WWE Main Event

Last updated
WWE Main Event
MainEvent2014.png
Created by Vince McMahon
Starring
Opening theme"I Can't Lose" by def rebel feat. Justin Starling
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons13
No. of episodes701
Production
Executive producer Paul "Triple H" Levesque
Producer Bruce Prichard
Camera setup Multi-camera setup
Running time55 minutes
Original release
Network
[nb 2]
Peacock (2021 (2021)–present (present))
ReleaseOctober 3, 2012 (2012-10-03) –
present
Related

WWE Main Event is an American professional wrestling streaming television program produced by WWE. Premiering on October 3, 2012, the hour-long program features mid-to-low-card wrestlers from WWE's Raw brand, while also occasionally featuring wrestlers from the NXT developmental brand.

Contents

Main Event is taped on Monday nights prior to WWE Raw . Episodes generally feature two matches (typically one men's match and one women's match). In the United States, Main Event streams new episodes on Hulu on Thursdays; it was initially carried by Ion Television as well until April 2014. It is also carried by WWE's international television partners.

History

The series first aired in the United States on Ion Television, originally premiering October 3, 2012 and airing on Wednesday nights. WWE considered the show to be a spiritual replacement for WWE Superstars (which previously aired on WGN America until 2011, and transitioned to WWE's digital platforms in the United States afterward). Hulu acquired rights to the series as well, as part of a larger pact that included video on-demand rights for WWE's main weekly programs. [1] [2]

Ion Television dropped the series in April 2014; following the cancellation, WWE streamed a live episode of Main Event from Detroit on its then-new subscription service WWE Network. It was reported to be a stress test for live events on the service in preparation for WrestleMania XXX. [3]

Prior to November 28, 2016, Main Event was taped prior to SmackDown. Its tapings were then moved to Raw after the premiere of WWE Network's 205 Live , which was broadcast live after SmackDown from the same venue. [4]

Main Event was initially positioned as a non-branded show, featuring performers from both the Raw and SmackDown rosters. [2] Following the 2016 WWE Draft, the program became exclusive to SmackDown. After the cancellation of WWE Superstars, Main Event became exclusive to Raw.

In late-2022, under changes made by Triple H after being promoted to WWE's chief content officer, NXT wrestlers began to increasingly appear on Main Event to evaluate their performance and audience reception when performing with members of the main roster. [5] [6]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesFirst airedLast aired
113October 3, 2012December 26, 2012
252January 2, 2013December 25, 2013
353January 1, 2014December 30, 2014
452January 6, 2015December 30, 2015
552January 6, 2016December 29, 2016
652January 5, 2017December 28, 2017
752January 4, 2018December 27, 2018
852January 3, 2019December 26, 2019
953January 2, 2020December 31, 2020
1052January 7, 2021December 30, 2021
1152January 6, 2022December 29, 2022
1251January 5, 2023December 28, 2023
1350January 4, 2024December 26, 2024

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Replays of new episodes began airing on Hulu in 2012 and the platform began airing first-run episodes in 2014.
  2. ↑ While the WWE Network once aired new first-run episodes of the program, Peacock's WWE Network channel currently only airs replays of new episodes with a delay.

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References

  1. ↑ Graser, Marc (2012-09-24). "Hulu Plus pacts with WWE". Variety. Archived from the original on 2020-11-12. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  2. 1 2 Graser, Marc (2012-06-25). "ION pins down 'WWE Main Event'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  3. ↑ Harris, Keith (2014-03-02). "Main Event moving from ION TV to the WWE Network?". Cageside Seats. Archived from the original on 2020-01-11. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  4. ↑ Davis, Brad (2014-03-05). "UPDATE ON NXT & MAIN EVENT ON THE WWE NETWORK, SUMMERSLAM TRAVEL PACKAGES". SEScoops.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
  5. ↑ Heydorn, Zack (2022-12-21). "NXT talent appearing on Main Event strategy update". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  6. ↑ Fight, Jonie (2022-12-21). "NXT talent excited about WWE Main Event". Superluchas. Archived from the original on 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
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