It’s hard to explain why the WWE is so famous in the US. It’s like American football, we like our violence choreographed to perfection, even though many of us still believe that it is – in some ways – real. Then again, you may not have to explain the appeal of pro wrestling to foreigners, since so many of them are becoming fans as well.
Watching the WWE Network Legally
But for a true fan, a membership to the WWE network is absolutely required. The WWE network isn’t really a cable TV network, per se. It’s more like a website that hosts WWE shows and archive footage. You watch it on your PC, mobile device, Smart TV, or just any TV with wires connecting your digital device. The cost is a mere $54.94 plus any applicable taxes for a 6-month block, which boils down to about $9.99/month plus tax.
Even for those who haven’t watched wrestling for a while since they were in high school, the astonishing archive footage is a sure come-on. Think about it: that’s about 1500 hours of on- demand content waiting for you. Never again will you have to scrounge around old DVDs or (God forbid) VHS tapes to relieve your favorite pro wrestling moments. Now you have it right at your fingertips.
And then there are the live pay-per-view events. Remember that there are about 11 pay-per-view events a year, and each event costs a standard $44.99. The main exception is WrestleMania, which costs $59.99. So if your household is devout in its allegiance to WWE and pays for each event, the total for the year is a rather exorbitant $554.88. But an entire year’s subscription to watch WWE Network live costs only $109.88. That means you save a cool $445 a year, plus you get the archive, plus you get the other new shows and content. Just go to the WWE Network website, follow the instructions for your particular device, and enjoy. Right now, the site offers specific instructions for the following devices:
- Apple TV
- Kindle Fire
- PlayStation 3 and 4
- Roku
- Xbox One® and Xbox 360®
- Android Devices
- Apple iOS devices
- PC and Macs through the website.
Alternative Viewing Methods
But what if you can’t even afford the $54.94 for 6 months? Well, there are ways around that. Right now, there are approximately 650,000 subscribers who receive the WWE Network live stream, and there’s a very good chance that some of these fine folks will be offering WWE Network live streaming for pay per view events. The only thing left for you to do is to figure out how to receive the WWE Network streaming broadcast. And for you, that means going to one of these websites:
- Justin TV. You’ve probably visited YouTube to watch WWE videos, right? But when it comes to live streaming, Justin TV is the counterpart of YouTube. During a pay-per-view even some folks will usually stream the show here. This website may not always be online since they are notorious for not giving a flying damn about copyright ownership, but if they are online then you can watch WWE Network online for free.
All you need to do is to type the name of the event on the search bar, and it will show you the channels which offer the stream for the event. Like on YouTube, you just click on the link as long as you already have the flash player installed on your PC. For Smart TVs, even this step is already taken care of. But if you are using your mobile, you need to download the app for either an iOS or Android device.
- Wiziwig.tv. While Justin TV is a model of simplicity, wiziwig.tv is a bit more complicated. Here, the stream is distributed via something that resembles torrents. That means you also need the right torrent program to download so that you and the provider will be using the same program. This may take time, which is why the site recommends that you sign in a few hours before the start of the show.
Fortunately, the link to the right program is already included, and you only need to follow the posted instructions. So type in the name of the event, find the links to the WWE Network stream, download and install the program, and then you’re set. Some other plugins may be recommended as well, but again the links to those will be featured as well.
- First Row Sports. This is another site that been targeted by the US government, but the site seems to resurrect itself nonetheless. That means you’ll have to Google the address of the site, since it keeps on changing. You’ll know that you’ve got the original website when you notice a lot of popup ads that can mar your viewing experience. But there are also affiliate websites such as http://gofirstrow.eu/ or http://xn--frstrowsports-39b.eu/ that contain fewer ads.
- VIP Box. Find the category of the event or just type in the name of the WWE network, and find the streams you are looking for. Again, VIP Box TV has a rather annoying number of popups, but a recently discovered trick can limit them from appearing. You just need to click on the correct “x” that closes the popup window. The obvious x will say “click to close JavaScript” or something similar, but the correct “x” won’t show this message. This will give you time to watch the video in full screen, which in turn prevents popup ads.
But what about the archive? Here you have two basic options. If the old show you want to watch is popular, then it may still be on YouTube. Just search for it there. But if it’s something a bit obscure or you want to watch the recently concluded pay-per-view event, then you can always go back to wiziwig.tv and find its forum section. Look for links to the show and download it. If the show isn’t available, request for it. Then you can watch the event in a much clearer video than the streams you can get for free.