WWE Unreal Review – “Episode 1: New Era”

Well, as the one who always jumps into the documentaries AND the one who reviews the Netflix show, I feel it’s my duty to bring you WWE Unreal. We have six episodes, I’ll drop them sporadically over the next week or two.

Episode description on Netflix: “The road to WrestleMania begins as RAW makes its Netflix debut. Superstars John Cena, Rhea Ripley and CM Punk reflect on their careers and characters.”

A Netflix Sports Series

Paul Levesque, WWE Hall of Famer, goes through the various names people call him from his decades in the business. People that aren’t fans think they are guys pretending to fight but this is a calculated, coordinated production. There is a lot to figure out but only so many spots available. His job is to put the puzzle together even though the pieces are always moving.

Georgia, 2024. Cody Rhodes welcomes home Liberty and Brandi Rhodes. They put a gingerbread Shawn Michaels on the tree. Cody Runnels, WWE Superstar introduces himself. Brandi Rhodes, Wife says that Liberty believes Cody is a professional dancer. He says it isn’t the worst parallel. His role in WWE is the Undisputed WWE Champion, which is the hood ornament of the company. Hunter says Cody is the closest thing they have to a pure babyface which is a difficult spot in the business. Brandi tells us the demand of the job is unreal, and Cody knows Brandi would have left him had she not been in wrestling. Cody’s heart skips a beat when he’s called face of the company – he always wanted to be it but didn’t know he could.

WWE Headquarters, Stamford. Writers room. There’s a woman in there! That doesn’t seem legal. Let me send in my application. Ed Koskey, WWE SVP explains that Paul is a former superstar and a student of the game. No, I was told he WAS the Game. Now as Chief Content Officer, Paul is able to bring his experience to the role. He says you want to provide scarcity to a big star like Cody so you have to know where things are going long-term. They break things down into seasons, and he considers the Netflix Raw debut the start of a new season with the Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and WrestleMania.

You’re building your biggest storylines, including Cody obviously, but you also have the return of John Cena which he states as wonderful and challenging. John Cena, WWE Superstar, says that wrestling is the foundation of his life. A writer questions why chuck Cody out there on Cena’s debut, but you’ve got to have someone to save him. Cena tells us you have to adapt to the audience.

Florida. Mami Rhea Ripley is showing off her house of oddities, like a shrunken head and a two-headed duck and all of the fan artwork all over her office. Demiti Bennett, WWE Superstar tells us that Rhea is a goddess name while Ripley is from Alien. She went to a tryout and was too young, so came back when she was 20 and the rest is history. She says she is Rhea Ripley, it’s just her times ten and that she’s crazy and “she’s kind of scary but you’re kind of attracted to her at the same time.” It’s true. As soon as her music plays, she’s Rhea Ripley.

HHH says that when that music hits, its’s a moment in the crowd and she can be the biggest star in the business for a long time to come. We meet her pup children. She talks about the story with Dominik Mysterio, which she says has gone on for an eternity. She and Liv have been feuding for three years. We see the chair to Rhea’s head and the shoulder injury that took her off the map for a while. She watches the injury in the trainer’s room and CM Punk comforts her. HHH hugs her backstage and tells her to make this into something wonderful. She apologizes and he tells her not to, it’s a business.

WWE Headquarters. Phil Brooks, WWE Superstar is working out in the WWE HQ gym. He recalls growing up in the company and HHH becoming “office” and Punk would always come at him while they were both active performers. They didn’t trust each other. We revisit the pipebomb. Michael Hayes pops up and thinks it was CM Punk saying all the things Phil couldn’t say. Punk took ten years to heal from a lot of things here and while there were a lot of conversations since, they couldn’t work it out.

Hunter remembers talking to Punk years later and feeling a difference in the last time they talked. November 23, 2023: Survivor Series. “Cult of Personality” hits and CM Punk returns to WWE. HHH knows Punk is closer to the end than the beginning of his career, and Punk agrees that his role on the roster is player/coach. He’s made many mistakes and happy to help them learn from it.

At the Raw premiere event at HQ, he tells us that Seth Rollins looks and sounds like Punk ’13. He talks about their history going all the way back to 16-year-old Rollins asking Punk to train him for free.

HHH takes us into Gorilla. As TV production started to become a thing, Gorilla Monsoon timed things from an area near ringside. In 2025, it’s built into its own stylized room where everything happens. Bruce Prichard calls it the most important position in the company. Ed Koskey tells us about its three tables – Triple H and Bruce are at one, Billy Kidman timing and the match producer at another table. We watch Chris Park produce a bit as we talk about other producers like Bobby Roode and Michael Hayes. The producers talk to the production crew and the referees. They communicate to the referees about time and general behavior.

We jump to January 6 and the Netflix premiere. Los Angeles, California. 10 hours until showtime. Punk is chilling with Larry and rolling him in his stroller to the car. Punk feels an incredible pressure of responsibility tonight. The Rock asks how he’s feeling and offers to tag him in, and Dwayne says no.

7 hours until showtime. Rhea is stressed in the ring, chewing on a flosser. She felt like it was the biggest show of the year and it’s the big blowoff for her match with Liv, so she had a lot going through her mind. You can see her going through it all, tears and all, thinking it over. She goes through makeup and has gear made but didn’t even wear it because she was so mentally messed up. Nikki Bella greets Rock backstage, Pat McAfee talks with HHH, and Undertaker and Stephanie McMahon talk. Roman Reigns takes a picture with Travis Scott. Well, I’m sure he won’t inconvenience us for months to come. John Cena signs a bunch of prints.

HHH tells Cena he wants him to get to the end of the year and Cena says they have to “really fuck it up” to mess up the last page of a 500-page book.

The episode kicks off with Dwayne. This was before the Kat Raw era, but you can read the review by Thomas here. Rock gives a half-corporate leader, half “thanks fans” speech. HHH tells Cena to enjoy things, and he does. Cena calls his spot for the Rumble match. Rock gives Rhea a hug and wishes her luck. She’s pacing backstage, talking with Damian Priest about what she’s going to do for the match. He talks her through it and reminds her that less is more. She went from a massive breakdown and panic attack to the music hitting and being totally fine.

The match happens and it’s great. Hunter says it is hard not to look at Rhea as the most captivating woman on their roster. Then… look at her that way? She is. Rhea wins the title, and they all embrace backstage. HHH tells Rhea she is the most over person in the company. I’ve been telling y’all. Rhea calls it a very successful night and she’s grateful for WWE letting her live out her wildest dreams.

Punk tells Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser, his brutally honest European friends, to tell him how it was when he’s done. Punk and Rollins have a good match but Bruce tells us it was way long and that the myth of being able to go however long they want on Netflix is not true. Producers freak out and try to get them to wrap it up and they finally do, but minutes later as Punk wins. Park apologizes to Bruce who tells him it was overproduced but it’s okay.

Punk says he feels better than he should but it’s probably the adrenaline. Growing up, you want to be the guys picked to put in THAT position and he was tonight. He hugs Stephanie and Hunter. HHH says the opportunity has never been bigger for talent to create an opportunity for themselves.

This season on WWE Unreal: John Cena turns heel! Cody Rhodes battles Kevin Owens! Stories end and begin! Yeeting!

A fun first episode. I enjoyed it more than I expected. It wasn’t super big into explaining things for newbies, but it did a little of that. There are a few times that, for those of us who have watched online for decades at least, you’ll shake your head at and say, “sure.” It’s a good look behind some of the performers, and I found the Rhea and Punk parts the most interesting.