In June 2015, a small gaming channel popped up on Youtube, hosted by a user under the name Austin Creed. Usually, channels like this take months or even years to take off. However, Creed’s channel, UpUpDownDown, skyrocketed into the stratosphere.
How?
Well, Austin Creed happens to be better known as WWE wrestler Xavier Woods, one-third of the company’s Tag Team Champions The New Day. And in eight months, his channel has gained worldwide viewership and nearly 400,000 subscribers as its unique programming and consistent streaming make a product that is not only fun to watch, but is unlike anything else on the internet.
To understand the success of UpUpDownDown, one must first understand the phenomenon of streaming: playing video games live for an online audience. Thousands of gamers stream on various platforms such as Twitch or Youtube every day, so how did UpUpDownDown become so popular so fast?
Well, to start, Xavier Woods is bursting with charisma, which is no secret to anyone who has witnessed his antics in the WWE.
He is well-spoken without being stuffy, humorous without being crass. The lively energy he brings to the ring every week on RAW and SmackDown is just as strong when he’s not embodying a character, perhaps even more so.
Additionally, as a WWE Superstar, Woods has access to a plethora of big names in the wrestling business, many of whom are gamers themselves. Superstar Savepoint (a weekly segment where Woods plays a game with a WWE Superstar or Diva) and Gamer Gauntlet (a weekly gaming competition, often between other wrestlers) both feature the likes of Sasha Banks, Seth Rollins, Tyler Breeze and countless others.
In a business where the wrestlers are almost always in character (though in the modern era, we see more of their real selves through social media and the like), it’s fun seeing them in a relaxed setting, discussing the business casually while playing games we know and love. It makes the wrestlers, who can at times seem like unreachable characters, seem more human.
Woods isn’t alone in running the channel, however. It’s virtually impossible for him to see to the day-to-day operations of it (uploading and editing videos, keeping up with all social media, etc.). That responsibility is handled by gamer Mike Murphy, better known online as El Murpho. Murphy also livestreams weekly, and is currently in the midst of a popular playthrough of WWE 2K16.
UpUpDownDown is loaded with content. New videos are uploaded daily and Murphy streams every Tuesday. The channel also recently wrapped up a Madden tournament spanning months, with former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins winning it all in a hilarious finale featuring its own halftime show by wrestler Damien Sandow (going under the gamer name Sizzle).
With the support of the WWE, UpUpDownDown has thrived, especially because the creative control is left to Murphy and Woods. Unlike RAW and SmackDown, where promos are heavily scripted and can often come across as out of touch, Woods and Murphy both come across as completely organic. They are naturally entertaining, and it shows.
The WWE is still in the midst of a transition from the acclaimed “Attitude Era” to a more family-oriented “Reality Era.” With dropping television ratings, it has to find a different way to connect to its audience. UpUpDownDown is a prime example of it exploring new media, and a very successful one.
You can subscribe to UpUpDownDown on Youtube, follow Twitter account @UpUpDwnDwn and catch Xavier Woods on Monday Night RAW and SmackDown on Thursdays on the USA Network.
_Edited by Katie Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_
