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WWE Network... It's Here


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So another WCCW ep appeared today to fill in more gaps. I'm wondering if the much-expected tiered system will include a "classic content" tier to go with the PPV tier everyone is assuming is coming.

So the expectation is that there will be 2-3 price points for accessing Network content?

 

If that is the case I wonder how that will shake out in places like here (Canada) where the channel is like a regular TV channel and content accessibility is different (not sure how it is now but the library was extremely limited when the network kicked off in Canada. Any other Canucks here that have the service?)

 

(and apologies if this was discussed previously, I must have missed it or forgot about reading it. Getting old sucks...)

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So another WCCW ep appeared today to fill in more gaps. I'm wondering if the much-expected tiered system will include a "classic content" tier to go with the PPV tier everyone is assuming is coming.

 

How are they doing on content with WCCW TV? Im unsure how long World Class TV ran for or what years the Network has and if any years are complete.

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So another WCCW ep appeared today to fill in more gaps. I'm wondering if the much-expected tiered system will include a "classic content" tier to go with the PPV tier everyone is assuming is coming.

So the expectation is that there will be 2-3 price points for accessing Network content?

 

If that is the case I wonder how that will shake out in places like here (Canada) where the channel is like a regular TV channel and content accessibility is different (not sure how it is now but the library was extremely limited when the network kicked off in Canada. Any other Canucks here that have the service?)

 

(and apologies if this was discussed previously, I must have missed it or forgot about reading it. Getting old sucks...)

In Canada you can get all the on demand content online, but I'm not sure if you can watch it on a TV with a streaming device like you can in the States. I have a VPN, get the US version of the Network and watch on a Roku TV. A friend of mine has the Network and he watches the on demand footage by hooking up his laptop to his TV

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So another WCCW ep appeared today to fill in more gaps. I'm wondering if the much-expected tiered system will include a "classic content" tier to go with the PPV tier everyone is assuming is coming.

 

How are they doing on content with WCCW TV? Im unsure how long World Class TV ran for or what years the Network has and if any years are complete.

 

 

 

The WWE Network News site posted a list:

 

 

 

  • 1981 (0/1) Missing 1
  • 1982 (46/53) Missing 4-6, 8, 11, 14, 16
  • 1983 (48/51) Missing 59-60, 88
  • 1984 (51/52) Missing 110
  • 1985 (40/51) Missing 165, 167, 170-172, 175, 177, 179-182
  • 1986 (52/53) Missing 247
  • 1987 (50/52) Missing 286, 312
  • 1988 (43/53) Missing 337, 358-366
  • 1989 (0/31) Missing 367-397

 

 

 

 

Rumor is a lot of what's missing may be due the source material not being salvagable (I seem to recall Kevin Von Erich saying something like the tapes were kept in a shed in the Texas heat) and there might be some discrepancy on who actually owns the 1989 stuff since that's when it was merged into Memphis/USWA.

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If that is the case I wonder how that will shake out in places like here (Canada) where the channel is like a regular TV channel and content accessibility is different (not sure how it is now but the library was extremely limited when the network kicked off in Canada. Any other Canucks here that have the service?)

 

(and apologies if this was discussed previously, I must have missed it or forgot about reading it. Getting old sucks...)

 

In Canada you can get all the on demand content online, but I'm not sure if you can watch it on a TV with a streaming device like you can in the States. I have a VPN, get the US version of the Network and watch on a Roku TV. A friend of mine has the Network and he watches the on demand footage by hooking up his laptop to his TV

 

The whole "availability of the WWE Network in Canada" issue was quite a debacle for a while.

 

We discussed this back here if you check that post and read onward, you will see that as a Canadian WWE Network subscriber, I too thought that I was limited to just the TV channel, (which for a long time, I was.) Then WWE finally got off their asses and made the full Network available to all Canadian customers just like they do for everybody else, with the added bonus that the live stream is available as a TV channel via your cable provider. So I get the normal network through my laptop, the stream as part of my TV service, and some (very) limited On Demand content via my cable box.

 

I never even knew they upgraded the service for Canadians until a fellow PWO member (The Duke) let me know in that thread. Now I watch whatever is on the live stream live on my TV when it happens, but for most of the On Demand content or to do a watch-along with a podcast or whatever, I use my laptop.

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So another WCCW ep appeared today to fill in more gaps. I'm wondering if the much-expected tiered system will include a "classic content" tier to go with the PPV tier everyone is assuming is coming.

 

How are they doing on content with WCCW TV? Im unsure how long World Class TV ran for or what years the Network has and if any years are complete.

 

 

 

The WWE Network News site posted a list:

 

 

 

  • 1981 (0/1) Missing 1
  • 1982 (46/53) Missing 4-6, 8, 11, 14, 16
  • 1983 (48/51) Missing 59-60, 88
  • 1984 (51/52) Missing 110
  • 1985 (40/51) Missing 165, 167, 170-172, 175, 177, 179-182
  • 1986 (52/53) Missing 247
  • 1987 (50/52) Missing 286, 312
  • 1988 (43/53) Missing 337, 358-366
  • 1989 (0/31) Missing 367-397

 

 

 

 

Rumor is a lot of what's missing may be due the source material not being salvagable (I seem to recall Kevin Von Erich saying something like the tapes were kept in a shed in the Texas heat) and there might be some discrepancy on who actually owns the 1989 stuff since that's when it was merged into Memphis/USWA.

