WWE Speed

Last updated
WWE Speed
WWE Speed logo.png
Created by Paul "Triple H" Levesque
Starring
Opening themeUnknown song performed by def rebel
(from WWE Music Group)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producer Paul "Triple H" Levesque
Producer Pete Dunne [1]
Camera setup Multi-camera setup
Running time3–5 minutes
Original release
Network X
ReleaseApril 3, 2024 (2024-04-03) 
present
Related

WWE Speed is an American professional wrestling streaming television program produced by WWE. It airs on the social media platform X and premiered with two episodes on April 3, 2024. Speed features wrestlers from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brands. Regular episodes have one match each with a time limit of three minutes, while special episodes for the WWE Speed Championship have a longer duration of five minutes. Matches for Speed are taped in conjunction with WWE's main weekly television programs, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown .

Contents

History

On February 7, 2024, the American professional wrestling promotion WWE filed to trademark the name "WWE Speed" for an in-ring program in which the concept would be that the professional wrestling matches would have a five-minute time limit. The concept was first tested as dark matches before the December 15, 2023, taping of SmackDown . [2] On February 8 during the WrestleMania XL Kickoff press conference, WWE announced a partnership with X to introduce WWE Speed, which would stream weekly on the social media platform. [3] The deal between WWE and X was confirmed for two years. It was also revealed that the matches for each episode would be exclusive to the platform and would not be repurposed from WWE's other programs, and it would feature wrestlers from all three of WWE's brands: Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. [4]

On March 27, WWE commentator Corey Graves announced that Speed would premiere on Wednesday, April 3, but matches would instead be three minutes in length. Also announced was a tournament to crown the inaugural WWE Speed Champion for men. [5] The debut episode, which was uploaded at 12 p.m. Eastern Time (ET), saw Ricochet defeat Dragon Lee. Roughly 30 minutes later, WWE uploaded a second episode in which Bronson Reed defeated Cedric Alexander. Graves served as the sole commentator for the episodes. [6] While the first few episodes only featured matches with male wrestlers, during a conversation on X Spaces on May 1, 2024, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque confirmed that the program would also feature women's matches. [7]

While the program typically airs on Wednesdays, a special Friday airing occurred on May 3, 2024. This episode, which was the seventh episode overall, saw the crowning of the inaugural Speed Champion. This episode also confirmed that championship matches would have a five-minute time limit instead of the regular three. During the special airing, Ricochet defeated Johnny Gargano to become the show's inaugural champion. [8] [9]

On-air personalities

Commentators

CommentatorsTenure
Corey Graves April 3, 2024 – present

Ring announcers

Ring announcers Date started
Mike Rome and Samantha Irvin April 3, 2024 – present

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References

  1. Sapp, Sean Ross (March 31, 2024). "Pete Dunne Produced Recent WWE Speed Matches". Fightful. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  2. Lee, Joseph (February 8, 2024). "WWE Files Trademarks For 'WWE Speed' and 'Je'Von Evans'". 411Mania . Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  3. Defelice, Robert (February 8, 2024). "WWE Speed To Air On X (Twitter) Beginning In Spring 2024". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  4. Defelice, Robert (February 9, 2024). "Report: WWE Inks 2-Year Deal With X (Twitter) To Bring 'WWE Speed' To Platform". Fightful. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  5. Rose, Bryan (March 27, 2024). "WWE Speed premiere date revealed, tournament will crown champion". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Archived from the original on March 28, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  6. Defelice, Robert (April 3, 2024). "Ricochet And Bronson Reed Advance In WWE Speed Championship Tournament, JD McDonagh vs. Axiom Set For 4/10 WWE Speed". Fightful. Archived from the original on April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  7. Lowson, Thomas (May 1, 2024). "WWE Speed Will Feature Women's Division Matches, Triple H Confirms". SE Scoops. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  8. Lee, Joseph (May 3, 2024). "Ricochet Becomes First-Ever WWE Speed Champion, Special Friday Episode Airs". 411Mania . Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  9. Lowson, Thomas (May 3, 2024). "Ricochet Celebrates WWE Speed Title Win After Becoming First-Ever Champion". SE Scoops. Retrieved May 3, 2024.