Physical media, especially in the professional wrestling business, is such a valuable piece of sports entertainment history. It’s a scenario that doesn’t usually exist in other genres, as far as the differences that can be found on a streaming platform compared to an original copy. For example, there might be deleted scenes from a film that are included on a special edition of a DVD or as some type of bonus contest on a streaming service, but the premise of the movie isn’t altered based on how you watch it.
That’s simply not the case with pro wrestling, as an edited or altered version can completely change the context and impact of an event.
While the WWE Peacock deal runs through March 2026 with certain specials to air on the platform, it was reported by various outlets that the extensive video library, which includes almost every major territory in the history of the business in the United States, will be phased out at the end of the month. Don’t get me wrong, the WWE, despite being categorized as the evil empire, sometimes justly over the years, is still the best place to have ownership of the footage. The reason being is simple, there’s no doubt that the WWE puts this spin on the narrative of the history of the industry, the victors always write the history books, but the publicly traded corporation has the ability to distribute the footage in a far better fashion than if the Mid South tapes were still sitting in Bill Watt’s garage. Between the distribution channels and the state-of-the-art production team, the WWE can bring more fans more footage in the best possible quality.
That being said, the upcoming exit from Peacock is a prime reason why the struggle for physical media is real.
Of course, bootlegging wrestling tapes, even with the most innocent of intentions has happened as long as VCRs have existed. The legendary Louisville slugger Jim Cornette has talked about ordering blank tapes by the case in the early-80s to be able to copy as many wrestling shows as possible from around the country. Before The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer became more concerned with spinning every story into something positive about All Elite Wrestling, the earliest of his printed newsletter had a section where fans could trade tapes via mail. Maybe it’s because VHS was the first format that I used for pro wrestling media or maybe I’m just an old soul, but there was always something neat about getting the clunky tape with six hours (in SLP mode, of course) of wrestling that you hadn’t seen before. Maybe it’s just as simple as if anything is just a few clicks away, it doesn’t seem as special as something that took some research to track down. That six hour format was perfect for fitting two of the traditional pay-per-views on the tape when the shows somehow always finished right at the two hour and 45 minute mark. It was always fun to order the PPV and pop a tape into the VCR, hitting the record button just in time at the start of the broadcast.
I’m generally pessimistic, but I never understood why numerous fans purged their physical media collections when the original WWE network launched in 2014. Every pay-per-view, documentary set, and anthology was offloaded for pennies on the dollar on the resale market. The way I saw it, and I think this notion has been proven over the years, you have access to a streaming platform as long as those that control it are willing to provide the content, whereas if you own a physical copy, it can theoretically exist until the end of time. Given the current political status of not only American, but around the globe, who knows when we’re all going to have to shuffle into the bunker with as many copies of Starrcade and Summer Slam as possible?
I can’t emphasize this enough, if you enjoy watching any of the classic content, the best course of action is to get a physical copy of it, as that’s the only way to truly ensure access to it.
Over the years, I’ve kept copies of everything that I thought was worthwhile, not just for the sake of the collection, but also for the ability to be able to watch it in the future. Furthermore, tracking down original copies of ECW events during the past several years was key to being able to watch them in an authentic form before they had to be butchered to avoid copyright on the WWE platforms. Let’s be honest here, it’s just not the same watching The Sandman’s entrance without Metallica blaring in the background. It’s comical when a generic hip hop track is obviously dubbed in while New Jack is pummeling his foes with household appliances. However, it goes beyond just the cut and dry aspects of trademarks, we’ve seen modern edits for content that didn’t age well, too. There’s absolutely no reason for any professional wrestler to take unprotected chair shots to the head today, but editing them out with a freeze frame from matches 25 years ago just distracts from the viewing experience. Depending on where the archives actually land, I wouldn’t be totally shocked if blood was censored through the black and white screen that was sometimes used to review bloody segments on television. Is Austin bleeding in the sharpshooter at Wrestlemania anywhere near as iconic if the crimson is censored?
Fightful Select, an outlet that I take with a grain of salt, reported that the libraries will probably be uploaded onto various official Youtube channels, which makes sense since the WWE team has already established a WWE Vault, ECW, and WCW channels with a variety of content already added over the past year or so. It seems like the foundation of those channels were put in place so that fans can be familiar with them when the shift is made away from Peacock. From the WWE point of view, it’s easy to see why they’d be willing to move the territory content to the Youtube platform, as with their following, it can still generate ad revenue and they’ve already monetized the footage for at least the past decade after the launch of the WWE Network. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that the vast majority of the current fan base that buys Roman Reigns merchandise has no interest in the episode of Mid South Wrestling where Jim Cornette gets smashed with a cake, but this still goes back to the original hurdle, what if some shows just aren’t available anywhere?
That underscores the importance of a physical copy of as many events as possible if fans truly want to maintain access to those shows.
If I had to guess, I’d say that the move to Youtube is the easiest way for the corporation to continue to generate some level of revenue from the footage without trying to justify its value to another potential media partner. It’s somewhat ironic that ten years after the network and more than two decades after DVD releases put classic footage up for mainstream distribution, the value of that classic content, despite being the foundation of the history of the industry, is minimal since it has been available behind a paywall in some form or fashion previously. At the same time, those libraries were the blue print for the WWE Network that had the domino effect of a lot of the media rights deals that have garnered record-setting revenue for the organization today. In short, if someone wanted to watch the classic era and were willing to pay for it, they’ve already done so since the option was available for years. That’s why Youtube is a wise decision because it allows a way to generate ad dollars from the audience that didn’t want to pay to watch the footage, but are willing to sit through the ads to view the nostalgic content.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
