The curtain will be pulled back on the world of professional wrestling with Netflix giving fans more access than ever. On Tuesday, July 29, WWE: Unreal, the latest series from the pro wrestling promotion, drops with five episodes streaming on Netflix.
As the streaming home of WWE Raw on Mondays at 8:00 PM ET, Netflix is taking viewers from inside the ring to behind the writer’s desk. For the first time, the WWE Universe will have access to all of the drama and behind-the-scenes moments featuring their favorite WWE Superstars, with an in-depth inside look at what goes on in the writer’s room during the creative meetings for the shows.
WWE: Unreal marks a big moment for the wrestling industry compared to years past. Like the Undertaker performing “Old School,” professional wrestling has always walked the tightrope between sport and theater. That balance is what is known as kayfabe, which is the practice of presenting scripted storylines and rivalries as if they were real-life conflicts.
In modern times, many wrestlers do not “stay in character” 24/7, both in and out of the ring, since fans know the show is scripted. However, the art of kayfabe still shapes how stories unfold and how surprises land for viewers, and the new series is taking fans to a place that the company rarely goes when it comes to its creative engine.
Notably, one of pro wrestling’s most legendary kayfabe-breaking moments came on May 19, 1996, at Madison Square Garden. Four members of the backstage faction known as The Kliq (Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall) embraced in the ring after Nash and Hall’s final WWF match, despite playing heroes and villains. That unscripted farewell, dubbed “The Curtain Call,” forced the industry to admit that fans were onto the game, blurring the line between storyline and reality and ushering in the company’s most successful period in the mainstream zeitgeist, the Attitude Era.
Fast forward to today, Paul “Triple H” Levesque is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) for WWE and Shawn Michaels is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development & Creative for WWE NXT. From the Curtain Call to present day, WWE: Unreal will give viewers a front-row seat to how narrative arcs are born.
With programming multiple times per week, 52 weeks per year, Netflix is bringing subscribers the creative meetings where rivalries are pitched, twists are plotted, and even the most iconic moments, including shock returns or championship turns, are hashed out over whiteboards and coffee.