History was made on Monday night as WWE Monday Night RAW was broadcast around the world on Netflix. For the first time ever, the longest-running episodic television show in America became visible to WWE fans abroad. While one cannot overlook the significance of this for the brand and continued growth, it was also tough to ignore the underwhelming nature of the show from a storyline and wrestling standpoint.
Leading up to the WWE RAW on Netflix premiere, fans were led to believe that this was going to be an all-time event. The match card was short but stacked, with the likes of Seth Rollins vs CM Punk, Roman Reigns vs Solo Sikoa and more. There were also plenty of stars slated to appear on the episode, albeit, not in matches. Unfortunately, even those appearances failed to add the kind of juice that was expected.
Call me a cynic or a fuddy-duddy if you wish, but the debut of WWE Monday Night RAW on Netflix was a big disappointment. The show was awkward, empty and slow on more than one occasion. There were some fun moments and bright spots for sure, but an overwhelming feeling of disappointment was the prevailing emotion at the end of the night. Below are thoughts and observations from WWE’s first show on Netflix, both good, bad and ugly.
WWE RAW on Netflix Match Results
Tribal Combat Match: Roman Reigns def. Solo Sikoa
Women’s World Championship Match: Rhea Ripley def. Liv Morgan
Men’s Singles Match: Jey Uso def. Drew McIntyre
Men’s Singles Match: CM Punk def. Seth Rollins
WWE RAW on Netflix Recap: The Good
Seth Rollins vs CM Punk
The main event of the WWE RAW on Netflix premiere was easily the best match of the night. Yes, it was slow at times and yes, the crowd could’ve made it way better (more on them later). But, from Rollins and Punk using the other’s finishing moves to Punk’s victory, it was largely enjoyable and entertaining. If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that Rollins won’t let this be over any time soon.
John Cena’s Promo
2025 has been billed as the farewell tour for arguably the greatest WWE superstar of all time. John Cena kicked off the “Last Ride” by officially declaring his entry into the Royal Rumble. To say this was surprising or unexpected would be a lie. Cena’s promo was well done though and warm-hearted. In a way, he took on an underdog persona as a washed-up veteran needing to win a lottery ticket to have a shot at winning a record 17th WWE championship. I’m here for it.
Pat McAfee Yeeting
Ah yes, Pat McAfee is BACK on commentary for WWE Monday Night RAW! We were long overdue for a McAfee “Yeet’ session on the announce desk, and that’s exactly what we got in the Netflix premiere. Michael Cole even climbed up to join in, and later, Jey Uso and Travis Scott were up there too. The hype every time Uso enters and McAfee yeets along is so real. That said, I could do without Scott smoking a blunt in the arena next time.
WWE RAW on Netflix Recap: The Bad
Intuit Dome Crowd
If you’ve been watching WWE for any significant length of time, you know full well that the energy of the live audience can really help or hurt a show. In the case of the WWE Monday Night RAW on Netflix debut, it was decisively the latter. At an event that was supposed to have a WrestleMania-like vibe, this crowd was more fit for a random Monday in the middle of July. Then again, I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise given that the show took place in Los Angeles. In trying to be fair to the crowd, there wasn’t a ton to get super hyped about.
All Other In-Ring Matches
Aside from the main event between Rollins and Punk, the matches for RAW’s debut on Netflix were really disappointing. Sure, the storyline of Roman Reigns defeating Solo Sikoa and reclaiming the ula fala is nice, but it was a plodding match. In many ways, it fell like a rerun of Reigns’ loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania last spring with several guys getting involved. I will say, Kevin Owens interjecting himself was a fun surprise.
After that, we got Rhea Ripley vs Liv Morgan Part 50 (or something like that) which carried very little pop. The Undertaker’s appearance following Ripley’s win was probably the best part. Meanwhile, Jey Uso vs Drew McIntyre was utterly horrendous. It didn’t help that no one in the arena seemed to care about any of the in-ring action. Having all of the “baby faces” win on this night was an extremely conservative and rather boring outcome.
Whatever The Rock was Doing
Following Triple H’s introduction, the first entrance music to hit on the debut of WWE RAW on Netflix was that of The Rock. I was hyped. I was ready. And then… I was left bewildered. The last time we saw The Rock in WWE was at Bad Blood when he gave the evil eye to Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. Tonight, he was draping Reigns with the ula fala after his win and embracing Rhodes like they’ve been best buds all along. Yes, there’s still plenty of time before WrestleMania 41, but how does WWE possibly pivot from the big bromance we saw from The Rock on Monday? Are we just supposed to forget everything that happened less than a year ago or something?
WWE RAW on Netflix Recap: The Ugly
Constant Awkwardness
From the quiet crowd to the prolonged premium live-event style entrances to the slow pace of the matches themselves, this edition of WWE RAW on Netflix had more than its fair share of awkward moments. The Rock’s behavior was awkward. Michael Cole recreating Rhea Ripley’s history with The Judgment Day on commentary was awkward. Promos featuring The New Day and The Miz were EXTREMELY awkward. Honestly, I felt like I was watching a Hollywood event at times with wrestling just thrown in the mix.
Hulk Hogan Getting Booed
The political motivations of the Southern California area were on full display when Hulk Hogan made his appearance on WWE Monday Night RAW. The fact that he was trying to say some of his best tag team partners over the years have been the fans while getting showered with boos was kind of funny. Of course, the real criminal here is whoever allowed this to happen. How could anyone think that rolling out the man who coined the phrase “Trumpamania” for a promo in a deeply blue city/state would have any other outcome?
Drone Cams
I might be on my own personal island of relevancy with this take, but the drone cams were not pleasant. They added nothing to the production other than getting increased footage of the incredible arena that is the Intuit Dome. Otherwise, they were unnecessary and felt very forced. If that was what was supposed to make the debut of WWE RAW on Netflix extraordinary, then I, for one, wasn’t bought in.
Final Thoughts
Overall Episode Grade: 4/10
One can only hope that we get back down to business on the ensuing episodes of WWE Monday Night RAW in the Netflix era. The premiere was more of an awkward, stuffy spectacle than a normal, action-packed show. Is it worth watching if you haven’t already seen it? Sure, but merely for the significance of the platform switch and what it means for the worldwide viewership of RAW going forward. Those who tuned in for epic matches, compelling promos or riveting storyline advancement were undoubtedly left disappointed.
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