6 Ups & 4 Downs From The NEW WWE Network
"They've rebadged it, you fools!"
It was as if WWE had donated their old annual pyro budget to the homes of the (now just under) two million subscribers, so loud were the celebrations that WWE Network changes were on the way.
Launching in 2014, the $/£9.99 (or thereabouts) service has been a joy in spite of itself. WWE's stockpiling of all pro wrestling content since purchasing WCW in 2001 was with the over-the-top experience one day in mind. Long before streaming services really even existed, Vince McMahon envisaged a television network rolling his footage all day every day - original adverts promising the Network's arrival in 2012 even suggested as such.
The two year delay allowed the Network to morph into what it eventually became, but housing all those countless hours was just about the only thing that it was actually good at. Years of basic user complaints were allegedly going to be addressed as part of the fresh coat of paint given to it, but just how successful was this slightly troubled transition?