Vince McMahon revolutionized the wrestling business when he launched the WWE Network almost eight years ago. Not only did it shake up the PPV model, making all of WWE's major shows available through a Network subscription, but it gave fans entire libraries filled with wrestling history. Not just WWE, but WCW, ECW, and other now-defunct promotions WWE has acquired the libraries of over the years.
No More Home Videos
Prior to that, if you weren't in attendance for a show or watching it live on PPV, you'd have to wait for it to release on DVD or Blu-ray in order to see it, or on VHS before that. Despite the launch of the Network, the production of WWE DVDs and Blu-rays has continued. However, as revealed by Wrestling DVD Network, it appears that will no longer be the case.
RELATED: Did The WWE Network Kill PPV Events?
According to the site, which has been covering WWE's DVD releases for more than a decade, WWE Home Video's last DVD and Blu-ray in the US will be this year's Survivor Series. The DVD and Blu-ray featuring last month's PPV will be available on December 28, 2021. There's also a Drew McIntyre-themed home video still slated to get the physical media treatment arriving two weeks before on December 14.
A Glimmer Of Hope For The UK
Since Canada falls under the same WWE Home Video umbrella as the US, physical releases of PPVs and other collections will also cease there at the end of the year. It also seems likely the same thing will apply to Australia. The only part of the world where fans will still be able to pick up DVDs and Blu-rays of WWE shows in 2022 is the UK.
That's the case for now at least. WWE's home video releases are handled by a different company in the UK, Fremantle. Fremantle currently still has plans to release DVD and Blu-ray versions of Day 1 and the 2022 Royal Rumble. Nothing has been confirmed for after that though, which means British wrestling fans might well experience the same end of an era as those in the US, Canada, and Australia, just a few months after everyone else.
