John Cena-Led ‘WWE: Recruits’ Docuseries Greenlit at Roku

Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment is coming to The Roku Channel with a new docuseries from actor and former wrestler John Cena.

“WWE: Recruits” will follow a group of young men and women competing to earn one of the most sought-after titles in all of entertainment: WWE Superstar. The eight-part docuseries invites viewers to experience the grueling training, personal triumphs and life-changing moments of talented young men and women making their professional wrestling dreams a reality. Thousands of pro wrestling hopefuls will be narrowed down to an elite group of candidates going for the opportunity of a lifetime.

Cena will appear in the docuseries alongside other legends and current superstars from the WWE Universe, including Paul “Triple H” Levesque, Shawn Michaels, Ettore “Big E” Ewan, Bianca Belaire, Ric Flair and many more celebrity guests.

“Millions around the world watch and dream of it, but only a handful of extraordinary individuals can become a WWE Superstar,” Cena said in a statement. “I am so excited to bring ‘WWE: Recruits’ to The Roku Channel and look forward to giving viewers an exclusive all-access perspective on how the WWE turns the dreams of talented young people into a reality.”

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“WWE Recruits” will be produced by WWE and A.Smith & Co Productions. In addition to Cena and Arthur Smith, Frank Sinton, Ian Mallahan and Dan Baime will serve as executive producers. Filming for the project is already underway, with Wrestlemania, WWE’s biggest event of the year which took place on April 1 and April 2 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, among its locations.

“The journey begins here for the next generation of future WWE hopefuls to win a once-in-a-lifetime contract, giving them a platform to shine like never before,” Smith said in a statement. “In our first time ever partnering with The Roku Channel and WWE, being the starmakers they are, ‘WWE: Recruits’ (wt) is set to be television at its best with the best.”

Launched in 2017, The Roku Channel is the home of free and premium entertainment on the Roku platform, featuring a diverse lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs and more than 350 free live linear television channels in the U.S. In the fourth quarter 2022, The Roku Channel reached U.S. households with an estimated 100 million people. The Roku Channel licenses and distributes content from more than 250 partners.

“Roku Original series ‘WWE: Recruits’ not only unpacks how the WWE transforms unknown athletes into world-renowned stars, but also invites audiences into the lives of an unforgettable group of young people chasing their ultimate dream,” Roku Originals’ Head of Adventure and Exploration Programming Sean Boyle said. “We could not be more excited to work with the icon himself, John Cena, as our executive producer and our outstanding partners, the WWE and A. Smith & Co Productions, to share the untold story of this high-stakes world.”

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The docuseries order from Roku comes just days after WWE announced it would merge with the Endeavor Group-owned Ultimate Fighting Championship to form a $21.4 billion live sports and entertainment powerhouse, which intends to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TKO. The deal, which is expected to close in the second half of 2023, values UFC at $12.1 billion and WWE at $9.3 billion. Upon closing, Endeavor will hold a 51% controlling interest in the new company and existing WWE shareholders will hold a 49% interest in the new company.

It also comes as WWE is gearing up for renewal negotiations for its television media rights agreements. Currently, WWE’s deals with NBCUniversal and Fox are slated to expire next year. Media rights accounted for 75% of WWE’s $1.3 billion in revenue and 71% of UFC’s $1.1 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2022, according to an investor presentation by Endeavor.

According to third party estimates cited in the presentation, global live sports revenue is expected to reach $74 billion by 2025, up from $60 billion in 2022, while global sports media and global sports sponsorship revenues could reach $62 billion and $87 billion by 2025, up from $50 billion and $67 billion in 2022.

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