Performing every week under the bright lights, with no offseason, WWE superstars are as in-your-face as any entertainers in the world.

And yet, WWE: Unreal unveils a deeply vulnerable side of these larger-than-life figures, and reveals the painstaking preparations they pour into every event. The five-episode series takes audiences into the writers’ room to show how superstars are created and storylines are cooked up, with WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque at the helm.

The performers work hand over fist (over suplex and superkick) in tandem with a creative team to produce fresh, compelling, fast-moving storylines that captivate audiences across the globe. But because professional wrestling is an unpredictable business, an injury, audience influence, or the decision to explore a new creative direction means that audibles are called swiftly and frequently.

“Each week changes so drastically, especially with the amount of premium live events we have right now,” Raw superstar Rhea Ripley tells Tudum. 

When the week around every match is so chaotic, you might wonder what it’s like for superstars on the day of a live event itself. Ripley describes her Raw routine. “Mondays are always really crazy. I wake up, I go to the gym, then I go to work. Our call time is normally 12 and it’s just craziness from there on out, which people will now get to see [in Unreal].’”

According to Raw’s CM Punk, “It depends on if I’m wrestling. If I’m wrestling, I will not work out. The work in the ring, the prep, and the warm-up — that’s going to be my workout. Because I don’t ever want to get hurt in the ring and have it be because I deadlifted that morning. I am now of the age [Punk is 46 years old] where I’m just like, I don’t need to lift the same day I’m wrestling. I like to wake up in the hotel and take my time and get to work when I'm supposed to.”

And weekly duties aren’t always limited to being featured on one program. Punk says “flexibility” is key. “You never know what’s going to happen. For instance, I was recently working with [John] Cena and I had to work Smackdown instead of Raw. So you’re used to one routine, of being gone on a Monday, traveling on a Sunday, traveling back on a Tuesday, and then all that changes. You have this weird feeling. On a Monday when I’m sitting at home, I’m like, ‘Why do I feel so weird right now? What is it? Oh, yeah, I’m supposed to be at work, but I’m not. I’m traveling Thursday to get to Smackdown.’ ”

If you’re intrigued at the prospect of seeing superstars backstage before a show, Unreal offers that, too. We get behind-the-scenes glimpses of Ripley and Punk n the moments before massive matches — and believe it or not, even performers of their caliber deal with pre-game jitters.

“It’s such a normal, human thing to be nervous and get these feelings and emotions leading up to live television or something massive in your life,” Ripley says, adding, “I want to make people at home aware that we are humans. We go through the same emotions that everyone else goes through and we feel the same stresses and anxieties. If I talk about what I’m experiencing, it might help someone else who is experiencing the same thing.”

So, how does Ripley conquer her anxiety? “The thing that actually helps me get over it, especially in this business, is mainly my music. It’ll help me snap into the Eradicator, Rhea Ripley sort of mood. Also, the people around me help a lot as well. I could go have Triple H come up to me and give me a pep talk before I go out. That normally helps. And then just knowing who I’m in the ring with, like Iyo [Sky] the other day at Evolution — knowing that I’m going in the ring with her puts my mind at ease a little bit more, and I just want to be there for her as well.”

In addition to backstage goings-on, fans can anticipate having their minds blown when they see potential storylines that were altered significantly or scrapped entirely, leaving some tantalizing what-ifs. Punk says those changes are frequent, but is able to recall one from a storyline years ago involving Vince McMahon having an adult son who was born out of wedlock. “I remember when they were doing the illegitimate son of Vince angle, and one of the writers told me, ‘Yeah, it might be you.’ I was just like, ‘What?’ I’m not saying I want to live in that reality, but part of me is curious to see what the hell would’ve happened if that was it.”

Whether you’ve been tapped in for decades or you’re new to wrestling fandom, prepare to witness WWE from angles and depths previously unseen. WWE: Unreal is the latest in a host of series like Quarterback, Court of Gold, and Starting 5, that give previously unseen and unparalleled access to athletes.

WWE: Unreal premieres on Netflix July 29.