Video: WWE Reveals WWE Speed Championship for New Show with 3-Minute Matches on X
Mike Chiari@@mikechiari
Featured Columnist IVMarch 28, 2024
WWE announced Wednesday that the WWE Speed tournament will begin April 3 with the winner being crowned the inaugural WWE Speed champion.
SmackDown announcer Corey Graves explained the concept, noting that WWE Speed matches will have a three-minute time limit and will air exclusively on X starting on April 3:
WWE @WWEEVERY SECOND COUNTS ⏰<a href="https://twitter.com/WWEGraves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WWEGraves</a> is here to introduce <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWESpeed?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWESpeed</a>! Your favorite Superstars will go head-to-head in 3 minute matches, where the WWE Speed Championship is the ultimate prize.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWESpeed?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWESpeed</a> premieres April 3rd, exclusively on <a href="https://twitter.com/X?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@X</a>! <a href="https://t.co/JTx2o9CNBi">pic.twitter.com/JTx2o9CNBi</a>
While the WWE Speed Championship belt was not shown in the video, it will mark the company's first new title on the main roster since the World Heavyweight Championship was established last year.
WWE first announced the WWE Speed concept in February, noting at the time that matches would air exclusively on X weekly starting the spring. However, at that time, the plan was for the matches to have five-minute time limits:
WWE @WWE🚨 JUST ANNOUNCED: WWE Speed is a new weekly video series showcasing up to 5-minute matches which will be distributed exclusively on X! <br><br>Beginning Spring 2024, WWE and X will deliver the new format for high-paced timed matches showcasing your favorite WWE Superstars! <a href="https://t.co/QlhCKoRUrz">pic.twitter.com/QlhCKoRUrz</a>
WWE has already begun taping WWE Speed matches before episodes of Raw and SmackDown, which suggests that the contests shown on X will not necessarily be live.
Per Steve Carrier of Ringside News, Odyssey Jones vs. Cedric Alexander and Tyler Bate vs. Angel Garza were taped for WWE Speed prior to last week's SmackDown.
The WWE Speed idea is a unique one in that it will be difficult for the talent involved to tell a good story in only three minutes, but the constraints should ensure that every second is action-packed.
It also figures to allow WWE to showcase some Superstars who are not regularly seen on Raw and SmackDown, giving them a huge platform to perform on in X.
Also, if there is a financial component to the deal with X, it will mean even more income for WWE, which already has rights deals in place for Raw (Netflix), SmackDown (USA Network) and NXT (The CW), as well as a streaming deal with Peacock to air premium live events and archived content.
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