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When WWE Unreal, the new 10-episode Netflix original series that shines a light on the creative process inWorld Wrestling Entertainment, was first announced, I was scared.
Look, we all know professional wrestling is a ‘work’ – the results are pre-determined, and the in-ing action is often a well-choreographed and wildly violent dance. But that’s the strange thing about being a wrestling fan; the suspension of disbelief is everything. It doesn’t matter that we know it’s fake (never use that word to a wrestler), we are there for the journey. WWE Unreal has the potential to do some serious damage to that experience by revealingtoomuch about how the sausage gets made.
You’ll be relieved to know that’s not the case. You will see inside of the writers’ room, as well as backstage discussions between those in power and the wrestlers they want to put the company’s promotional machine behind. But those moments fade into the background due to the emotions on display throughout.
While producers, writers, and directors are all interviewed, as are some of the industry’s biggest stars; what WWE Unreal does best is put emotion front and center as these larger-than-life superheroes strut into packed arenas every week and live out their dreams.
The Thrill Of Victory
Unreal covers a roughly four-month stretch of WWE programming, beginning with the build to the firstMonday Night Raw on Netflix(June 02, 2025) and lasting until the conclusion of Wrestlemania 41 (June 22, 2025).
So much happened in those few short months, but Unreal focuses on the right stories. From CM Punk’s rise toWrestlemaniamain eventer to John Cena’s career-rocking heel turn, Netflix knows the stories you want to know more about and gives them to you with additional nuggets of important detail.
However, those are also the stories most likely to resonate with fans who don’t know a lot about WWE. For Cena, it’s his final year as an active wrestler and he’s finally turned his back on the fans that have been cheering and/or booing him for two decades. It’s also been the company’s primary storyline since the heel turn happened in March at Elimination Chamber.
Unreal spends time looking at Cena’s legacy and the decision to turn that on its head, using a visual style that looks like an incredibly vibrant animated PowerPoint presentation to show the complicated relationships between all of the talent and executives that were involved in such a monumental choice. We even learn about potential alternate plans, should no Cena turn happen.
These are the moments some older fans who want to ‘protect the business’ might object to. After decades of behind-the-scenes documentaries for any number of TV shows or movies, though, it’s refreshing to see how a different form of entertainment takes that on.
Beyond Cena, you also get spotlights on talents like Chelsea Green, ‘Main Event’ Jey Uso, and Rhea Ripley, all of whom are having one of the best years of their respective careers, though things behind-the-scenes are often far less than perfect.
The Agony Of Defeat
Of course, everyone can’t win all the time – and I’m not talking about in the ring. While many of the stories in Unreal are uplifting, there are also some hard doses of reality. Charlotte Flair recently penned aguest column in the Players Tribunereflecting on the last couple years, the majority of which was personally and professionally troubling.
We receive expansion on those events in Unreal, as it becomes clear Flair’s confidence in returning from her knee injury isn’t where anyone would like it to be. She was shaken at the time and the audience noticed – greeting her with some seriously chilly receptions following her return at the Royal Rumble. And if you haven’t read Flair’s piece for the Player’s Tribune, you should rectify that.
Another surprising moment we bear witness to is WWE Champion Cody Rhodes simply looking for his place. When Raw debuted on Netflix, viewers thought it strange that the champ and essential face of the company was relegated to an appearance in the audience, as was reigning World Heavyweight Champion Gunther. Seeing how this moment came to be via writers room discussions between Triple H and his creative team is a missing piece of that puzzle I didn’t know I needed.
The Sheer Weirdness Of Pro Wrestling
Your biggest takeaway from WWE Unreal might not be the creative highs and lows on display, but instead the interactions of the wrestlers themselves. Many of these people see each other as often as their own families, and it leads to some very interesting, hilarious, and embarrassing discussions that show just how comfortable they are around each other. Also, wrestlers have serious potty mouths.
I did not expect Triple H to drop that many F-bombs. It’s like every other word this dude says is cursing.
The authenticity on display in these interactions clues you in on just how unserious the industry can be. Watching a bunch of wrestlers sitting around the ring comparing the times they’ve soiled themselves mid-match is not something that was on my 2025 bingo card, but now I have a begrudging respect for Ivar – of the War Raiders – and his ability to hold things in.
It’s these moments, where you see these stars not as wrestlers but as humans at work, that is going to make WWE Unreal a rewatchable show – and will go a long way in powering potential future seasons. As fans, we want to love our favorite wrestlers. Showing them as humans, goofing around, telling gross stories, and how they actually enjoy their time together is both refreshing and heartwarming.
As someone who has worked exclusively from home since the beginning of the pandemic, watching these coworkers enjoy being in each other’s space was seriously lovely.
The Technical Prowess Of Netflix
Nobody is going to argue that WWE isn’t the top dog when it comes to televised wrestling. All Elite Wrestling has come a long way in its presentation over the last couple of years, but it’s hard to imagine anyone taking WWE’s crown.
Unreal isn’t a wrestling show, though. Every episode begins with “A Netflix Sports Series” appearing on-screen. As insignificant as that might sound, it determines every creative choice about the show, allowing for a presentation that rises above professional wrestling.
When it comes to long-discussed creative decisions, visual graphs are used to show the lines of communication. When showing highlights for specific matches, the editing team implements a fascinating style, which has the camera’s view quickly shifting around the ring, each new angle showing another highlight from the bout.
The new filming and editing techniques at play here help to elevate the series beyond being simply ‘a wrestling documentary.’ We have all seen WWE’s numerous documentaries over the years, which repurpose new and old interviews over and over again.
No old interviews are used here. All of the footage, as far as I can tell, was filmed specifically for this series. There will be some archival looks to the past, sure, but you won’t simply be watching recut footage from a PLE you’ve already seen.
It’s hard to argue that WWE Unreal is a near-total success. The only thing holding it back, in my eyes, is the recency it plays in. Wrestlemania 41 was three months ago. A documentary series about how it came together could have been held off for at least another year.
I can’t fault Netflix and WWE for wanting to strike while the iron of their partnership is hot, but there’s not a ton of mystique yet about the first few months of this year. Well, outside of thecompany’s collaboration with Travis Scottwhich seems to have abruptly ended with no official explanation.
I hope Unreal continues with future seasons. That said, I hope they’re filming now for something I’ll see a year or two down the road, instead of next month.
