The advent of the WWE Network in 2014 revolutionized viewing for fans of professional wrestling, providing an affordable way to bypass the traditional pay-per-view model as well as providing a vast content archive for fans to revisit historic events.
After adding many historical promotions to its archives, WWE set to add current independent programming as well, partnering with such companies as Insane Championship Wrestling and PROGRESS to air both archived shows and new content alike. Partnering with these companies allowed WWE to showcase archive content from some of its current Superstars including Doudrop, Drew McIntyre, GUNTHER, and many others.
The WWE Network in the United States is now located on Peacock after striking a $1 billion deal 2021.
However, according to a new report from Fightful Select, WWE is not planning to continue its partnership with independent promotions and many independent shows will be removed from Peacock in two days. It is unclear what this means for subscribers outside the United States. While it’s likely the content will also be removed on overseas versions of the Network, this has yet to be confirmed.
Independent Shows Being Removed From The WWE Network Include PROGRESS And ICW
When one fan asked why the Scotland-based ICW Fight Club shows were shown as set to expire on Peacock in two days, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful confirmed that independent content was set to leave the WWE Network.
A WWE source indicated to Fightful that they'll be discontinuing indie content on the WWE Network. https://t.co/DwMvG4msM2
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) January 17, 2023
In addition to ICW, whose archives include many matches from Alba Fyre, Doudrop, and Gallus, content from fellow UK-based promotion PROGRESS is also set to expire. PROGRESS archives include many matches from stars such as Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, and current Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER.
As of now, content from EVOLVE is not set to expire on Peacock, though it is unclear whether this will change. After forming a partnership between the two companies in 2015, WWE officially purchased EVOLVE in 2020. Content from German promotion wXw is also not set to expire at this time, though again, this may change.