For the very first time, WWE’s flagship show Raw was broadcasted on Netflix, featuring the return of several top names. The highly-anticipated event took place in Los Angeles and included appearances from superstars such as The Rock, John Cena and The Undertaker.
Previously, the popular weekly pro-wrestling show was aired on broadcast TV for 31 years, but last year TKO, the company formed by the merger of WWE and UFC, announced that Raw would now be exclusively available on streaming. It is reported that the show has a viewership of 17.5 million in the US and WWE has over one billion followers on various social media platforms.
Reviews of the first show acknowledged that it was not perfect, but also highlighted many memorable moments. Some critics praised the improved visuals and production value, while others noted the repetitive nature of promos delivered by stars like Triple H, The Rock and John Cena. The in-ring action received positive feedback, but there was criticism for bringing out Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, who was met with loud boos from the California crowd.
The show also marked the beginning of John Cena’s “farewell tour”, with the star announcing that he plans to retire in 2025. Cena, who is considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, has been a world champion a record 16 times since joining WWE in 2001. He expressed his gratitude to the cheering fans and stated his goal to win the Royal Rumble event in February.
Fans were also treated to the return of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who is a director at TKO. The Rock, who previously played the villainous role of “The Final Boss”, surprised many by speaking about the history of the night and embracing former rival Cody Rhodes. He also appeared at the end of the Tribal Combat Match between Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa, congratulating Reigns on his victory.
The night also saw The Undertaker make a brief return, appearing at the end of the Women’s World Championship match between Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley. This was the culmination of a storyline that saw Ripley win the championship.
The show concluded with a highly-praised match between CM Punk and Seth Rollins, which followed a memorable back-and-forth promo on the final televised episode of Raw.
The rise of streaming and decline of television viewership led to Netflix paying over $5 billion (£4 billion) for the rights to show Raw and other WWE programming, including archive content. Fans outside the US will now have access to weekly shows like SmackDown, NXT, and live events. This also includes pay-per-view specials such as WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble.
According to Brandon Thurston, editor of wrestling site Wrestlenomics, this deal could have a positive impact on WWE’s business, as Netflix is a widely-used platform and will expose WWE to a larger audience. With the flexibility of streaming, WWE can now tailor their content to fit different time slots and attract a younger audience.
The three-hour runtime of Raw was reduced to two hours in 2024, and WWE’s chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque believes that streaming gives them the freedom to adjust the show’s length as needed. Brandon also notes that this deal could impact the style of content, as WWE is no longer bound by traditional TV timings. However, there is a potential risk of relying too heavily on the streamer, as Netflix may lose subscribers in the future. Overall, this deal puts WWE ahead of its competitors in the streaming market.
