10 Huge Mistakes WWE Have Made With The WWE Network

5. Baby Steps

WWE Network Surrender
WWE Network

There was bound to be a feeling out process with such an enormous new endeavour when WWE launched the Network in 2014, but the misplaced commitment to low quality productions such as Jerry Springer's Too Hot For TV and the already-shot Legends House completely misrepresented what the service had an offer.

Boasting an enormous range of pay-per-views and telecasts that have continued to increase, the company made a big leap forward with The Monday Night Wars docu-series, though the subject matter was weathered and well-worn.

What it did show was the company's willingness to mine archive footage more for Network content than DVD releases, as had previously been the case. The success of the format in general also triggered the eventual creation of the phenomenal Breaking Ground series that walked hand-in-hand with NXT during the developmental brand's most triumphant spell, and the ongoing fly-on-the-wall concept 24, which even recently caught Vince McMahon in an extremely rare moment of candour as he embraced Kurt Angle upon the Olympian's return to WWE headquarters.

It was unfortunate that early misunderstandings of their core demographic's needs threatened to undermine the potential of an excellent service, but the recovery rate was at least impressively quick.

In this post: 
WWE Network
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett