Initially broadcasting in syndication in the 2000–01 television season,[2] WOW is a sports entertainment-styled product where its talent portrays heavily dramatized characters.[3]
WOW has been recognized as one of the few nationally broadcast wrestling promotions featuring an all-female roster.[4] Only 24 television episodes and a pay-per-view event were produced during its initial run.[5] In 2002, McLane sought a partnership with Kiss frontman Gene Simmons to revive the promotion.[6] In July 2011, WOW TV reruns began airing on the ABC affiliate KTNV in Las Vegas.[7]
On May 29, 2012, McLane and Buss announced their intention to revive WOW and produce new episodes.[8][9] Later that year, WOW reruns began airing on The CW Las Vegas station KVCW starting on December 9.[10]
In December 2014, WOW announced that it would be producing content for digital media in 2015. Marketed as "WOW Superheroes", its roster of characters are portrayed as empowered women from all different backgrounds and professions.[11] A second season premiered on March 1, 2016, on YouTube.[12] Its fourth season premiered February 28, 2017.[13]
On April 20, 2017, MGM Television announced that Mark Burnett, MGM's President, Television Group & Digital, and Jeanie Buss formed a partnership to develop new WOW content across a range of unscripted programming and digital formats.[14] In June 2018, it was announced that tapings for a new weekly program on AXS TV titled WOW: Women of Wrestling would begin on October 10, 2018 at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles,[15] with episodes airing in early 2019.[16] WOW debuted that January 18 as part of AXS TV's "Friday Night Fights" lineup of shows.[15][17] The AXS TV premiere marked WOW's first television broadcast of new content in almost eighteen years.[18]WOW: Women of Wrestling ran for two seasons on AXS TV. In June 2020, it was reported that AXS had cancelled the series.[19]
On October 6, 2021, it was announced that ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global) had entered into a multi-year distribution agreement for WOW that will see new episodes produced for weekend syndication on 160 U.S. TV stations (CBS or The CW affiliates) owned by ViacomCBS or Sinclair Broadcast Group, with new episodes airing starting in Fall 2022.[20][21][22] On October 7, WOW announced that April Mendez (formerly AJ Lee in WWE) joined the company as an executive producer and color commentator.[23]
On January 21, 2022, WOW announced in a press release that "never-before-seen" episodes from "season 7" would debut on Pluto TV and The CW app starting January 22.[24] On August 1, 2022, it was announced that new episodes of the series will begin airing on September 17, 2022, via Paramount Global Content Distribution. The series is carried in the U.S. on CBS-owned-and-operated stations, Sinclair Communications, Nexstar Broadcasting, Hearst Television, TEGNA Media, Weigel Broadcasting, Gray Media and Cox Television. It has also been licensed for broadcast in Canada, Australia and Indonesia.[25] In December 2022, The New York Times reported that WOW was the highest rated wrestling television show produced outside of WWE and AEW, ahead of those produced by Impact Wrestling and NJPW.[26] This was attributed to the show being available in every cable home in the United States, as well as airings in Canada and Australia.[27]
WOW Unleashed: LIVE August tapings
Attend WOW Unleashed LIVE at The Belasco Theater in Los Angeles during the month of August. Six (6) spectacular events starring the WOW Superheroes! See the high-flying action, have fun with friends and, who knows, you may be on TV!
Won the titles from a rematch, managed of the fabulous Lana Star defeated Coach Campanelli and Randi Rah Rah at WOW Season 8: Episode 25 from acquired footage from LA Comic-Con
^Meltzer, Dave (July 2003). "WOW did 24 episodes of television that aired from October 2000 through March 2001...". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California. p. 8. WOW did 24 episodes of television that aired from October 2000 through March 2001 on major stations in about 100 markets, buying tin [sic?] most markets. The money was supposed to be recouped by holding a PPV show. They did one from the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, that ended up doing 12,000 buys, and the venture lost several million dollars in the process. In fact, they lost more money in their last three months than ECW did in its last year, and ECW had many wrestlers under six-figure contracts. WOW has been largely dormant ever since
