{"id":129514,"date":"2025-01-10T09:01:24","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T14:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=129514"},"modified":"2025-01-10T09:01:24","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T14:01:24","slug":"an-emmy-for-wwe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/01\/10\/an-emmy-for-wwe\/","title":{"rendered":"For Your Consideration: Paul Heyman Pitches An Emmy for WWE"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This past week, the Golden Globe Awards and the WWE debut on Netflix went back-to-back nights in Los Angeles, so many of the stars who attended one made their way to the other. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">After what can only be called a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/01\/09\/wwe-raw-on-netflix-ratings-revealed\/\" target=\"_self\">successful first night<\/a> on their new platform, Paul Heyman made some headlines by pitching an Emmy for WWE, Triple H, himself, but most emphatically, Roman Reigns. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the post-Raw press conference, Paul Heyman more than suggested; he outright said that Roman Reigns deserves an Emmy award. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">To most longtime wrestling fans, that is a pipedream of a giant magnitude. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Anyone who follows WWE or really any pro wrestling content has been informed about its Carney past or, in often hushed tones, how the show is &#8220;fake,&#8221; unlike television triumphs and apparent documentary series like <em>Game of Thrones<\/em> or <em>Black Mirror<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What they mean to say is that it is bad or lousy television anyway. Oftentimes, they were right. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Roman Reigns deserves an Emmy: Raw on Netflix Post-Show highlights, Jan. 6, 2025\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aXZxKHa6MOo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With this new era, can a WWE star like Roman Reign win an Emmy? Probably not. The acting awards are hyper-competitive and are in the genres of Drama or Comedy and in traditional formats or a limited series, anthology, or television movie. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE doesn&#8217;t have a proper home in any of those camps, and unlike <em>The Bear<\/em>, the Academy won&#8217;t just pick one so they can win. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There are, however, Emmy awards and Creative Arts Emmy awards. There are even Sports Television Emmy Awards. Before, nobody would have even considered WWE. Now, with Raw smashing the status of Golden Globe Nominated <em>Squid Games 2<\/em> down from its perch at number one, the conversation just got real. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Recap of Why an Emmy for WWE Hasn&#8217;t Happened Sooner<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Emmys, now split into Daytime and Primetime, have been around for a very long time. In 1949, it was the first awards round. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">1970 saw the creation of the Creative Arts Emmy, which is now in both categories, to try to plug some of the recognition gaps in the traditional format. While sports were originally just a part of the original Emmy Awards, they got their section in 1979. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So the first and historic problem was that wrestling wasn&#8217;t a television powerhouse, and its overall star power was dimmed until the 1980&#8217;s. That the humble origins of wrestling come from the seedy side of live entertainment likely didn&#8217;t help either. <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">For the first time in company history, <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WWE<\/a> has been nominated for a Sports Emmy.<\/p>\n<p>Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair was recognized in the Outstanding Long Documentary category. Winners will be announced at Lincoln Center in New York City on 5\/22. <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sportsemmys?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@sportsemmys<\/a><a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uTzasbcHzG\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/uTzasbcHzG<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7YZoBsVaob\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/7YZoBsVaob<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 WWE Public Relations (@WWEPR) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEPR\/status\/1645878382146748418?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 11, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">More recently, the issues may have less to do with the raunchy nature of the<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/02\/17\/end-to-the-nostalgia-return-in-wwe\/\" target=\"_self\"> Attitude Era show<\/a> and more likely because, in an age where streaming rules the traditional television landscape, WWE remained firmly entrenched in the interests of cable or cable-first providers. When they jumped into streaming on their own, they did not have the industry power to make the voters care. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When they moved back to <em>NBC<\/em>, that was not the priority, and for good reason. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In the Primetime categories that WWE could reasonably compete in, a rapidly growing number of nominees are on streaming first or streaming-only platforms. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Netflix likes to put forward multiple nominees, so WWE&#8217;s chances may have changed with a Netflix partnership powering the for your consideration campaigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What an Emmy for WWE Could Be<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If Netflix were to push the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.televisionacademy.com\/video\/unstructured-reality-program\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Emmys<\/a> toward WWE, assuming the viewership stays high, how could they maximize those chances? