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WWE's Monday Night Raw has just made wrestling history with the debut of Raw on Netflix, ushering in a new era for WWE, dubbed the 'Netflix era'. This is the first time in the three decades of Raw's existence that the show has been available to stream. And on top of Raw, Netflix will also be the exclusive home for WWE's other shows, Friday Night SmackDown and NXT, not to mention special events like SummerSlam and WrestleMania.
WWE's flagship Monday night show had a jam-packed debut, filled with exciting appearances from familiar faces, celebrity audience cameos, dazzling speeches, and, of course, some awesome matches. Raw's streaming debut drew in a crowd of over 17,000 lucky fans, on top of the 2.6 million U.S. viewers who streamed the show live on Netflix (with a total global viewership of 4.9 million). All in all, Monday's Netflix premiere was the most-watched Raw in well over five years, showing just how much staying power the WWE has had and continues to have to this day.
Here's everything you need to know about this week's Raw.
What Time Does 'Monday Night Raw' Start?
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While this may be a new era for WWE, some things will remain the same, such as the start time of the weekly shows. Raw will continue to begin at its normal start time of 5pm P.T. / 8pm E.T. on Monday nights. NXT and SmackDown will also air at this time, with the former airing on Tuesdays and the latter on Fridays, just as fans are used to.
Where Does 'Monday Night Raw' Take Place This Week?
Monday Night Raw went big for its Netflix debut, as WWE hosted Raw's first streaming episode at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.
Who Were The Special Appearances On This Week's 'Monday Night Raw'?
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Netflix's Raw debut hosted a slew of huge appearances, with major celebrities in attendance and some of the biggest names in the WWE taking the stage. On the wrestler side, the show began with a heartfelt speech from "The Final Boss", better known as The Rock, who makes his first WWE appearance since WrestleMania XL back in April 2024. John Cena also kicked off his farewell tour with the announcement of his entry into the upcoming Royal Rumble. Other big names in attendance included The Undertaker, Bianca Belair, Logan Paul, and WWE World Champion, "The American Nightmare," Cody Rhodes.
As for the celebrities who came out to show their love for WWE, Intuit Dome housed some huge names, such as Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin, Vanessa Hudgens, Tiffany Haddish, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Keegan-Michael Key, and even Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle from the hit 90s sitcom, Boy Meets World, among many others.
Who Are the Announcers on This Week's 'Monday Night Raw'?
Pat McAfee and Michael Cole served as the live commentators for this week's Monday Night Raw. Alicia Taylor served as ring announcer for Raw this week, who recently took over for Samantha Irvin, who departed from the company back in October 2024.
Who Sings the New 'Monday Night Raw' Theme Song?
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Singer and rapper Travis Scott's song "4x4" is the official anthem for the Netflix era of Monday Night Raw.
What Were This Week's 'Monday Night Raw' Matches?
The first match of WWE's Netflix era was a major one, with former WWE World Champion Roman Reigns taking on the new 'Tribal Chief', Solo Sikoa, in Tribal Combat. The stakes were high, as the iconic Ula Fala was on the line, along with the title of Tribal Chief itself, the very title that belonged to Roman when he was leader of The Bloodline, prior to the faction being conquered by Sikoa and his goons. After a brutal back-and-forth struggle (with some assistance from both of the wrestlers' factions), Roman Reigns was victorious, defeating Sikoa with two back-to-back Spears and reclaiming his rightful title of Tribal Chief, as well as the Ula Fala.
Next up was Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship, where Ripley finally won back her title from rival Liv Morgan, who had previously captured the belt (as well as Rhea's man, "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio) in Ripley's absence after an unfortunate injury forced The Eradicator to briefly relinquish the title. After defeating Morgan in stunning fashion, Ripley was met by Mysterio, who, despite his efforts to embrace Ripley, was kicked below the belt, as one final act of revenge on the part of Rhea.
The third match-up was between "YEET Man" Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre (star of the Dave Bautista action flick, The Killer's Game, and the best heel the WWE currently has). In perhaps the shortest match of the night, Jey Uso claimed victory over Drew McIntyre by pinfall, to the utter dismay and bewilderment of The Scottish Warrior.
The fourth and final match on the card was none other than CM Punk vs. Seth "Freakin" Rollins, two longtime adversaries with an ocean of bad blood between them. This week's main event was a doozy, with the two opponents mercilessly trading blows both in and outside the ring, but it was CM Punk that was victorious in the end, landing two 'Go to Sleep' finishers on the cut Captain America: Brave New World star, putting him down for good.
What Are Next Week's 'Monday Night Raw' Matches?
Next week's Monday Night Raw card promises another batch of exciting matches. Dakota Kai will take on Lyra Valkyria to decide who will be the first ever WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion. Next up will be a Street Fight match between former Judgment Day team members, Damien Priest and Finn Bálor. Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser will also be going head-to-head, as will Chad Gable and a mystery opponent who has yet to be revealed.
It's bound to be yet another action-packed night of Monday Night Raw on Netflix.
Release Date January 11, 1993
Seasons 33
Character(s) Randy Savage , Chris Masters , Maria , Konnor , Viktor , Jason Jordan , Brie Bella , Nikki Bella , Mike Knox , Rod Zapata - Referee , Harvey Wippleman , Jamie Noble , Kalisto , Dean Ambrose , Daniel Bryan , Self , Chris Jericho (archive footage) , Michael Cole , Ric Flair , Hunter Hearst Helmsley , BECKY LYNCH , Uncredited , JINDER MAHAL , Randy Orton
Producers Vince McMahon
Writers Daniel Truly , Paul Heyman , Patrice O'Neal , Virgil Runnels , Stephanie McMahon
Directors Kevin Dunn
English (US) ·