Camp WWE takes animated wrestling comedy to a whole new level

You know something is great when Vince McMahon himself gets involved and Camp WWE is no exception.

The show’s perfect appliance of hyperbole blurs the lines between kayfabe and reality, providing the WWE Network with more original content of the finest order.

Now, we wrestling fans can be a little critical at times, especially when it comes to WWE’s recent step towards being a PG product. On the other hand, shows like this can serve as a reminder that WWE still has a place in its heart for the hard-core fans and despite not being able to be explicit on live TV, the company will reward those committed enough to the product with something more edgy – and funny!

WWE Network is a pretty new platform for the company and with that comes an element of trial and error. The fact of the matter is, some original content is going to do well, and some others are not. However, the fine folk of WWE might well have hit a niche market with this one.

Since the monthly subscription service launched back in February 2014, it has made a variety of old matches from a bygone era available to stream on demand, but it has also opened the door for WWE to expand their product. Nowadays the WWE Network is home to a variety of reality TV shows, documentaries and animated series.

Produced by Seth Green, Camp WWE reminds me a lot of Family Guy. For those that are not big fans of Seth McFarlane’s show, hear me out. The show has a real advantage as it has a low age-range look and feel (because it’s animated), although the content is very much adult-based. This dynamic is mainly where the Family Guy comparison originates, in essence, as it has proven just how successful the formula of ‘animated adult’ comedy can be.

Camp WWE takes things that we are not expecting to see on WWE programming and amplifies it to an extent that just makes it hilarious, mostly through pure shock-factor.

For example, the majority of supposed ‘internet fans’ tend to label Vince McMahon as a big bully. Well, we see a lot of his animated character’s ego from the outset, and the way he talks to Stephanie and Triple H plays on this idea that 'what Vince says goes.' In fact, Hunter’s character actually refers to McMahon as “master” at one point, which makes for some funny viewing.

The characters are the selling point for this show, for sure. The way Ric Flair is perceived is just brilliant. This stems back to what was eluded to just before, as it's the amplification of personality that makes it so good.

On WWE television we are used to seeing a rather old Flair, styling and profiling, doing his same old shtick, where he WOOs every so often and the crowd respond etc. Well, The Nature Boy that tends to pop up in Camp WWE is a hell of a lot louder, says WOO a hell of a lot more – yes, that is possible – and man… can he still cut a promo?

If you take a look at the video at the top of the page you will be able to get a feel of how Camp WWE is put together. The short video package explains the story of the show with a few excerpts – including Triple H, Sergeant Slaughter, Vince McMahon and the 18-time world champion himself, Ric Flair – who all seem to be having a lot of fun contributing to the project.

Make no mistake about it, it’s not just Vince and Naitch that has me sold on this show, there’s Stone Cold Steve Austin, there’s John Cena, hell there’s even an animated R-Truth thrown in the mix!

The depth and the comedic value of each of the characters are a direct result of detailed writing, great execution from the voice actors and crucially the underlying knowledge of the wrestling business that underpins the show’s material makes it all that much better to watch.

Overall, while Camp WWE will make the prospect of subscribing to the WWE Network more enticing for wrestling fans, it could potentially appeal to those not interested in sports entertainment as well.

And that’s the bottom line… because GameZone said so.

If you would like to check out Camp WWE for yourself, you can subscribe to the WWE Network by clicking here. The Network currently offers a free month to start you off – much like Netflix – but any time after that there is a $9.99 monthly subscription fee, which can be cancelled at any time.