superstar battles in a fantastically re-imagined WWE world." In this case, we're hoping "Hell in a Cell" is taken more literally by the Mortal Kombat developer. While no other details are known about WWE Immortals, NetherRealm will handle the development in conjunction with Phosphor Game Studios. Phosphor is the developer behind first-person survival shooter Nether and The Dark Meadow, a creepy mobile adventure game. WWE has found ways to capitalize on its wrestling roster in the mobile space this year, as the company launched trading card battler WWE SuperCard in August, reaching 1.5 million downloads in its first week. [Image: WWE, WBIE]
WWE 2K15's 'My Career' mode crashing Xbox One systems
WWE 2K15 launched off the top ropes and into Xbox One and PS4 systems this week, and was met with a number of technical issues as it landed. Polygon reported that Xbox One versions of the game crashed during multiple attempts to play My Career mode, a game-breaking problem listed by others on 2K's official support forums. One player discovered a trick that appeared to solve the issue: Disconnecting their system from the Internet seemed to make My Career mode available to them. 2K's support team addressed other concerns, such as instances where PS4 players are unable to download add-on content like the Sting and Hulk Hogan characters. Additionally, the publisher offered a guide for players stuck on the game's demo match, which happens for those downloading the launch update at the same time. We've reached out to 2K for information on the game's early issues and will update as we learn more. [Image: 2K]
Upload your face to this WWE 2K15 trailer
2K offered a new trailer for WWE 2K15 today, showing off a bit of the game's superstar customization options. The latest entry in the wrestling series from Yuke's and Visual Concepts allows players to upload photographs to 2K's servers, importing their likenesses onto the heads of custom wrestlers. Head past the break to check out the video, which also boasts custom tattoo and logo options in the game's creation suite. WWE 2K15 is already available on Xbox 360 and PS3, having launched last week. 2K's wrestling series will debut on PS4 and Xbox One on November 18 in North America and November 21 internationally. The game features a historical rivalries "2K Showcase" mode as well as a My Career mode similar to the publisher's other popular sports series, NBA 2K. Its $25 season pass includes three additional stories for the 2K Showcase mode. [Image: 2K]
WWE Network launch gets delayed at the 11th hour (update)
While wrestling fans in 170 countries have been able to enjoy WWE's standalone streaming service for a number of months, UK addicts have been waiting to be tagged in. The launch of the WWE Network was reportedly delayed due to discussions over TV rights, but those issues have presumably been settled, allowing Brits to get in on the action from 8pm tonight. Users will be able to stream on the web, iOS and Android for free this month, with support for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One and Xbox 360 arriving on November 18th. Once the trial is up, you'll be charged $9.99 (£6.25) per month -- the same amount as US members, suggesting the company will let your bank work out what you pay using the current exchange rate.
WWE 2K15 season pass includes three new rivarlies
2K Sports detailed its downloadable content plans for WWE 2K15 today, divulging information on the game's season pass program as well. The wrestling game will receive three additional 2K Showcase stories, two character packs and one moves pack. The game's 2K Showcase mode features two historical rivalries, John Cena versus CM Punk as well as Triple H versus Shawn Michaels, as Yuke's and Visual Concepts' major single-player feature. The three additional rivalries are One More Match (2011's Randy Orton versus Christian rivalry), Hall of Pain (the top matches of Mark Henry) and Path of the Warrior (the career of Ultimate Warrior) for $10 each. Those 2K Showcase bonuses as well as the WWE Diva Paige and the game's "accelerator" on-disc content unlock tool will all be part of the $25 season pass. The other three pieces of DLC, which are not included in WWE 2K15's season pass, add over 30 new moves ($4), WCW superstars like Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger ($8) and NXT wrestlers such as JBL, Adam Rose and Emma ($7) to the game. WWE 2K15 will launch on October 28 for PS3 and Xbox 360, then on November 18 for PS4 and Xbox One. Those that pre-order the game will receive two playable versions of WCW icon Sting as well. [Image: 2K Sports]
