| WWE Superstars | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Vince McMahon |
| Opening theme | "New Day Coming" byCFO$ feat.Pilot Speed[1] |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 398[2] |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Vince McMahon Kevin Dunn |
| Camera setup | Multicamera setup |
| Running time | 60 minutes(inc. commercials) |
| Production company | WWE |
| Original release | |
| Network |
|
| Release | April 16, 2009 (2009-04-16) – November 25, 2016 (2016-11-25) |
| Related | |
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WWE Superstars, or simplySuperstars, is an Americanprofessional wrestlingtelevision program that was produced byWWE that originally aired onWGN America in the United States and later broadcast on theWWE Network. It debuted on April 16, 2009 (2009-04-16) and ended its domestic broadcasting on April 7, 2011 (2011-04-07). After the final domestic television broadcast, the show moved to an Internet broadcast format while maintaining a traditional television broadcast in international markets. The show featured mid-to-low card WWE Superstars in a format similar to the former showsHeat andVelocity which served the same purpose. "Enhancement talent" bouts also happened often. Big names such asJohn Cena,Randy Orton,The Undertaker, andTriple H appeared on the show at its beginning.
On December 19, 2008 (2008-12-19), WWE andWGN America announced an agreement to create a new weekly, one-hour prime time series entitledWWE Superstars that was to debut in April 2009 (2009-04) (the show was based on 1 to 4 matches occurring where superstars from bothWWE SmackDown,WWE Raw and formerlyWWE ECW (2006–2010) compete in matches to determine who is the best for the WWE audience's entertainment).[3] Until early 2010, the replay also aired onWGN-TV. However, it was removed, hence eliminating distribution of the show from the Canadian fanbase.[4]Superstars had its debut show on April 16, 2009 (2009-04-16).[5]
On March 17, 2011 (2011-03-17), WGN America announced that they would not renew their domestic broadcasts rights toWWE Superstars, and the last episode they would air would be shown on April 7, 2011 (2011-04-07). Online reports stated that the network did not renew the series because it didn't live up to its expectations. WWE.com aired the show fromApril 14 to September 22, 2011 (2011-09-22) and again from October 6, 2011 (2011-10-06) to September 13, 2012 (2012-09-13). The show continued to be produced for international broadcasting until November 25, 2016 (2016-11-25).
On November 28, 2016, it was announced thatSuperstars had been canceled by WWE and would be replaced on the WWE Network by205 Live.WWE Main Event would serve as the complementary show featuring Raw and SmackDown talents (and would later replaceWWE Superstars for international markets).[2]
Select episodes are viewable on the WWE Network, and episodes from September 17, 2009, until September 20, 2012, are available to watch on WWE's official YouTube channel.
The last theme song forWWE Superstarswas "New Day Coming" byCFO$ featuringTodd Clark, which replaced "Invincible" byAdelitas Way on May 17, 2013.[1] The final commentators wereTom Phillips andCorey Graves, andJoJo was the last ring announcer.
Matches featured onSuperstars were taped earlier in the week, during theRaw events on Monday nights.[6] The program aired on Thursdays until January 2015 whenSmackDown moved to same night.Superstars was then moved to Fridays on WWE Network, with its first Friday night airing on January 16.
