Best & Worst Of WWE Network In 2016

Hi, I’m Justin Watry. You may remember me from such classic columns as March 2012’s “WWE WrestleMania 28: Sheamus Should Defeat Daniel Bryan in Less Than a Minute” and October 2015’s “WWE NXT: Bobby Roode, You’re Next.”

12 Days of Wrestle-mas

Lame name aside, I have decided to join in the holiday spirit and write 12 columns in 12 days in the leadup to Christmas Eve. A tall task indeed. However, if anybody can do it, I am the man for the job. This is being done for two reasons. First is to spread the word about my Twitter giveaway, which has been ongoing since the summer (details at the bottom of the page). It needs a kick in the pants so to speak. Hopefully, this will help. Selfishness aside, it is also being done to promote the Love-Alive charity that I recently donated to. Any amount, big or small, is more than welcome. Even just $1 can go a long ways.

Please check out all the information here: http://love-alive.org/

Now to the column…

WWE Network In 2016: The Best & The Worst

WWE Network Live Specials – Pay-per-views, monthly shows, brand exclusive events, etc. Whatever you want to call them, I believe they have delivered for WWE (so far). There is always the possibility we get far too many of them in 2017. However, we can cross that bridge when we get there. In 2016, WWE showed that the “only Mania season counts” myth is just that – a myth.

We had a loaded up Royal Rumble card with a first ever stipulation and shocking conclusion. Fast Lane had a worth while main event. Roadblock in March was pretty cool, featuring a rare Triple H title fight against Dean Ambrose. WrestleMania 32 was WrestleMania. AJ Styles headlined the next few events for the top prize in WWE, a sign of things to come. Money in the Bank was full of moments, Battleground had the inevitable triple threat main event between The Shield – something many thought should have been saved for down the line. Summerslam had The Beast vs. The Viper showdown. Then the next fe wmonths gave us post-WWE Draft fun with new opportunities and fresh stars getting a chance to shine, like the women main eventing a PPV inside THE CELL! Oh, and Survivor Series? Yep, Bill Goldberg’s first match in WWE since 2004 versus Brock F’n Lesnar. Don’t tell me the company played it safe all year outside of January-April. That is a lie.

Holy Foley – Holy backfire Mick! I ranted about this show when it premieres. No use in doing so again. Just going to say this was a huge blunder, a massively staged ‘reality’ show (more so than usual), and based on a recent poll, fans had no interest in it either. How Mick Foley and company put this together and thought it was presentable is beyond me.

Camp WWE – Same as above. I would only rank Camp WWE slightly above Holy Foley due to its creativity and non-PG rating. Then again, all it did was prove my point for the millionth time that PG is NOT the problem with the company. As evidence by this garbage, just because there was curse words and crude humor that doesn’t mean it will be entertaining. Camp WWE was just a ball of past superstars making weird/ridiculous comments for the sake of…nothing. I’m not a family of Family Guy, Robot Chicken, or any other comedy like it because if Camp WWE is supposed to be funny, I’m not laughing.

Unfiltered – This sit down talk show has been around for awhile, but it was in 20106 that I finally gave it a chance. Renee Young has done very well for herself since coming to WWE. Outside of the backstage segments and pre-show duties, it is Unfiltered that is her best role. I have found myself looking forward to having new episodes uploaded. Glad she has an outlet to shine, as apparently The JBL Show isn’t returning to Youtube. Boo! That show was brilliant.

Table For 3 – Admittedly, I do not watch many of these. The reason why you ask. Simple. It is too hit or miss for me. Like the much talked about Roundtable Shows, some are excellent. Like excellent excellent. Others are just dull and full of pointless chatter in a clearly staged environment. I feel the same with Table For Three. I enjoy some, and then I find myself just looking at the clock for others. That turned me off, and I haven’t seen one in awhile. Maybe I’ll catch up during the holidays, maybe not. Depends of the guest list…

WWE Story Time – Good little show. Anything longer than ten minutes may be pushing it though. I believe this concept works best as a Youtube series. Still fine for the WWE Network library.

