Pro wrestling is having a major moment in the pop culture zeitgeist right now. While the news cycle revolves around upcoming WWE events and AEW's exploits, plenty of other outlets are also trying to cement their own legacies within the business. Women Of Wrestling has been on that path since 2000 and, beginning in September, it will be available to see in 100% of national markets. So, with those expansion plans in motion, CinemaBlend asked creator David McLane how the brand intends to compete in such a competitive space.
I spoke to Mr. McLane at San Diego Comic-Con and posed the question of how WOW will stand out in the market when consumers only need a Premium Peacock subscription to view WWE PLEs. To his credit, the exec -- who co-created the brand, didn't hesitate to provide an answer. The company takes pride in its all-women's roster of performers and intends on using it to cater to an audience who wishes to see female wrestlers get more shine:
Every other wrestling league does feature some type of women's wrestling, but ours is 24/7 dedicated to it. So, no one in the industry of professional wrestling is going to be able to tell the stories we are and bring the characters to life like us. They don't have the bandwidth because they have to share it with the men.
While the WWE has made great strides in how it handles women's wrestling, a look at our 2024 SummerSlam predictions will tell you that there's still a long way to go. Two out of seven matches on one of the biggest PLEs of the year isn't bad, but there's an argument to be made that the cut between the divisions should be 50/50. Of course, with WOW, it's completely made up of women, and they receive greater opportunities for screentime compared to their WWE counterparts.
Women Of Wrestling doesn't just have the bandwidth for women's storytelling that its peers don't commit to. It also has one of the ladies responsible for the start of the female revolution of wrestling. AJ Menendez, known in the WWE as AJ Lee and the wife of superstar CM Punk, was a key figure in the transition from WWE's Divas to superstars and dropped her title to Paige, which really set it all off. Fans have wanted AJ to reunite with Punk under World Wrestling Entertainment, but she's currently providing color commentary for WOW.
Those who haven't experienced Women Of Wrestling yet can do so with a free account on Pluto TV, which has great movies to watch, and will soon have a 24/7 channel dedicated to WOW much like the recently launched Big Brother channel. In short, anyone who wants to watch it will soon be able to do so for free, so why not take advantage of it and get an extra hour of women's wrestling that can't be seen elsewhere? And, if folks do take advantage, viewership could go a long way in further propping WOW up against its competitors.
Expect to see Women Of Wrestling in your local market, if it hasn't started streaming already, starting September 17th, and stream the first two seasons right now on Pluto TV. As a longtime pro-wrestling fan, I really appreciate it, and I'm hoping we'll see some of the brand's talent only grow progress within the business.
