In what will be one of the biggest moments in professional wrestling history,January 2025 will see theWWEmoving Monday Night Raw to Netflixas part of what appears to be a full migration to the world’s biggest streaming service. The company’s flagship show will become entirely global as of January 6th and looks set to start an entirely new era. This media partnership will be integral to WWE as they do their best to maximize their global reputation while the company keeps distancing itself from the previous owner Vince McMahon, whose recents trials have been a (small) subject of Netflix’s recent WWE documentary,Mr. McMahon.
The move to Netflix is an exciting prospect for fans, as WWE has hit a creative zenith not seen in decades. Through long-term stories such as The Bloodline and CM Punk’s life-long quest to headline WrestleMania, a women’s division that is boosted by the x-factor of the likes of Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley, to pure wrestlers like Gunther and Sami Zayn filling the top of the card,this current era can legitimately claim to be the best in WWE historyon all fronts. Add in new training facilities and programs for new talent that couldn’t be further from Dark Side Of The Ring and Bill DeMott, and things even begin to feel good holistically.
The company is still locked into other deals with Peacock and USA Network in America for PLEs and SmackDown respectively, with the blue brand having only just started a five-year domestic deal in October 2024, with the likes of WrestleMania and Money In The Bank still on Peacock until 2026. That is looking into the future. Right here and now,WWE is about to embark on the most significant period in its history. It all begins on January 6th on Netflix throughout the world. These are just some of the things that can be expected.
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10A Huge Night One
Expect WWE To Show The World How Great It Is In 2025
The Paul Levesque era of WWE has a much better understanding of the zeitgeist and what people are saying about their product. Among those who don’t watch wrestling every week, there’s an “it will never beas good as it was in the Attitude Era” belief that simply is not true, be it the quality of matches, the storylines, the presentation. There is a debate to be had about the respective rosters, butmost aspects of WWE are far better today than they were in the heyday.
“Right now, we’re up against ourselves. We’re up against the Attitude Era. The best of the absolute best of WWE. That’s what we’re working against.” - Paul Levesque onThe Pat McAfee Show
In truth,the Royal Rumble is perhaps the biggest night in WWE’s recent historybecause it’s the start of the road to WrestleMania, which is annually the ultimate moment to introduce friends to who everybody is and what’s going on in the crazy world of pro wrestling. But night one of Raw on Netflix isn’t too far behind when we are talking about those same stakes.Monday Night Raw is the longest-running episodic television show in American history. Its debut on Netflix is a big deal.
One thing to take into account is this night is bigger than the people who watch the show every week. That might be a bitter pill for some to swallow, but this is about showing everybody that there has never been a better time to be a pro wrestling fan and that nobody does it like the WWE. The hype will be there.Bet the house on them delivering spectacularly on night one.
9Innovative Production Ideas
The WWE Presentation Of Wrestling Is About To Go Stratospheric
Throughout 2024,WWE has introduced its audience to a lot of new ways of presenting its vision of professional wrestling. One of the most immediate ways that viewers can feel that comes when wrestlers cut a promo backstage and walk through Gorilla position to get to the ring. It’s simple but it’s fresh when you see it for the first time. WWE fans may be used to the 8K camera introduction for Championship matches and the magnificent, gladiatorial ring-announcing skills of Samantha Irvin, butthis will all look and feel like a blockbuster movie to everyone who hasn’t experienced it before.
Taking in everything from individual graphics packages for superstars to experimental camera work with drones, there are a lot of unsaid improvements already. Go back and listen to some of the deplorable things to come from Jerry Lawler’s mouth and compare it to the undeniable charm of Michael Cole and Pat McAfee giggling about antlers and telling Dirty Dominik Mysterio what they think of him. These are much better times if you care to live in the now and not in the warmer throes of nostalgia.There will be even more improvements when the jump to Netflix comes(hopefully including no longer censoring crowd chants) and that’s a very exciting prospect.
8An Upswing In Wrestling Content On Netflix
WWE And Netflix WIll Compliment Each Other
One of the key components of WWE’s relationship with Netflix will be to accentuate one another’s positives. Both are in the business of selling drama. While there are enough bad WWE studio movies in people’s memories for nobody to be clamoring for more of them, there’s a high chance members of the WWE roster will appear in Netflix productions. Thecreative possibilities when it comes to a Netflix-owned property like Glow are incrediblewhen they can use actual WWE superstars of the past and present.
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There are alsoendless possibilities for Netflix to produce documentarieson the great moments and superstars of WWE’s present and past. No company will ever compete with WWE when it comes to mainstream historical lineage. Paul Heyman has been working with A&E on their WWE documentaries and “cinematic” presentations. There is a lot for fans to be potentially excited about here.
7More Sponsored Matches
How Is Advertising Going To Work For Sports On Streaming?
WrestleMania 39 was a gigantic success and the first sign of the era that is now in full bloom. One of the marquee matches that year involved Rey Mysterio facing off against his son Dominik. This year-long feud resulted in a home invasion, Dom betraying his father by kicking him between the legs in a stadium full of people, and he and his girlfriend publicly walking out of his Hall Of Fame Induction speech. The match itself then hada ring flanked with Cinnamon Crunch Toast logos flashing on the LED advertising screensall the way through.
If there are to be no traditional advertising breaks in Monday Night Raw (and that is yet to be determined), occurrences like this are likely to become far more commonplace. How distracting that is, is at the viewer’s discretion, butlive sports are about to enter the streaming era like never beforein the next decade. The first glimpses of what that may look like could come on Monday Night Raw.
