I recently had the opportunity to review the first “Camp WWE” episode, premiering Sunday on the WWE Network, for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Below is a review excerpt:
The new adult animated series “Camp WWE” will be a release of energy their older demographic has had built up for over a decade.
I got the opportunity to view the first episode, which becomes available Sunday on the WWE Network in the On Demand section. WWE fans who are 25 or older likely were watching back when WWE pushed the envelope with some controversial content in what was known as the Attitude Era. The success of that time period combined with WWE’s weekly programming now being marketed as more family friendly is a constant topic of conversation or complaint.
The new series not only brings that attitude back for 22 minutes per episode but does it with the current characters in today’s TV-PG environment.
Vince McMahon runs a summer camp with a younger Stephanie McMahon and Triple H as the camp counselors. The WWE Superstars as children are the campers. McMahon is as over the top as you could imagine with his language, analogies, toilet humor, ideas and what he believes he’s capable of accomplishing. Stephanie is trying to keep her dad happy while hints of being the spoiled rich girl are all around. Triple H is in love with Stephanie while trying to constantly appease Vince McMahon, who can’t stand the sight of him.
The WWE Superstars as children is an aspect that gives the writers a fun launching point of creativity. They essentially hit the rewind button and let the show be a ridiculous prequel to how the WWE Superstars came to be the characters we now know them on RAW or SmackDown.
The focus of the first episode is on young John Cena, who displays a goody two-shoes personality while still having a determined attitude to accomplish his goals. In this episode, his goal is to leave Camp WWE because he misses his family.
Many WWE characters were shown, while only some had speaking roles in this first episode. They were John Cena, The Bella Twins, Big Show, R-Truth, The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin as kids. Others who appeared without speaking were Rusev, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns.
Ric Flair, as an adult, appears in the first episode, showing young Cena a good time in order to keep him happy and wanting to stay at Camp WWE. The Nature Boy character is taken to the extreme in this animated word of ridiculousness.
CLICK HERE for who stole the show and what this series could mean for the future.
