The Renaissance of WWE

The world of World Wrestling Entertainment is one that I have explored and been in love with ever since I was a young kid. This land of larger than life characters, non stop action, and dramatic storylines has always had me coming back for more. For many people, WWE is a sports company, for others, it’s an entertainment company. Regardless of how you see it though, you cannot deny the recent renaissance it has been experiencing, with heights of popularity it has not seen since its golden days in the 90s. Considering it will be coming for live tapings in Houston for their weekly episodic television show, Monday Night Raw Live on Netflix, and of their development show, NXT on the CW, I felt like I wanted to share the love, passion and appreciation I have for this live entertainment phenomenon and talk to you in detail about what it exactly is, as well as share some of the success stories it has recently had, and help you understand where this spike of popularity has come from.

What is WWE?

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), is a global entertainment company known for its action-packed professional wrestling shows. Unlike other sports, professional wrestling combines athleticism with theatrical storytelling, featuring larger-than-life characters, dramatic rivalries, and scripted outcomes. Even though the outcomes are scripted however, the physicality and stunts that are presented are real, so there is no shortage of athleticism that takes place in this world of entertainment. WWE also hosts major annual events like WrestleMania, which is considered the “Super Bowl” of wrestling entertainment. WWE has become more than just a wrestling company however, over the years it has become a brand, known to house and create what they call “superstars”.

Mainstream Successes

As I mentioned earlier, this wrestling entertainment company once arguably reached its peak in popularity in the late 90s, with many citing it as being the golden age of the business. Going into the 2000s and 2010s, while there was still a huge following for WWE, it definitely did not compare to what was seen decade prior. As of late however the company has reached new heights in its popularity and has broken through into mainstream markets in a variety of ways. One of these ways include their company merging with UFC under the TKO group. This huge company merger promoted many fans of UFC and TKO in general to be exposed to the world of WWE. Another key factor that helped the company gain new markets is the recent celebrity involvement. Celebrities such as Bad Bunny, Cardi B, Sexy Redd, and Pat McAfee have either been involved with, publicly endorsed, or have participated in WWE matches, segments, or events. All of these celebrity fanbases and popularity bridges to the world of WWE. The talents of WWE have also made their way to Hollywood and other endeavors, making themselves public figures that always claim WWE as their home, these talents include celebrities like John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Going Global

A huge example of their recent growth as a company is their new Global Events Strategy they have developed. The WWE and its live televised events were always known to be an American tradition, with many people around the globe tuning in when they could to watch these huge shows take place. Recently though, WWE has been travelling the world, and hosting some of their biggest shows of the year, in different cities around the world. Some of the recent locations that have proven to be a success have been France, Germany, England and Puerto Rico. These events came into fruition after a yearly show deal with Saudi Arabia early on in this new renaissance started a new branch of entertainment opportunities for the company.

What’s Next

Currently WWE is enjoying their fresh new TV deals for their weekly episodic series with networks that are proven to be casual hotspots. Two of these deals include Monday Night Raw Live on Netflix and NXT Live on the CW. These TV deals are proving to be successful in their own right. The show on Netflix constantly is ranking at the top of the most viewed and trending lists, as well as helping them reach new general audiences who may not be familiar with the product. WWE Raw’s debut on Netflix saw strong viewership, with 2.6 million U.S. households watching live and a global debut of 4.9 million views. Seeing all of this plus their new international footprint, it is safe to say that we can expect an influx of diversified content, and an even larger outreach for its talent, including more movie and brand deals.

Final Thoughts

As a wrestling fan since I was a young child, it means so much to see that the world of wrestling is being enjoyed by so many more people from different backgrounds and cultures around the world. It also means a lot to me to be able to share my love of professional wrestling with friends and family who may not be familiar with WWE, but are interested to see or hear about it because a celebrity they love have appeared to on WWE programming or a product they are consuming is somehow bridged back to the company. I’m excited to see what the future holds for this great part of my childhood.