“WWE: UNREAL” – A PEEK INSIDE A VERY HIDDEN WORLD

The world of Professional Wrestling. It can be difficult to describe at times. For faithful fans, it serves as an escape into a whole other world. Some would deem it a “Male Soap Opera”. I refer to it as a “Sports Entertainment Showcase”. Where else do you see larger than life characters fight it out inside a squared circle?

Since its’ carnival original days in the 1860’s, the profession as always been a spectacle. Once it gravitated to television, the art took on a completely different look. Cable TV morphed it into big business in the 1980s. Even today, there’s no escaping the draw of the “showcase of the immortals”.

Not convinced? Netflix signed a deal with the WWE for 5 BILLION DOLLARS over 10 years to stream “Monday Night Raw”.

Drawing in that kind of revenue isn’t luck. It is a lot of long hours and creative chances. No one knows this better than Paul “Triple H” Levesque. He is the Chief content officer of WWE. When it comes to the direction of the product, all roads go through him.

Many fans have wondered how the process goes with story line directions. Even if the finish is pre-determined, there’s a lot that goes into it. Making matches and events memorable isn’t easy.

“WWE: UNREAL” is a new five episode series on Netflix that takes viewers into uncharted territory. Fans have heard of “The Writers Room.” Now is the time where they see how the magic is made and its’ fallout after. Let’s discuss: *** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***

THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS…..

Right from the beginning, Levesque doesn’t shy away from the common thoughts of pro wrestling. He addresses how “it’s staged” and welcomes viewers into the insanity of his world. The goal leaving this show is to truly understand what goes into making weekly episodic television. He even dives into the “Gorilla” position and match agents. It can be a lot for first time watchers. Once at the finish, viewers have an idea, but maybe not the full picture. Nor do they need one.

“New Era” takes readers on the roadmap for the show. The time period is the first “Raw On Netflix” on January 6th, 2025. “Unreal”s final destination is Wrestlemania 41 on April 19th and 20th. It is a long journey but not one he walks alone.

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Viewers meet Ed Koskey (SVP Creative writing), Bruce Prichard (Exec Director) and Michael Hayes (senior producer and Vice President of Creative Writing & Booking). All throw a tremendous amount of insight and honesty into the planning. Knowing what is at stake, their jobs are extremely focused on nailing every key point to Mania.

This gets heightened with the announcement of John Cena’s retirement tour.

One strength of the show is they give the spotlight to their strongest media stars. Having Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley and CM Punk lead the way makes the show more accessible. All of them can handle themselves very well on a mic and camera. Many will tune in to hear Punk’s version of his return to present. Anyone looking for something salacious towards his former fed will be disappointed. That is in the past. His comments were very poignant to where he is at this stage of his career.

ONE EPISODE FORWARD, TWO IN NEUTRAL

The next 2 episodes went by without the same impact of “New Era”. “Push” delved into Jey Uso’s movement towards Main Event status. It was great to see the leader of the “Yeet” movement getting time. The drawback was he was only two episodes. That hurt his overall run for “Unreal”. Some could leave this series having mixed thoughts on his run due to the shortness.

The same could be said for “Worth The Wait”. WWE’s women division has revolutionized what fans think of Women’s wrestling. Chelsea Green and Bianca Belair got very deserving screen time. Both have been stars that gave personal stories of how their journeys have been. Having them have one total episode showcasing the division was a great call. Hearing about the possible finish for the Women’s Royal Rumble was a nice point. Looking back, they should of had two for the division. With a marque performer returning, there was only so much time to go around.

Adding in Charlotte Flair makes sense. Seeing the multi-time world champ address the audience was expected. What seemed off about this episode was both world champions at the time weren’t featured. It felt as Tiffany Stratton and Iyo Sky were overlooked. This was hard not to notice in the final episode. All storylines came to a head in the finale. Seeing the payoff felt lop-sided for who walked out with the gold.

THE EPISODE THAT STOLE THE SHOW!

Without question, “Heel Turn” was the best episode of the season. This episode explained the moment that shook up the wrestling world. At Elimination Chamber, John Cena turned HEEL. If you have been a long time fan, this was a moment over 10 years in the making. The perennial “good guy” finally goes over to the dark side. This call wasn’t without much detailed planning.

Viewers watched as the idea spawned from Levesque, Koskey and Prichard. Levesque explained the importance of catching the audience off guard. The show went into full explanation of getting the call approved by all parties. This meant Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Travis Scott, Cody Rhodes and Cena had to agree on Levesque’s pitch. Hearing the reactions was a true reveal. It was a moment fans won’t forget. Seeing it’s creation and follow-through really felt like what the show was meant to be.

“Wrestlemania” wrapped up events very cleanly. It spotlighted how much Levesque has grown in his role. Seeing his interactions calming Ripley down to hugging it out with Punk were highlights. It was very surreal but necessary watching the two bitter rivals bury their hatchet and celebrate where both are. At times, this plot felt like it took over the final show. Fans may be split on how to feel about this due to Punk’s polarizing aura.

The finale gave much time for the featured members of the show. Cody, Cena and Flair were strongly featured. Knowing how much they are all superstars, it’s hard not to give them their flowers. They pushed the card from January onto the two nights of the “Superbowl of Wrestling”. As previously stated, one more episode to fully explain all story lines and wrestlers would have worked wonders.

THE FINAL BELL:

In retrospect, “WWE: Unreal” gave readers exactly what it advertised. The show let readers take a peek behind the curtain and see how stories were formed. Paul Levesque came across as the “proud father” or “strong mentor” molding the future of the business. Many have heard the stories of how beloved he is by wrestlers under his wing. The show gave a real look at those moments. It also gave fans a rough outline into the world behind the camera.

“Unreal” didn’t stay focused on behind the scenes. It also gave a deeper insight into key members of the roster. Having Chelsea Green get her due was a highlight of the show. Seeing CM Punk explain his version of events is telling. Some may watch with others glasses but it can’t be overlooked. He seemed very happy to be back and having an old wound closed.

Nothing will stand out more than “Heel Turn”. That was the most layered and satisfying explanation of the show. It makes Cena’s last run more special. Watching the lengths to go for refreshing his character spoke volumes.

As for the business itself, the show gave SOME insight. A rough outline to put pieces together. I wouldn’t say it “killed the business”. The true nature of the shows have been well mentioned on “dirt sheets” and other sites. In my opinion, If you’ve been reading or supporting them, You’ve already opted out of any surprises for the shows. There really can’t be a complaint on what was exposed.

If anything, the show was more polished than a raw documentary. They knew what they wanted to present and did exactly that. Their stars were featured and all felt in a very positive light. There was very little negativity shown amongst the talent. Even the Stratton/Flair promo segment was quickly brushed away. They delivered on what was advertised.

“WWE: Unreal” gives you a small taste of the backstage life and leaves you wanting more. It has something for each fan and reminds us what makes the business so special: The stories behind it.

OVERALL GRADE: 8 OUT OF 10

Let me know your thoughts on WWE: UNREAL in the comments below. Thanks for reading! CLICK HERE FOR MORE CONTENT FROM KEN