As World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is heading into WrestleMania weekend, there are several storylines percolating around the sports and entertainment promotion that have captivated and intrigued fans. While there are riveting narratives pertaining to superstars, the annual gathering of wrestling grandeur will be headlined by Cody Rhodes defending his undisputed WWE championship against John Cena, who is planning to retire after this year. Brian Fadem, a vice president and line producer at the company, plays an essential part in ensuring the creative vision is actualized in the production itself and is on the precipice of executing the show for which planning commenced in January.
Fadem has worked several WrestleMania events in the past and values his previous experience, but he knows that strong communication and teamwork will facilitate success. Heading into the distinctive event, he is looking forward to implementing different elements of the physical set into the production itself.
“I look at the background, our backpiece, our center stage as another character in the whole story and in the show, and he or she, however you want to put it, is always the one that’s in every segment,” Fadem said. “So I think that this year, it’s going to be a little bit more of a return to seeing some unique display in terms of that set piece and just how we integrate it within the show and within the talent entrances especially.”
The two-night wrestling exposition will be available to stream exclusively on Peacock under its deal to serve as the exclusive streaming home of premium live events in the United States for the property. Whereas the event took place outdoors last year and had to combat chilly weather, WrestleMania will be inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., the home of the Las Vegas Raiders and venue utilized for Super Bowl LVIII.
“There is so much going on, but I think because we have such strong, talented people in so many positions, it’s able to be navigated accordingly,” Fadem said. “WrestleMania month comes and everybody knows it’s go-time, so I would just say there’s a different [feel] in the air with just everybody — you could feel it in Stamford as well at the office.”
A Changing of the Guard for a New Generation
This edition of WrestleMania will be the third under the direction of chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, a former wrestler with whom Fadem works in tandem. Being immersed in a collaborative environment with synergy between departments, Fadem discerns that the environment has assisted everyone with their responsibilities.
“I think [he has] really allowed and opened up ideas to come from talent, which wasn’t always the case in the past,” Fadem said. “I think that talent feels very empowered to be able to collaborate, offer suggestions, offer an idea, especially when it comes to things like WrestleMania entrances, which are so big, momentous, more so than usual, and I think those are where we really are able to kind of put our heads together and get ideas from not just the production end, the creative end, but directly with the talent.”
There are instances where the production team will contribute ideas to writing the show, such as suggesting a continuous shot from backstage into the arena tying together several storylines. Although they were unsure how and if it could fit, the WWE creative team ended up implementing and carrying it out during a show, indicative of the flourishing synergy and alignment in the overall mission.
“Our product is sometimes hard to shoot because a lot of us come from a sports background where we just read and react,” Fadem said. “Because a lot of times we have an idea about what the creative is or what’s supposed to happen, it can be harder to shoot for an audience that’s not supposed to know what’s going to happen, so it can be a little bit tricky in that regard.”
WWE will leverage technological innovation to capture the WrestleMania experience with a total of 21 cameras such as an RF steadicam, technocrane and jibs providing the audience with unique vantage points.
“The environment we live in is that if we mess something up, it’s not life or death, but at the same point, there’s also another segment usually coming right up after whatever went wrong,” Fadem said. “So there’s plenty of opportunities to continue to try new things, experiment, see what might fit with our brand, with our product and what doesn’t, and then, ultimately, using all these lessons that we’ve learned throughout the year to build on each other to really be able to execute the best possible show this weekend.”
Bringing the Excitement of WrestleMania Worldwide
WrestleMania will be streaming live on Netflix for international audiences, something that Fadem will be keeping in mind amid the production. Throughout the first season of WWE Raw broadcasts airing on Netflix under a 10-year pact reportedly worth a total of $5 billion, the company has experimented with new production elements and leveraged creativity to bolster the overall product for the viewers.
“I think that we’ve had a great partnership with Netflix,” Fadem said. “They’ve really been great to work with. I think it’s been mutually beneficial, as they’ve already discussed further sponsorships and just more integrations within the show, so it seems like it’s working on both ends.”
Jackie Redmond, who joined Monday Night Raw three years ago as a backstage interviewer and also hosts shows surrounding premium live event coverage, remembers the wave of people reaching out after the Netflix debut. Redmond, who has worked as a reporter covering the National Hockey League on TNT and NHL Network over the years, feels that Netflix has elevated the accessibility of the program. While some consumers were not interested in WWE beforehand, she has realized augmented curiosity and consumption of this content in recent months.