 

 

A few years ago I heard a rumour Macklin owned alot of Memphis stuff so not sure who owns the rights now.

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I guess the good thing is that the confusion over Memphis TV ownership has allowed so many new fans to discover its greatness unedited in YouTube and 70s-TV.com.

 

It still be nice for the Network to get it so we can see the WWF/USWA angle in good quality.

 

I don't think the 80s Memphis stuff would be better quality, most of the master tapes are gone, this isn't like Mid-South or Mid-Atlantic. My understanding is that Lawler claimed ownership of Memphis and has pieced together all the stuff floating around and wants to sell it to WWE for the Network. The big question is whether Cornette's collection would be part of what Lawler has, specifically all the missing stuff from 82-83. If it is, and WWE has that stuff, I'll be picketing outside corporate with a sign every day until they put it up. I'll start social media campaigns. I'll do anything. The world needs to see all the Lance Russell footage available and Cornette is sitting on it.

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The last one they did was kind of impromptu and awkward, as it was for the Network's Warrior Week, which had Ted Dibiase and Sgt. Slaughter eating some of their insults towards him.

 

Yeah, it was absolutely horrendous, which doesn't give me much faith that WWE would still be able to replicate what made the originals so good.

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With Memphis, my understanding is that when Lawler had claimed that he finally got the rights situation settled, he had actually just talked to a lawyer who explained the public domain status of the Memphis stuff to him. That because it ran without copyright notices and nobody registered a copyright later, everything before early 1989 , it's public domain per the law at the time. So Lawler went looking for master tapes to try to be able to have SOMETHING he could sell to WWE since there's no license needed. It's broadcast quality material that's needed. Unfortunately, there's very little of that which survived, and Cornette's Betamax recordings off Louisville TV are the best we have for most of it.

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The last one they did was kind of impromptu and awkward, as it was for the Network's Warrior Week, which had Ted Dibiase and Sgt. Slaughter eating some of their insults towards him.

 

Yeah, it was absolutely horrendous, which doesn't give me much faith that WWE would still be able to replicate what made the originals so good.

 

 

About the only thing I gleaned from that whole episode was that Harlem Heat's favorite tag team were the Bladerunners.

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With Memphis, my understanding is that when Lawler had claimed that he finally got the rights situation settled, he had actually just talked to a lawyer who explained the public domain status of the Memphis stuff to him. That because it ran without copyright notices and nobody registered a copyright later, everything before early 1989 , it's public domain per the law at the time. So Lawler went looking for master tapes to try to be able to have SOMETHING he could sell to WWE since there's no license needed. It's broadcast quality material that's needed. Unfortunately, there's very little of that which survived, and Cornette's Betamax recordings off Louisville TV are the best we have for most of it.

So Memphis on the Network ain't happening and we're basically waiting for people to die at this point to see Cornette's stuff?

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They need to film some new Legends of Wrestling Roundtable discussions with a new panel & new topics - excluding the Monday Night Wars. Don't put Ric Flair or Michael Hayes on there, get some newer WWE Hall of Fame inductees or something.

 

They just did something for the upcoming Savage DVD with Mooney, Graves, Bayley, and DDP.

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I guess the good thing is that the confusion over Memphis TV ownership has allowed so many new fans to discover its greatness unedited in YouTube and 70s-TV.com.

 

It still be nice for the Network to get it so we can see the WWF/USWA angle in good quality.

 

I don't think the 80s Memphis stuff would be better quality, most of the master tapes are gone, this isn't like Mid-South or Mid-Atlantic. My understanding is that Lawler claimed ownership of Memphis and has pieced together all the stuff floating around and wants to sell it to WWE for the Network. The big question is whether Cornette's collection would be part of what Lawler has, specifically all the missing stuff from 82-83. If it is, and WWE has that stuff, I'll be picketing outside corporate with a sign every day until they put it up. I'll start social media campaigns. I'll do anything. The world needs to see all the Lance Russell footage available and Cornette is sitting on it.

 

 

Im sure I remember cornette saying in a shoot interview he regrets selling SMW to WWE.

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I guess the good thing is that the confusion over Memphis TV ownership has allowed so many new fans to discover its greatness unedited in YouTube and 70s-TV.com.

It still be nice for the Network to get it so we can see the WWF/USWA angle in good quality.

I don't think the 80s Memphis stuff would be better quality, most of the master tapes are gone, this isn't like Mid-South or Mid-Atlantic. My understanding is that Lawler claimed ownership of Memphis and has pieced together all the stuff floating around and wants to sell it to WWE for the Network. The big question is whether Cornette's collection would be part of what Lawler has, specifically all the missing stuff from 82-83. If it is, and WWE has that stuff, I'll be picketing outside corporate with a sign every day until they put it up. I'll start social media campaigns. I'll do anything. The world needs to see all the Lance Russell footage available and Cornette is sitting on it.

Im sure I remember cornette saying in a shoot interview he regrets selling SMW to WWE.

In fairness, he couldn't have expected it to be the only library that they would largely leave on a shelf.
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