The end of WWE at TVA Sports does not mean the end of professional wrestling in French. However, Quebecois wrestling fans will have to do like their American friends and turn to Netflix.
Posted at 9:25 a.m.
We have indeed learned in recent days that WWE content will also be accessible in several languages other than English. And that includes a broadcast in French, for the Quebec public, by the describer Pat Laprade and his sidekick for seven years, Kevin Raphaël. It starts this week, with the episode of Raw from January 6.
For the iconoclastic duo, it was unexpected news. We have known since January 2024 that WWE is migrating to Netflix, but the mystery persisted over the details, so much so that until very recently, Laprade and Raphaël were mourning it.
“It’s an offer I wasn’t expecting this late in the year. I told myself that if it hadn’t already happened, it wouldn’t happen,” admits Laprade in an interview with The Press.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, ARCHIVES LA PRESSE
Kevin Raphael
WWE has opted for a bold approach, on the one hand by offering the hosts enviable working conditions, which will allow Laprade – also a wrestling historian, invited to all the stands as soon as a news breaks – to make a living from the fight “for the first time [sa] vie ».
For someone like me, involved in wrestling for a quarter of a century, this is unique. In Quebec, when you’re not a wrestler, you don’t think you can make a living from it!
Pat Laprade
On the other hand, WWE is bold in the sense that literally all of its programming will be offered in French: the weekly classics Raw et SmackDownthe next generation show NXTas well as PLEs (Premium Live Events), shows like WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble, formerly presented on pay-per-view television.
For the giant of wrestling, where monuments from here and elsewhere like The Rock, Kevin Owens, the Undertaker, André the Giant and Paul Roma were born, this is unheard of.
“For the very first time, all WWE content will be offered in French in Quebec,” points out Laprade. Even in the 1990s, it was an hour a week, as were some ticketed events. It’s incredible for wrestling fans here. »
“Many fans don’t speak English and want a product that resembles them,” recalls Raphaël. We are used to things translated, apart from The Simpsonsare in international French. There, it is the two Quebs from Laval and Pointe-aux-Trembles who will arrive with their references. We’ve been doing it for seven years, we just have to continue on a bigger platform. »
For now, the Quebec version will be offered no later than two days after the live presentation, but we expect it to be available live somewhere during the year.
The MLS way
WWE’s new direction is also accelerating the transition of the sports world from cable to online broadcast platforms.
“Streamers see live sport as a source of growth,” underlines Hugues Léger, sports marketing expert and general manager of Tennis Montréal. We saw it with the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. They were entertainment more than sports, but they generated big revenue. »
PHOTO KEVIN JAIRAJ, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES, PROVIDED BY REUTERS CON
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson in the fight broadcast last November
Organizational strategies differ. The all-powerful NFL divides its broadcasting rights between television networks and platforms like Netflix, Prime and Hulu.
“WWE’s approach reminds me more of MLS with Apple TV,” says Léger. They will do business with a distribution partner who will build the product. For a league or a brand, it’s a way to build an audience and accessibility.
“Netflix will have all the shows. What’s the fun? for fans, it’s that if you want content, you’ll get it. Amazon did it with the NHL, with the series Faceoffa magazine that follows the league from one end of the continent to the other. It’s this kind of content that encourages you to subscribe. »
The battle for sports content between streaming platforms and traditional cable companies is already well underway in the United States. It’s less obvious in Quebec, but WWE’s decision goes in this direction.
It will be interesting to see how the NHL follows when its current television contract expires in 2026. English-speaking fans will possibly be entitled to a preview Monday evening with the Canucks-Canadian duel, presented exclusively on Prime. “Rogers sold the Monday rights under license to Amazon, in order to make what remains of the contract profitable,” recalls Hugues Léger.
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