Time to finally stop using the crumbling thread, at least for news of WWE success, no? 

WWE on Netflix may get me interested again, who knows. Coupled with Vince being gone from creative, things overall seem to be way better than when I stopped watching in 2019

As the buddhist saying goes, there's no way to know if any event will end up being bad or good.

Instinctively it feels like this would result in a net loss of viewers. But even if it does you could start a new wrestling company for $500 million year so who cares? This is probably a litmus test for a lot of programming in the future.

The viewership numbers don’t necessarily matter here: Network was folded into Peacock, and was still heavily promoted with its own area on the front page. Feel like it’ll be a similar situation. Considering Netflix has been upping its subscription costs, to be able to cover the costs, it doesn’t even have to be a loss leader for it to matter. It also says a lot about what WWE thinks of Peacock given Netflix gives them a huge platform. 
 

Also not insignificant? The color branding fits right in. It’s stupid but it’s something that works. 

They probably would have gone with Netflix over Peacock had Netflix already had a live programming wing. 

Does that mean they're gonna put up all the old JCP, Mid-South, and World Class episodes on Netflix?

21 minutes ago, TheDuke said:

Does that mean they're gonna put up all the old JCP, Mid-South, and World Class episodes on Netflix?

In the USA definitely not, Peacock is retaining the rights to network content and netflix is just getting Raw. Outside the USA, we don't know but netflix is buying the rights to that stuff so we can only hope they'll actually put them up.

Sounds like internationally Netflix will get the Network content, similar to Peacock in the States

Per the Observer site:

"Also part of the deal, Netflix will become the primary home outside the United States for WWE shows like Raw, SmackDown and NXT in addition to premium live events, documentaries, and original series traditionally seen on WWE Network. That element also begins in 2025."

I think it depends, honestly. The Network is essentially intact over here in Brazil, and I doubt that Netflix will air those territory episodes over here. Maybe we'll still get the service operating as usual over here, but with live episodes airing on Netflix? Who's to say.

Apparently, a source close to top New Japan talent told Monthly Puroresu that Okada is likely WWE-bound and potentially starting out in NXT. I don't know how much stock to put in that, but the Photoshop of Okada in a Chase U hoodie is giving me life.

Imagine getting Okada in the heat of WM season and starting him in NXT and not a massive debut at WM.

Do we know how long the deal with Peacock is? Having their content strung out between Netflix, USA, CW, and Peacock in the U.S. just seems like a pain in the ass. You'd think they'd want to continue have the ability to have the past stuff all together in one place, where ever that may be.

Okada in NXT would be a complete joke and the sign that nothing has changed.

Jade Cargill would debut in the main roster (or not, whatever happened to whatever hype she ever had), but Kazuchika motherfucking Okada would go to NXT ? This would be so fucking pathetic.

Yeah, if Okada isn't portrayed as a big deal in WWE from day 1 what are we even doing here?

I know he's a big HBK fan and presumably would want to work with him, but he can hit up Orlando any time. Through that dude at WM with a crazy entrance you only get at WM. Fuck it, run Okada/Nakamura at WM.

Let’s not forget dude has neck and knee issues that have been bugging him and the acclimation for a trip to the states is different than up and moving there. I think there’s merit to him getting a surprise Rumble spot, but a few months in NXT allows him to recharge the batteries a bit for after WM. Because if they’re talking like that? It seems that’s what matters most to him. 
 

But if he feels good enough? Yeah, get him going for Jersey. 

WWE style of working is very different than NJPW, not just in terms of the types of bumps that are kosher but in terms of timing, playing to the camera and audience, more defined babyface/heel dichotomy, etc. They’d potentially be setting him up for failure if they made a big deal out of him right away without first acclimating him to their way of doing things.

Okada is working in NJPW until February something. He ain't appearing at the Rumble.

And no, there's NO justification for Okada to be in NXT. NONE. It would be a complete joke. He's the biggest japanese star of the last 15 years. He's one of the greatest wrestler ever. The Idea that WWE is so damn specific that someone like him would have to spend some time in NXT is completely ridiculous. 

I mean the dude has his choice of where to sign. If he thinks NXT is some kind of joke that’s beneath him, he’s free to sign with AEW, which is probably going to pay him more, anyway.

Unless/until this happens, the other thread remains fine IMO.

 

A tangential point - I too stopped watching current WWE back in 2019 - but this is a good business deal for Netflix and for WWE. Someone whose opinion I valued opined and I'm paraphrasing here:

This is a smart deal and super cheap. 520 episodes for $5b is $9m per episode, or 1/16th of what it cost Netflix to make Rebel Moon, which fell out of the top 5 in its third week on the platform. Also great for WWE, which was bought for $21b and just repaid back 25% of that.

I find at first blush that this is an accurate evaluation.

WWE still has plenty of inventory to flog and Netflix may well expand its sports programming if this deal works for them.

Netflix, Peacock, Smell-O-Vision, Kinetoscope, a lot of people have only one question: how does this affect my COMPLETELY ILLEGAL viewing habits?

1 hour ago, Dav'oh said:

Netflix, Peacock, Smell-O-Vision, Kinetoscope, a lot of people have only one question: how does this affect my COMPLETELY ILLEGAL viewing habits?

While at it, gotta say this, and that has nothing to do with WWE at all : I always though Netflix was kind of a shitty service. Shitty interface, übershitty search device, shitty mentality to boot. 

Curious what you mean by this:

3 hours ago, El-P said:

shitty mentality to boot

I'm no Netflix apologist, for many reasons, just to be clear.

I'm so old I'm trying to comprehend the future home of Raw (and probably all of WWE in five years) is the same place I first signed up with to get movies on DVD for my mother.