6A New WWE Championship Belt
An Update To WWE’s Biggest Prize Is Needed
Slowly but surely, WWE is working its way through all the holes in their armor. One of the chief complaints is thatWWE’s current world title design does not look prestigious enoughfor such a vital component of the company. In fact, the current belt is one of the worst-looking world titles in the history of the business.
On the surface, it may not seem it, but the WWE Champion holding their world championship on media tours is a big deal. It is something that is meant to be swooned over by fans and craved by the wrestlers at the top of the food chain. There has been a long-standing rumor thatCody Rhodes has campaigned for a return of the winged eagle belt. Whatever it looks like, it is certain to be an improvement on the company’s woeful current design.
“I am fond of the Winged Eagle, which is the title from the 1990s. Hulk Hogan wore it. Ultimate Warrior wore it. Ric Flair wore it. Bret Hart wore it. And I am actively trying to find a way to get that into the WWE world. - Cody Rhodes toGQ Sports.
5The Return Of Celebrity Appearances
Monday Night Raw Is About To Be Hot Property
From musicians, actors, and game show hosts, to The Muppets and former Presidents, WWE has an illustrious history in celebrity appearances. Now that they are selling out every arena they book and have a live show with the possibility of reaching hundreds of millions of homes,Monday Night Raw is about to become a highly coveted slot for anyonewith something to promote. The relative quality of each celebrity’s performance was often reflective of how much of a fan they were of the world of WWE.
Jonah Hill’s recorded tapes in 2011 were so bad that his Monday Night Raw hosting appearance was canceled, butLogan Paul understood WWE and its audience so much that he is now a full-time member of the roster.Bad Bunny is out here doing Canadian Destroyers and having one of the greatest entrances in WWE history at Backlash in Puerto Rico. There is an ever-increasing cool factor with WWE that is going to appeal to the world’s biggest stars, so celebrity appearances are going to be a far more frequent event. Let’s hope they’re more Hugh Jackman than The Three Stooges.
4A Change In WWE Entrance Music Policy
Looking For A Change In Approach To Music On WWE Television
A wrestler’s entrance theme is one of the most important parts of their whole presentation. From Real American playing Hulk Hogan to the ring in the 80s to the glass shattering signifying thatit was time for Stone Cold Steve Austin to open a can of whoop ass,music plays a huge role in the WWE ecosystem. The days of current WWE entrance music composers, Def Rebel, seem numbered, much to the delight of lovers of non-generic musical ideas everywhere. Where they go from here is what is more interesting.
WWE has been experimenting with playing musical artists' full songs as montages for their superstars on Raw, and a full music video was recently uploaded to WWE’s YouTube channel to document CM Punk and Drew McIntyre’s instant classic Hell In A Cell match. With such a gargantuan platform,established or emerging artists providing theme music for a WWE wrestler would be hugefor both parties. The potential options at WWE’s disposal here feel like they could break new ground between music and wrestling.
3The Return Of PPV
It Can’t All Be Sunshine And Rainbows
WWE made global gross sales of $67 million in PPV sales through 1.3 million buys of WrestleMania 28.
WWE has some of the most recognizable brand names in the history of PPV. WrestleMania is an event that has transcended the world of wrestling to become a global, annual cultural event. The Royal Rumble isn’t too far behind. While the hope is that WWE brings back big production sets for its signature PLE events, the likelihood is thataudiences may have to pay for the biggest shows of the yearin the not-to-distant future. The return of the SmackDown fist would at least soften the blow a little bit though.
2A Women’s Mid-Card Championship
Expect WWE To Celebrate Their Women Even Further
Assembling a rich wealth of talent across WWE and NXT’s women’s divisions is one of the company’s greatest recent achievements. Developing characters and improving the presentation of its women over the course of the last decade, the presentation of women in WWE is a distant cry from what viewers from the Attitude or Ruthless Aggression will have seen. The competition is so fierce thatthere has been a long-standing clamor for a women’s mid-card titleand this point in time feels like the perfect time and place to do it.
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In the short term,a hotly contested tournament could showcase a litany of incredible womenin high-stakes matches. In the long term, it is needed on so many levels. Superstars like Sonya Deville, Piper Niven, Ivy Nile, and Kairi Sane aren’t in the main title picture, but there should absolutely be a title for their immense talent to fight over. For the likes of Jade Cargill and Chelsea Green, it’s a chance for the audience to react to them as champions ahead of the possibility of winning the Women’s Championship in the future. It all makes sense.
1The Most Successful Year In WWE History
Everything Is In Place For WWE To Create History
When WWE hits Netflix in January of 2025, it will have a blend of exciting original superstars, household names, respected veterans, andthe final year of John Cena, one of the most loved wrestlers of all time. Wrestling’s presentation has never been better, and it comes at a point in time when they are going to reach more people than ever before. When considering that it is going to be a difficult year away from the ring,WWE will be more determined than ever to deliver quality programming for its audience.
It may sound silly but “every story makes sense now” has gone an awful long way to restoring belief in WWE’s creative resurgence, and this success has fans at a point where it’s hard to see how the Paul Levesque era can lose. Fans have waited a long time for a cohesive WWE product to be proud of. WWE’s Chief Creative Officer speaks at press conferences after PLEs and every time he reads from a sheet of paper, viewers are told a slew of ways the WWE has broken records. If they can build upon the creative work and production improvements of the last eighteen months, while learning from the myriad of mistakes from wrestling’s past,this could be the most profitable year in WWE history. No pressure.
