WWE Home Video
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video production and distribution |
| Predecessor | Coliseum Video |
| Founded | April 16, 1997 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | WWE programming videos, DVDs, Blu-rays, UMDs |
| Parent | WWE |
WWE Home Video functioned as a video production and distribution entity responsible for delivering WWE programming. It was founded on April 16, 1997, originally named WWF Home Video, taking over from the independent firm Coliseum Video, which operated between 1985 and 1997 under Evart Enterprises.
Coliseum Video
Home video releases for the World Wrestling Federation were initially managed by Coliseum Video under the "WWF Official Video" brand. Established in 1985 by Evart Enterprises, Coliseum distributed VHS and Betamax tapes across various categories, including:
- Compilation collections featuring notable classic bouts and recent championship changes.
- Profile videos focusing on the careers of both current and former WWF wrestlers.
- Themed tapes highlighting different match types.
- Specific series dedicated to the WWF’s three primary men's titles: Heavyweight Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and Tag Team Championship, documenting title histories through classic matches.
- Certain editions incorporated bloopers and comedic segments alongside wrestling footage.
- Recordings of Pay-per-view events and live shows.
Additionally, Coliseum released videos for two events from the World Bodybuilding Federation and two productions outside the Titan portfolio: the New York Giants' music video "We're The New York Giants" and Wayne Gretzky’s instructional tape, Hockey My Way.
In early 1997, WWF terminated its distribution agreement with Coliseum to handle video releases internally. Following the contract's conclusion, Coliseum ceased its operations.
Legacy
On February 5, 2018, WWE made available over 38 Coliseum Video titles on the WWE Network, presented under the "WWE Home Video Classics" label.
WWF/WWE Home Video
Upon ending its collaboration with Coliseum, WWF established WWF Home Video in April 1997 to manage home video releases directly. Previous Coliseum titles were re-released featuring updated packaging and the WWF Home Video branding.
Following the transition from WWF to WWE in 2002, the home video division was renamed WWE Home Video. It maintained distribution of similar content while expanding into exclusive home entertainment offerings such as swimsuit collections and retrospective documentaries. Due to legal constraints, footage from the "Attitude Era" (1998–2002) required modification to obscure WWF "scratch" logos and initials; however, references to "World Wrestling Federation" and the original logo remained visible. Some early WWE releases either retained unaltered footage or replaced logos simply with WWE branding.
In 2012, WWE secured an agreement with the World Wide Fund permitting use of the original Scratch logo within archival materials, ending prior restrictions on 'Attitude Era' content blurring. Nevertheless, WWE remains barred from displaying WWF logos in newly produced footage.
On November 19, 2014, WWE entered a distribution partnership with Warner Home Video for North America. This arrangement included DVD releases of former World Championship Wrestling (WCW) material acquired by WWE in 2001. The collaboration followed prior successful projects such as Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery and related crossover productions. Despite solid sales figures, revenues from WWE Home Video declined amid growing popularity of streaming platforms like the WWE Network.
International Distribution
In July 1990, WWF initiated its home video releases in the United Kingdom through an exclusive agreement with Silver Vision, a subsidiary of Clear Vision. Initially, distribution was managed by The Video Collection, but Silver Vision eventually took over independently, broadening WWE's home video availability to additional European territories such as Germany, where distribution had previously been handled by PolyGram Video. Among the notable offerings was the UK-only WWE Tagged Classics DVD collection, which maintained the original WWF logos and content without alterations. On 19 September 2012, Silver Vision declared that its collaboration with WWE would conclude on 31 December 2012, with their final titles being SummerSlam 2012 and nWo: The Revolution.
Subsequently, on 19 November 2012, FremantleMedia assumed the role of WWE’s home video distributor across the UK and Europe, succeeding Silver Vision. Fremantle launched its official UK website in January 2013 alongside initial DVD and Blu-ray releases such as Night Of Champions 2012, Hell In A Cell 2012, Top 100 RAW Moments, and The Attitude Era.
Discontinuation
On December 3, 2021, WWE announced it would cease physical home video releases in the United States and Canada by early 2022, while Fremantle would continue distributing titles in the UK and Germany. Despite this announcement, WWE Home Video products continued to be released throughout 2022 and into 2023.
On December 5, 2023, Fremantle confirmed it would not renew its distribution agreement for WWE content in the UK and Germany, making Crown Jewel 2023 the last physical release in those markets. Concurrently, WWE ended physical distribution in North America, with Survivor Series: WarGames 2023 serving as the final global WWE Home Video release.
On December 31, 2023, WWE Home Video UK posted a farewell statement on X (formerly Twitter), announcing the conclusion of worldwide DVD and Blu-ray licensing. They expressed gratitude to fans for their continued support and highlighted the enduring value of physical WWE media for collectors:
Expansion of the video library
The WWE Video Library grew to encompass historic footage from WWF as well as archives from organizations including the AWA, WCW, ECW, WCCW, and NWA.
Formats
Between mid-2005 and its closure in 2023, releases were predominantly issued on DVD and select UMD formats—the latter eventually discontinued. The final VHS release was marked by SummerSlam 2005. The first sports event released on Blu-ray Disc was WrestleMania XXIV on May 20, 2008; it was issued as a two-disc set and remains the only pay-per-view available on UMD. Additionally, some pay-per-views were distributed on Video CD formats in emerging markets like India through licensing partners Ultra Video and Excel Home Video.