“We, of course, all knew that WWE partnering with Netflix would be big for the business and would put the product in front of more people, but to see that play out in real time pretty much immediately, that sort of hits you like a ton of bricks and you’re like, ‘Oh wow,’” Redmond said. “WWE has been global for a long time, but this is sort of taking it to a new level in terms of being able to reach people that don’t know what they’re missing.”
In addition to Redmond, the Raw broadcast team includes play-by-play announcer Michael Cole, analyst Pat McAfee, ring announcer Alicia Taylor and backstage interviewer Cathy Kelley. With the start of WrestleMania weekend on the horizon, Redmond is preparing to be immersed in a marathon and is planning on gaining more sleep while effectively pacing herself. Moreover, she is staying focused on fulfilling her storytelling responsibilities on the pre-show and post-show and within the primary broadcast itself.
“It was my first time in the role I’m currently in at WrestleMania last year, and so for me, I think it was all kind of a blur,” Redmond said. “I don’t know how much I was able to really step back and take it in and sort of appreciate the moment for what it was, and so hopefully this year, I’ll be able to do a little bit more of that and remember more of it.”
Adapting to Audiences All the Time and Everywhere
Cognizant of diminished attention spans and the modern media ecosystem full with multiplatform content, WWE Raw has worked on keeping its show run times tight despite having flexibility being on Netflix. Many of the episodes end with cliffhangers that set up future events, most of which Fadem knows ahead of time. When Cena unexpectedly turned heel and viciously attacked Rhodes to end the company’s most recent premium live event, Fadem only knew the storyline up to a certain point because of the surprise associated therein, providing a rare opportunity to lean into spontaneity on the broadcasts.
“I think a lot of the time, the nice part about our industry and the current projects is there is a lot of reaction in real time based on the audience reaction a lot of times,” Fadem said. “The audience will react in a way we weren’t expecting, so we’ll have to kind of pivot in the moment, or they’ll react way better than we expected and we’ll add to it a little bit.”
In the buildup to WrestleMania, WWE brought its shows overseas where it traversed countries in Europe for an 11-city tour. Due to the time difference, the programs were live during the afternoon in the United States, and while it altered the traditional paradigm, it was something Fadem thought was good to break things up during the year. Reflecting on the enterprise, he perceived the audiences trying to prove themselves akin to an audition and acknowledged the crowd having a significant impact.
“A Chicago crowd saw the European shows, and Punk teed them up and said, ‘Let me hear you!,’ and they showed how that they can be just as loud too,” Fadem said. “So I think that it just elevates the game for everybody, and I think that also doing those European shows gave us a pretty good baseline for getting into WrestleMania.”
Although Fadem is not directly tied to content disseminated on social media platforms, he witnesses how the company has leaned into the space more to offer shorter clips to the audience. The Netflix premiere of Raw elicited 223 million social views across platforms, and there is some content exclusive to this domain that breaks the proverbial fourth wall and prioritizes veritable authenticity with the public.
“I think it’s definitely come with the current times and just with the current regime because I think we’ve realized, ‘Reality sells,’ and when we’re able to blur the lines even more with reality and the characters, that’s what really sells,” Fadem said. “To me, that’s why last year’s Rock, Cody, Roman, Seth storyline was so impactful because it was like there were no points where nobody knew what was real versus what was scripted.”
Inside the broadcast truck, Fadem will be ensuring that WWE presents a strong on-air product that makes an impact and mesmerizes fans around the globe. With an eye towards making sure WrestleMania hits the proverbial jackpot, he and his group of teammates are embracing their responsibilities and ready to shine on the grandest stage of them all.
“We’re always trying to do more, and that is definitely the case this year for WrestleMania,” Fadem said, “and because I think we have such a strong group of people working on so many different products and collaborating so well together top down, it makes it enjoyable to be a part of.”
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Derek Futterman is an associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. Additionally, he has worked in a broad array of roles in multimedia production – including on live game broadcasts and audiovisual platforms – and in digital content development and management. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. To get in touch, email Derek@BarrettMedia.com or find him on X @derekfutterman.