Pre & Post Shows – First off, another W in the Watry Win column, as I wrote about this a few weeks ago, and shocking! WWE is making big changes to them (or eliminating them) soon. Can’t say I am shocked. Since 2014, I have probably watched two RAW pre-shows. Smackdown – do they even have a pre-show? Talking Smack is very fun with Renee Young and Daniel Bryan in charge. The problem is that while it DOES allow talent to showcase their freedom. Sometimes, that leads to real awkward pauses, bad interviews, and silence as everybody tries to figure out what to do and say next. Yeah, it is relaxed and “real” for us, but you have to understand not every wrestler has the natural charisma of The Rock. Some guys/gals just can’t talk freely and be spontaneous. That is just a fact, and when you give them their moment…it equals Talking Smack. Awesome moments with awesome performers. Dull moments with full performers. Overall, it is a keeper going forward.

Swerved – Season one was better. I think I changed my tune on this one. Rumor has it the folks backstage were not too keen on the idea of doing more, unless they were in on it. Ugh. Egos aside guys, come on. I will say that I know casual fans that I showed this to loved it, so perhaps it needs to return for a season three?

The Edge & Christian Show – Already wrote about this at length. The show stumbled early but found its’ footing after awhile. If you were turned off by the first episode and gave up, please give it another viewing. Edge and Christian got it down eventually. Despite jokes and laughing off a season two, it appears they will bring it back. Fairly surprising; figured the two were done with writing, developing, filming, and going though the whole process. I was wrong.

Stone Cold Podcast – Remember when this was going to be monthly? Thanks Dean Ambrose, thanks a lot, The first couple interviews were amazing and must see. Brock Lesnar, Paige, Ambrose, and others certainly killed any interest and buzz in the podcast on the WWE Network. Too bad. Would love to see a Bill Goldberg edition between now and January’s Royal Rumble.

Anything Corey Graves – Two thumbs up on anything this guy does. He got my vote last year for Non-Wrestler of the Year. Like is typically the case, now it seems all fans love him after I was shouting it from the rooftops for way too long. Whether it is about tattoos, pop culture, NXT, or anything in between, Corey Graves is gold.

WWE Ride Along – You know what? I like Ride Along. I like it a lot. My buddy recently asked me why I watched it. After all, the show is just two people (or more in certain cases) just sitting in a car talking. He’s right. That is pretty much the entire premise. However, in the wrestling business, that can be where magic happens with ideas, talks, truth, memories, etc. Everybody is tired, beat up, hungry, and cranky, but there is a next town to hit, fans to entertain, and a friend sitting next to you to pass the time with. One suggestion – try putting enemies in a car, not best buddies. Yeah, it would be a disaster and be incredibly awkward, but who knows? They may bond and hug it out at the end of the trip!

Legends With JBL – Big fan. Not only does JBL mention known topics and “WWE Logic” to his guests, but he has no problem asking about internet rumors or BS stories that have been talked about online for years. If it fits the conversation, JBL is not afraid to discuss it. His guests are usually more than comfortable too. Keep it going!

NXT – No issues here. The roster changes may be troublesome, but that is the reality of the system. Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura are likely next to leave. That means Austin Aries, Eric Young, Bobby Roode, and whole cast of others will have to step up and fill the void. Then in 2017, they will head on up to the main roster. That is the entire point here folks. It is up to WWE (Triple H) to keep things fresh and exciting for NXT. More signings and developing newcomers is key.

205 Live – Still early. Impossible to judge long-term. Short-term, it feels like another expense that is not going to add any new subscribers of extra seats at the Tuesday night Smackdown taping. Didn’t jump for joy when it was first announced, still don’t believe much will come of it. Kudos to Rich Swann on the Cruiserweight Champion victory though on the premiere episode. That was a cool moment for him.

Cruiserweight Classic – There are other WWE Network shows from 2016, I know that. Save me the comments. I’m going to end this column with the Cruiserweight Classic though. What a gem. Unlike 205 Live and Raw, THIS is how you present the division. From beginning to end, it captured your attention. As someone who had not even heard of the majority of the wrestlers, I became invested right off the bat. I avoided spoilers, so the brackets and outcomes were exciting. I was introduced to new stars and future signings. Best of all, I was given an excellent product worth tuning in for each week with a live finale. My final four prediction from the start only missed one competitor at the end – TJ Perkins! Ironic and fitting at the same time. If there is one thing to re-watch from 2016 on the WWE Network, it is the Cruiserweight Classic.

Worth the $9.99 alone.

Finals Plugs

Follow @JustinWatry on Twitter. When I reach 1,000 followers, a $25 WWEShop gift card will be given away at random!

To donate, click here: http://love-alive.org/

Email [email protected] for feedback.

Thanks.