WWE: Unreal Review – A heavily-skewed, controlled look at WWE 'under the hood'

The Review Geek

4 days ago

Season 1
Episode Guide
New Era
Push
Worth the Wait
Heel Turn
Wrestlemania
WWE: Unreal is one of those docu-series that could have been great had it been produced by an outside entity away from WWE. The ideas here are certainly interesting, with the promise of pulling the curtain back and showing the inner-workings of pro-wrestling like never before.
Unfortunately, what we get is an overly produced, glossy and sanitized look at the business, like peeking through a keyhole rather than flinging the doors open and giving an all-access look at the business. After watching all five episodes, it's hard not to feel like this is one long, extended work rather than an authentic slice of life on the wrestling road.
In fact, I'd argue that WWE Tough Enough or even Dark Side of the Ring do a far better job of looking at the business than anything in this Netflix series. That's before even mentioning the elephant in the room that's never mentioned in the docu-series outside of a few scripted reactions from fans online – YouTube.
YouTube have a ton of podcasts and interesting wrestling channels that properly pull the curtain back and dive into the business. While yes, it's less glossy and produced (partly thanks to strict copyright over there), it's also way more authentic. Whether it be former superstar Maven chirping up with weekly videos, accompanied by his (now infamous) 'Hey guys, Maven here!' intro, or Kurt Angle doing extended segments on Joe Rogan, there's some fascinating content that really helps to explore .
That's before mentioning play-by-play commentaries from old superstars, like The Undertaker and Mick Foley reacting to their Hell in a Cell match back in 1998.
The point I'm trying to make then is that Unreal is a bit of an enigma because it doesn't seem to have a clear, intended audience. It feels like it's trying to grab the casual fans and rewrite its own narrative to hook you in, akin to the later seasons of Drive to Survive. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the chops to pull it off in quite the same way, as casual fans who don't want the magic spoiled may steer clear of this on principle.
Conversely, die-hard fans that already follow the inner-workings of the business or hang around message boards discussing backstage shenanigans each week won't get much from this either, seeing the gloss from a mile off. And of course those not really into wrestling won't find much here to change their mind.
To be fair, learning about key parts of the business, including storylines that never make the final cut, how the 'gorilla position' works, and all the bumps and bruises along the way does make for a pretty interesting watch.
In essence, WWE: Unreal plays out as a Road to Wrestlemania puff piece. It's a docu-series designed to promote the new talent coming through the ranks, get casuals up to scratch with the latest storylines and big superstars (despite basically being 4 months out of date at the time of release) and reveal a few carefully skewed and controlled narrative titbits from a thin slice of the company's history.
The five episodes each focus on two or three wrestlers before we then follow their journey through the PPVs, culminating in an hour-long finale that's basically a 'best of' for Wrestlemania's two-day showdown.
Along the way we see Rhea Ripley's journey to the main event, CM Punk's desire to headline Wrestlemania, along with John Cena's retirement tour too, wanting to go out with a bang.
One of the more interesting segments comes in episode 4 as a tight-knit group discuss a crazy Heel turn (good guy turning to a bad guy) for John Cena. Seeing all the machinations around this, including 'What If' scenarios playing out makes for a really fascinating watch.
Likewise, a few golden moments of backstage authenticity, like when Kevin Owens asks Cody Rhodes if he's okay after a brutal ladder match, or Charlotte Flair reflecting on how daunting living up to the Flair name is, help give the docu-series some character.
Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between as the show doesn't do enough to distinguish what's kayfabe (staying in character) and what's genuine – and I don't mean that in a good way.
While some superstars come across as authentic on camera – like Rhea Ripley or John Cena – others make it difficult to know whether they're putting on an act or not.
Bianca Belair mentions at one point, proudly, that the whip sound she makes with her hair is completely authentic with no sound effects necessary. While there are visible scars to prove her point, just to play devil's advocate here, is the ring not mounted with microphones under the ring to amplify the sound?
Likewise, CM Punk mentions early on about Seth Rollins being super cocky and arrogant, although this is also his character on-screen so is he just playing himself? We never know because WWE also has a habit of only seeing one side of every rivalry and confrontation. How does Liv Morgan feel about ending her feud with Rhea Ripley? Despite winning a match (spoilers, by the way) Iyo Sky is never interviewed and only briefly showcased here.
Moments like this are a great reminder that this is very much a heavily-skewed, controlled narrative rather than an eye-opening expose into the wrestling business from all angles.
While some may enjoy what's here, it's hard to know exactly what WWE intended with releasing Unreal. It's certainly not a bad documentary, but it's not a particularly good one either. If you want some good wrestling exposes, do yourself a favour and load up YouTube instead. You'll get much better bang for your buck over there.