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Focusing only on the Primetime category, WWE would only be eligible for one of the Creative Arts varieties\u2014namely, awards for Outstanding Structured, Outstanding Unstructured, and Outstanding Variety Show (Live). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Outstanding Variety show live isn&#8217;t likely at this time. Those shows are major concerts or other events that a regular episode of Raw likely won&#8217;t compete well with. So that narrows it down to the prior two, at least until Netflix hosts a WrestleMania. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The structured category would also be a stretch. WWE does follow a structured format, but the 2024 race entrants included a pretty tight cluster of shows, such as L<em>ove is Blind<\/em>, <em>Antiques Road Show<\/em>, and the eventual winner, <em>Shark Tank<\/em>. None of those match the Raw format. The unstructured nominees, though, are where WWE could really shine. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><em>Below Deck Under the Sun<\/em>, <em>Vanderpump Rules<\/em>, and <em>Welcome to Wrexham<\/em>. This is ultimately the wide-open category. To be eligible, you need to be a reality show with story elements driven by the actions of characters and lacking a consistent, structured template. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As they say, anything can happen in the WWE, and it has just as many fights as Vanderpump does. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What Makes WWE a Reality TV Show. <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The WWE Universe may be wondering <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/01\/07\/former-wwe-wrestler-alexis-lete-hoping-to-beat-the-banker-on-deal-or-no-deal-island\/\" target=\"_self\">why reality TV<\/a>. WWE is clearly not <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">real<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, although many argue the same of the <em>Real House Wives<\/em>. Truthfully, the reason they would go for reality categories is they do not fit anywhere else. R-Truth is not a dramatic actor, and there is very little about Uncle Howdy that would be considered funny. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The varied nature of the WWE makes it much harder to pin down, but that hasn&#8217;t stopped the Academy before. In fact, there have been some seriously surprising category inclusions in recent years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"I don\u2019t even know if that\u2019s PG! #Short\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lgmhaDocIz8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When a studio successfully campaigns, it isn&#8217;t uncommon to find a landing spot. The action is live, the people are real, and they perform to the camera without multiple takes. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The shows all have story elements like revenge and triumph. Each week, though, is varied. Different superstars in different segments all match perfectly. So, reality TV, one of the most popular television genres nowadays, is the spot where Raw has the best chance to win. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">An Emmy for WWE Is Closer Than People Think<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So WWE earned its first and, to date, only nomination for an Emmy in 2022. The Ric Flair documentary was included in the Longform Sports Documentary category for a Sports Television Emmy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE also started independent lobbying of academy voters in 2018, pushing for more than half a dozen shows that year. Still, something was missing, and early reviews and social media chatter could indicate that they have it now. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE and Netflix can do a hundred different things to try and fit into a niche category, and they likely will. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/01\/07\/wwe-raw-on-netflix-post-show-recap-of-the-best-moments-of-the-night\/\" target=\"_self\"> post-show<\/a> confirms that WWE is all in on this new journey. The traditional weekly television and premium live events are the heart of WWE, and that is what they want to nominate and win an Emmy for. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">What almost certainly was a work of fanfiction for the better part of twenty years is closer than ever, and WWE&#8217;s Emmy era might just be its most successful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h2>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<em>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Netflix<\/a>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">USA Network<\/a>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The CW<\/a>\u00a0(NXT), and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Peacock<\/a>\u00a0(archives and premium live event streaming). You can follow WWE on social media and relive top moments on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@WWE\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This past week, the Golden Globe Awards and the WWE debut on Netflix went back-to-back nights in Los Angeles, so many of the stars who attended one made their way to the other. After what can only be called a successful first night on their new platform, Paul Heyman made some headlines by pitching an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4470,"featured_media":129522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,4,3],"tags":[256,9106,77],"class_list":["post-129514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-raw","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-paul-heyman","tag-raw-on-netflix","tag-roman-reigns"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129514"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129523,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129514\/revisions\/129523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}