WWE Royal Rumble weekend, update on indie programming - 11 shows coming to WWE Network and Peacock this weekend
The 2023 WWE Royal Rumble is just about here. Fans are understandably excited for the major event set to take place in San Antonio, Texas, in front of over 40,000 screaming fans. With that big show comes a wealth of other videos this weekend, though WWE got fans started earlier with content added to both Peacock & WWE Network throughout the week.
A new episode of RAW Talk is available featuring the fallout from the 30th Anniversary episode. That program was added on Monday in addition to 10 classic episodes of WWF Superstars from 1996. NXT from the week prior was added on-demand on Tuesday.
Wednesday saw two big uploads, with the final RAW from 2022 added to the archives alongside a new episode of The Bump featuring The Brawling Brutes. Lastly, This Week In WWE wrapped up all the action on Thursday.
After a solid week, the content will arrive rapidly this weekend, with 11 new full-length uploads coming to WWE Network and Peacock. While most of these uploads are related to the WWE Royal Rumble, a wide variety of exciting programming could interest just about any fan.
Below are 11 shows coming to WWE Network and Peacock this weekend.
#11. The SmackDown LowDown will be available
A new episode of The SmackDown LowDown will stream on WWE Network and Peacock on the same day as the WWE Royal Rumble. The latest edition of the series will be available on Saturday, January 28th, at 12 PM EST.
As of yet, no guests have been announced for the recap & analyst show, but they're rarely announced before SmackDown takes place. Last week's episode of The SmackDown LowDown can be seen in the video above. It featured interviews with The Banger Bros, La Knight, and Legado del Fantasma.
#10. The Ultimate Show will stream ahead of the WWE Royal Rumble
The Ultimate Show will air on WWE Network & Peacock this weekend to further hype up the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble. For those unaware, the show features Matt Camp, Ryan Pappolla, and Sam Roberts making their fantasy cards, with a special guest or two often joining the festivities.
This goes around; the series episode title is "The Ultimate Royal Rumble 3", with the gang making their own fantasy Royal Rumble Matches. The program typically runs for an hour and will be available on both platforms on Saturday, January 28th.
#9. WWE Royal Rumble 2023 & #8. WWE Royal Rumble 2023 Kickoff
The main reason fans are excited about the weekend is the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble. The event will air on Saturday, January 28th, beginning at 8 PM EST. A one-hour Kickoff show will also be available. The pre-show will start at 7 PM EST.
The 2023 WWE Royal Rumble will feature two huge 30-person Royal Rumble Matches. Additionally, Roman Reigns is set to defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Kevin Owens, LA Knight will battle Bray Wyatt, and Bianca Belair will take on Alexa Bliss.
#7. The Bump & #6. La Previa, two WWE Royal Rumble preview shows are set to air
"I feel like this was made for me!"
@RaquelWWE is #RoyalRumble ready! 😤
#WWETheBump https://t.co/75XA9SnAHu
Two other shows will be added to the archives on Saturday, January 28th. The first will be an episode of La Previa, which is a preview, analysis, and interview show similar to The Bump with Spanish hosts. This video will be available on-demand at 10 AM EST.
Speaking of The Bump, a bonus episode of the popular series will stream live on Saturday beginning at 3 PM EST. The full lineup of guests isn't yet known, but both LA Knight and Paul Heyman were announced for the show by Kayla Braxton on Wednesday's show.
#5. SmackDown & #4. Main Event, two recent shows will become available
Two shows that recently aired on other platforms will be added to the archives this weekend. Due to contractual obligations with television and streaming platforms, the videos weren't immediately added on-demand.
WWE Main Event from January 12th, 2023, will be added to the archives on Saturday, January 28th. The show featured NXT's Odyssey Jones taking on Akira Tozawa in the opener. Additionally, Von Wagner battled Mustafa Ali in the main event.
SmackDown from December 30th, 2022, will be available on Sunday, January 29th. This was the final episode of the blue brand in 2022 and featured the in-ring return of John Cena. The card also had Gunther vs. Braun Strowman in a fantastic Intercontinental Championship match.
#3. wXw We Love Wrestling will be available
As noted last week, the days of a wealth of indie wrestling content coming to WWE Network & Peacock each week have seemingly come to a conclusion. Both PROGRESS Wrestling and Insane Championship Wrestling's video libraries were removed from the archives, with their deals discontinued.
Surprisingly, wXw Wrestling uploads are still happening, however. While it remains to be seen how long this will last, wXw We Love Wrestling #39: Revenge Rumble will be added to the archives on Saturday, January 28th.
The card features Axel Tischer, formerly known as Alexander Wolfe, Ava Everett, Metehan, and Tristan Archer, among others. It was first taped on October 22nd, 2022.
#2. NXT Level Up will stream a new episode
NXT Level Up will be the final fresh in-ring show ahead of the WWE Royal Rumble. The program will stream on Friday, January 27th, at 10 PM EST. As a reminder, it will not be immediately available on demand for Peacock subscribers due to contractual obligations with Hulu.
The main event of NXT Level Up this week will see Oro Mensah take on Scrypts, aka Reggie. The card also features Dani Palmer battling the debuting Lola Vice and Dante Chen taking on newcomer Kale Dixon.
#1. This Is Awesome is back with a new episode highlighting the WWE Royal Rumble
This is Awesome Season 2 starts with a bang as the Most Awesome #RoyalRumble Moments get a deep dive, streaming THIS FRIDAY exclusively on @peacock in the U.S. and @WWENetwork everywhere else! https://t.co/bDQGeUKeCU
This Is Awesome will be back with a brand-new episode. The new video is the first of season two and is titled WWE This Is Awesome: Most Awesome Royal Rumble Moments. WWE's official preview of the special can be seen below.
"Greg Miller presents the most awesome Royal Rumble moments of all time. WWE Superstars and Legends count down the most over-the-top highlights in the history of WWE’s most fun and exciting event."
The new video, set to hype up the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble, will look back at some of the best moments from the past. The video will become available on both streaming platforms on Friday, January 27th, at 10 AM EST. The run time for the special is set to be roughly 56 minutes.