Changes are afoot for the WWE Network.
It seems hard to believe, but the WWE Network has now been up and running for 5 years. During that time many rumors have come and gone regarding changes to the Network. Thus far only minor tweaks have been implemented though.
That is all about to change! The look of the Network interface will be changing this week. The sleek new design is said to feature much easier searchability of content. In the coming months more changes will be implemented including the long rumored tiered pricing structure. Details of the 4 new tiers are listed below:
Plan 1 (Free)
Watch video clips (less than 5 minutes each)
Video archive (5 hours per month)
Access to 24/7 stream
Watch on all devices
Full commercials
Plan 2 ($4.99)
Watch all video clips (less than 5 minutes each)
Watch “Big 4” Pay-Per-View events
NXT TV (pre-recorded)
Access to the video archive
Access to 24/7 live stream
Watch on phone and tablet only
Limited commercials
Plan 3 ($9.99)
Watch all video clips (less than 5 minutes each)
Watch all pay-per-view events
Watch live NXT TakeOver events
Weekly NXT TV (live)
Cruiserweight Classic episodes
Access to the video archive
Access to 24/7 live stream
Watch on all devices
Limited commercials
Plan 4 ($14.99)
Watch all video clips (less than 5 minutes each)
Watch all pay-per-view events
Watch live NXT TakeOver events
Weekly NXT TV (live)
Cruiserweight Classic episodes
Access to the video archive
Access to 24/7 live stream
Access to independent wrestling content
Watch on all devices
No commercials
Fan Perks
Deluxe Fan Perks
Additionally, talk has begun once again of NXT possibly moving to FS1 as part of the Fox deal. While this has come up previously, the idea now is that 205 Live might be folded into NXT somehow and the combined show would air on Wednesdays as counterprogramming to AEW’s new weekly show on TNT. To be fair, NXT has always aired on Wednesdays, but the move from WWE Network to FS1 would be seen as an attempt at direct competition to the new rival on the block.
Scrum Changes
In addition to the changes coming soon to WWE Network, there are also changes coming soon to the Scrum Wrestling section. We’re a small team that is sometimes stretched thin by the volume of wrestling programming each week. In an effort to continue bringing you the best coverage possible we’ve decided to streamline things a bit. We’ll be publishing less articles and tag teaming on most of them, but hopefully you’ll enjoy the lack of fluff in our new format. Just bare with us as we find our footing.
Now on with the rest of the WWE news you came here to read….
Balor/Wyatt
Apparently things weren’t as clear as we thought last week. Balor was back on TV this Tuesday setting up his Summerslam match with Bray Wyatt’s “Fiend” persona. If the Irishman did indeed fly home last week, perhaps part of his deal for getting the 2 months off he requested is a part-time schedule this month followed by a full month off after Summerslam.
Jimmy Uso
Perhaps it wasn’t such a great idea for John Cena and the Usos to make light of the Uso’s arrest history on Raw this week. Making light of DUI should generally be considered in poor taste regardless, but Jimmy was arrested once again Thursday morning. This arrest comes less than 6 months after Jimmy was taken into custody for trying to fight police officers who had pulled over the car being driven by his wife Naomi. This is Uso’s 4th drinking related arrest since 2011 (his twin brother also has one). Hopefully he gets help sooner rather than later before causing a real tragedy.
NXT News
Perpetually injured superstar Tegan Nox made her triumphant return to the ring at a Florida house show this week. Nox originally signed with WWE for the inaugural Mae Young Classic, but had to be pulled before the tournament started due to a torn ACL. She returned in time for the second MYC, but suffered another knee injury in the middle of a match with Rhea Rhipley. What little I’ve seen of Nox in action I liked. She has a lot of potential, so hopefully her injury woes are now in the past. Tegan worked as a tag partner for Jessi Kamea this week. Perhaps keeping her in a tag team will be a good way to keep her healthy since she wouldn’t have to carry a full load on her own.
The NXT Breakout tournament embarked on its semifinal round this week. Jordan Myles defeated Angel Garza in the 1st Semifinal match. He moves on to the finals now where he’ll be met by either Bronson reed or Cameron Grimes.
PPV Plans
NXT TakeOver Toronto Aug 10
-NXT Title- 2 out of 3 falls, each fall has a stipulation: Adam Cole© vs Johnny Gargano
-NXT Tag Titles- Street Profits© vs Undisputed Era (Fish & O’Reilly)
-NXT North American Title- Velveteen Dream© vs Roderick Strong vs Pete Dunne
WWE Summerslam Aug 11
-Universal Title: Brock Lesnar© vs Seth Rollins
-Raw Womens Title: Becky Lynch© vs Natalya
-Smackdown Womens Title: Bayley© vs Ember Moon
-Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon: Owens will quit WWE if he loses
Likely additions:
Finn Balor vs Bray Wyatt, Kofi Kingston vs Randy Orton, and Iiconics vs Kabuki Warriors
Rumored additions:
Charlotte Flair vs Trish Stratus- Keep this one firmly in the rumor pile for now, but there’s evidence that it may be coming. After suffering a loss to current #1 contender Ember Moon this week, Flair cut a firey promo about facing better competition and being the best performer of any era. This suggests the involvement of someone special, and who is more special for a major event in Toronto, Canada than WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. Stratus is said to be in discussions, but nothing is yet chiseled in stone.
NXT UK TakeOver Cardiff Aug 31
-NXT UK Womens Title- Toni Storm© vs Kay Lee Ray
WWE Clash of Champions Sept 15
WWE Hell in a Cell Oct 6
NXT TakeOver Wargames Nov 23
WWE Survivor Series Nov 24
WWE TLC Dec 15
