Mark your calendars, folks, and maybe clear some room in your living rooms for some impromptu body slams because WWE is dropping a new bombshell of a show that promises to be the next big thing since someone decided wrestling matches needed more ladders. Coming this April 1st to The Roku Channel, “WWE Next Gen” is set to premiere, and no, it’s not an elaborate April Fool’s joke.
Under the watchful eye (and possibly the occasional stern finger wag) of none other than John Cena himself—because who else could inspire you to hustle, loyalty, and respect your way through the pain—this docuseries will dive deep into the sweaty, grueling, and sparkly world of WWE recruits. Think of it as a “reality” show where the reality is muscled folks trying not to look awkward while being put in headlocks.
Last April, WWE and Roku decided to join forces like some kind of entertainment Voltron, announcing they’d be focusing on the fresh meat of the wrestling world. The project, originally dubbed “WWE: Recruits,” has finally morphed into “WWE Next Gen,” because, let’s face it, everything sounds cooler with “Next Gen” tagged onto it.
From the hallowed digital halls of Roku comes a statement that could only be more wrestling if it was delivered in the middle of a ring by a guy in spandex: “WWE: Recruits follows a group of young men and women competing to earn one of the most sought-after titles in all of entertainment: WWE Superstar.” This eight-parter is basically the equivalent of watching superheroes in training, if superheroes wore less spandex… wait, scratch that.
Produced by the heavyweight tag team of WWE and A.Smith & Co Productions, with Arthur Smith, Frank Sinton, Ian Mallahan, Dan Baime, and the man who can see you but you can’t see him, John Cena, at the helm, this is shaping up to be the most intense thing to hit streaming since your cousin tried to livestream his attempt at backyard wrestling.
Filming kicked off with WrestleMania 39 vibes in Los Angeles, capturing all the hopes, dreams, and inevitable bruises of wrestling’s rising stars.
John Cena, throwing his hat into the motivational ring, shared, “Millions around the world watch and dream of it, but only a handful of extraordinary individuals can become a WWE Superstar.” He’s pumped to bring “WWE: Recruits” to The Roku Channel, promising an all-access pass to the sweat, tears, and glitter of making it in the big, bad world of WWE.
So, get ready to root for your new favorites as they go from zero to hero, one suplex at a time. “WWE Next Gen” is about to take the wrestling world by storm, and who knows? You might just find yourself practicing your own entrance theme by the end of it.