Analyzing WWE Network's Most Recent Programming Additions

WWE Network programs continue to grow more plentiful, but not every offering one can harvest is satiating. Some of what's new on the streaming service is simply for visual snacking.

In addition to the treasure trove of wrestling that the network boasts, WWE has tossed in storytelling, interviews and behind-the-scenes tours into the mix. The on-demand section now features Renee Young sitting down with stars and Mick Foley fishing for laughs.

The options are as diverse as the personalities that inhabit WWE's rings each week.

Which of these are worth your time? What shows have the most potential to be of the long-running variety? Digging into everything from comic books to cinnamon butter, the following is a look at some of the WWE Network's newest additions.

Mick Foley: Cheap Pops 

Foley is quick to tell you in his one-man special that what he does isn't stand-up comedy. But with him on stage alone, a mic in hand and brick backdrop behind, it sure looks and feels like a stand-up show.

What Foley delivers in his one-hour show is more a carefully crafted string of anecdotes.

There are jokes inserted here and there, but the comedy is subdued. Foley instead is letting fans in on his past, how his mind works and what his relationship with his family is like. Those who enjoyed his books will find that this has a similar vibe.

Among the topics he covers here is his WCW debut, his record at In Your House and The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. Even for those who know a good bit about Foley, there are some new things to learn about the man.

And he does a hell of a Jim Cornette impression.

The former WWE champ has done similar shows around the country. If he and WWE can work out a deal, the network would be a good home for future editions. 

Unfiltered with Renee Young

Handing a charming rising star like Young her own show was a no-brainer. She's engaging, funny and offers a fresh perspective in such a male-dominated domain.

Unfiltered, though, is going to have to find its voice to be a hit.

As of now, two episodes await viewers on the WWE Network. In the first, Young interviews Seth Rollins over breakfast. In the next one, she talks to the stars and director of the action-comedy film Hot Pursuit.

Her interview with Rollins is fun. This isn't a interview rich with deep, digging questions, but rather a casual conversation that shows off another side of the subject. In about eight minutes, the two drool over pancakes and talk about Rollins' workout routine.

Don't expect the kind of discussion that Steve Austin had with Triple H and Vince McMahon. This is lighter fare.

Young's talk with Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon isn't going to appeal to many WWE fans. Aside from a momentary mention, there's no connection made to the squared circle.

This feels like something one would see at the movies while waiting around for the flick to start.

The more Unfiltered looks like the first episode rather than the second, the better. Fans can see interviews with movie stars looking to promote their latest project in any number of places. Seeing Superstars out of their element, on the other hand, is more of a treat.

WWE 24—Roman Reigns: Never Alone

After the first WWE 24 allowed fans to travel backstage at WrestleMania 30 to see a tearful Daniel Bryan and a vulnerable Undertaker, it looked as if the company had created a series that would be a WWE Network cornerstone.

The episode following Reigns' journey at this year's WrestleMania didn't connect as much, though. For one, it followed one narrative rather than the multiple ones we saw with the first show. And there was a fluff feel to this as well.

Still, Reigns fans will be happy to see him hanging out with his family and reflecting back on his childhood. 

WWE 24 shows him tearing through the defense during his youth football days and interacting with young fans. Old photos of him and The Usos together as kids pop up often.

The half-hour piece acts as a supplementary piece to WrestleMania, something worthy of being an extra on a DVD.  

Raw Attitude Era

The WWE Network's collection of Raw is disappointingly incomplete. There are just two episodes from 1997, three from 2001 and not a one from 2007-2009. WWE has fixed that to a degree by adding every Raw from 1998.

That red-hot year saw the Attitude Era take flight.

If there ever was a year's worth of Raw to watch in its entirety, this is it. The moments generated during this time are among the show's most memorable ever. 

Mike Tyson collides with Steve Austin. D-Generation X mocks The Nation of Domination. Vince McMahon gets an unexpected visitor in the hospital.

For anyone who missed out on WWE during this time, this is a binge-watching session waiting to happen. For those who saw it all before, there's motivation aplenty to go dig around and see it all unfold again.

Jerry Springer in WWE Too Hot for TV

WWE has gathered much of its most controversial highlights, mostly from the Attitude Era, and compiled them by theme. Love and abnormal behavior are the first two topics covered.

Springer serves as the host despite being far less of a pop culture mainstay than he was during the '90s. He introduces the segments and then lets the sensuality and crudeness of the WWE product at the time speak for themselves.

This is more of a flashback than a history lesson. The show doesn't go into great detail about the on-screen storylines. It's meant to be a collection of moments where WWE pushed the envelope.

Sable shows off plenty of skin. Heidenreich pushes Michael Cole in the corner. 

WWE Too Hot for TV is a 30-minute reminder of what WWE was like at its weirdest. Fans who pine for the pre-PG product will find this most appealing.  

WWE is going to eventually run out of material for this, though. There are only so many years of the company's history in which it produced stuff worthy of a "too hot for TV" label. 

Culture Shock with Corey Graves

The NXT prospect-turned-commentator is finding plenty of work following his in-ring career. WWE's latest task for him is to explore mediums that have fanbases that overlap with its own.

Graves first traveled to Marvel Comics headquarters to see how comics like Thor are put together. 

This is clearly intended to reach younger audiences. Having Graves discuss "what the kids are into" seems to be the aim of the show.

The Marvel episode often draws parallels between comics and WWE. Images of superheroes flash on the screen between clips of WWE's own larger-than-life characters.

Graves' next mission is to dig around the Star Wars landscape. 

The show has the potential to be a mainstay. Graves is a hip guy and handles the role of WWE ambassador and explorer of subcultures well. If he can continue to find topics to cover that appeal to preteens, this will succeed.

The heart of the WWE Network is still its pay-per-views and NXT, but officials trying to please its diverse audience from a variety of other angles is a welcome sight. Fans have a growing bounty to graze on.