PROGRESS, ICW confirm end of partnership with WWE Network

  • Ian Carey
  • By 

Two popular independent promotions will soon no longer be featured on the WWE Network. 

Scotland’s Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) and British promotion PROGRESS released statements on Wednesday that their contracts with the WWE Network have come to an end. It is not clear when the tape libraries will be removed from the streaming service. 

The statement from PROGRESS reads: 

PROGRESS Wrestling‘s first show of 2023 was named START SPREADING THE NEWS for a very clear reason, and they can now confirm that its very positive and long-standing partnership with WWE Network is coming to a harmonious end.

After six years and nearly 50 shows, both promotions are pursuing different digital media strategies, and fans of both WWE and PROGRESS are going to be the beneficiaries.

As one chapter closes, so they say, another one opens, and PROGRESS management can confirm that they are in discussions with a number of high profile global digital media and streaming options.

PROGRESS own an unrivalled video library containing more than a decade’s worth of the best of independent wrestling, showcasing many household names that have wrestled at PROGRESS over the course of the past 11 years.

Wrestlers such as Pete Dunne, Toni Storm, Walter (current WWE Intercontinental champion, now known as Gunther), Adam Cole, AEW World Champion MJF, Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay and Matt Riddle, to name just a few, have competed and enhanced their careers at PROGRESS Wrestling during this period.

This extensive content library has more than 650 hours, featuring 170 shows, which resulted in PROGRESS Wrestling being the biggest independent wrestling company to feature on the WWE Network.

PROGRESS would also announce plans to return to the United States for the first time in six years with a show during WrestleMania Week.

Further news announced at the eponymous chapter is that PROGRESS will be returning to the US in March at Los Angeles and linking up with WWE’s showcase WrestleMania 39.

ICW content had been available on the Network since 2020. The promotion posted a thread on Twitter today updating fans on the future of its library. 

ICW’s contract with WWE has come to an end.

We’ll be revealing the new homes of ICW programming in due course.

In the meantime, all unaired programming will air on YouTube and ICW On Demand.

A new episode will air on YouTube every day at 5pm GMT from now till Thursday 26 January. ICW On Demand subscribers already have access to 5 new episodes, with 4 more due to air by Tuesday 24 January.

Our ICW Fight Club event on Sunday 29 January will air live on Facebook and YouTube.

WWE announced on August 13, 2020 that tape libraries from ICW, PROGRESS, WXW, and EVOLVE had been added to the network. Much of the content aquired contained matches involving WWE talent then on the roster including Drew McIntyre, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee, Gunther (then WALTER), and NXT UK wrestlers Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, and The Grizzled Young Veterans.

However, according to a report from Sean Ross Sapp, WWE is discontinuing having independent promotions on the streaming service.