The Good and Bad of the WWE Unreal Netflix Series

WWE Unreal is a new Netflix documentary series that takes wrestling fans behind the scenes of WWE's creative process behind their storylines, matches and biggest moments. This includes a behind the scenes look in the writers' room, production, and the personal lives of WWE superstars. Think of it almost like a peek behind the curtain in a five-part Netflix series.

In an interview with Jimmy V3, Chris Weaver (Director of WWE Unreal), spoke about the goal of the project from WWE's persepctive. In which, he explained:

"It was like, they’ve seen how these behind the scenes follow doc series on Netflix have sort of propelled leagues and athletes and opened up to new audiences. I think that was a major goal for them. Let’s see if we can get more people to watch this thing and expand our footprint, expand our audience, our fan base. So yes, and hopefully we’re going to do that. I know it’s been a polarizing discussion in the wrestling realm. The next fan coming in is what we’re after."

From a business perspective, it sounds like a money-maker and will profit the business in the long-run. If that's the company's objective, then this will take off and do what is expected. The issue is when these kind of decisions are made, everyone won't be satisfied. The even bigger issue, is the people that may become disappointed are their die-hard fans and the IWC.

WWE Unreal Could Become What We Could've Had

While excitement is at an all-time high today for the release of the documentary, there has been some fans being let down with some plans from WWE Creative that we never got to see. Some were due to injuries, and some were changed for other reasons. For example, the WrestleMania 41 match were expected to be much different than the one we received back in April.

Clearly, this was a very different show than the one we actually received. Not to say it was bad, but there's some incredible matches we never got to see on this card that would've been fantastic. Some things we got were better, meanwhile, some things we got were worse. Of course, this is all subjective. But, it would've been nice to have Bianca Belair against Rhea Ripley one-on-one. Also, a 7-man ladder match for the United States Championship between Shinsuke Nakamura, LA Knight, Santos Escobar, Jimmy Uso, Andrade, Solo Sikoa, and Carmelo Hayes could've stole the show.

Also, this was a good point made by TruHeelSP3 on X about the John Cena heel turn.

Again, it is all subjective, but these kinds of behind the scenes looks have the potential to upset fans even more as fans will wish they would've got something else instead of what they got. Also, in hindsight, the Paul Heyman turn on Roman Reigns didn't need CM Punk. They could've just done Seth Rollins versus Roman Reigns like they planned originally. (Unless Rollins cashes in on Punk later on). It just leaves more questions than answers.

For someone like Hayes, who was a first round draft pick to Smackdown last year and had chances at the US title to be left off the card completely is weird. Especially, since there was plans to include him in a multi-man match for the belt. Injuries played a major role in some of the changes, but some just don't make much sense.

Fans Will Need To Separate "Kayfabe"

One big thing that could raise some criticism is the potential for the documentary to be too polished and overly produced to the point it lacks the genuine drama and conflict that wrestling fans enjoy. Because of this, at times it can come off as a marketing ploy rather than a fun alternative for fans. Instead it raises the chances of damaging the "kayfabe" or suspense/thrilling aspect that is essential when it comes to the sport's entertainment side.

In addition to all of this, we feel like we see enough of John Cena, Cody Rhodes, The Rock, etc. It would be great to see more of a behind the scenes look at Dominik Mysterio's title win at WrestleMania 41, or the rise of Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, Tiffany Stratton, Lyra Valkyria, etc.

Ultimately, the best part about it is the raw and real reaction from the superstars. It gives us a real look into their personal feelings. Like episode 1 instantly draws you into Ripley as she prepared for one of the biggest matches of her career. The show is a fun escape for wrestling fans and it gives them more of an understanding of what WWE does to create the product they enjoy (or in some cases don't enjoy).