For weeks, WWEfans have eagerly anticipated the promotion's January 6 move to Netflix. That moment has finally arrived, and the buzz continues to grow - not only because of the show's official launch but also about what the future could hold for RAW's programming.
The revolutionary move is sure to highlight many of the production changes that we've seen from World Wrestling Entertainment over the last several weeks. Motion picture-like cinematography and much more compelling storytelling have been produced under the watchful eye of WWE's Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque.
Steady improvements have been displayed during his tenure, and the promotion has been riding a huge wave of success. Attendance and viewership are through the roof, so that's why the timing for the move away from traditional cable is perfect. And if the cold open for the program's Netflix debut is any indication, the WWE is ready to shatter everything we think we knew about the world of pro wrestling.
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One major change has already come in the company's verbiage and how it identifies itself. For decades, WWE would never fully embrace completely pulling back the curtains. However, in the information age, ordinary fans became much more knowledgeable about the product. The audience may have always known it was a staged sport, but by the 2000s, they had started to learn how everything 'worked'.
While Vince McMahon famously got away with kayfabe to favor the "entertainment" part of the "sports-entertainment" dichotomy, he continued to present his product like a legitimate sporting competition, never going as far as openly admitting what it was: a TV show about a fictional sport. This definition, and the emphasis on storytelling that accompanies it, have been the guiding lights of the Paul Levesque era.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena will officially be returning once again to the realm of WWE when Monday Night Raw debuts on Netflix.
That's never more evident than in the cold open of the RAW on Netflix trailer. As Triple H delivers the narration, he uses several terms that were always considered kayfabe - the inside language of the industry. That's a complete turnaround from any incarnation of WWE we've ever witnessed, and the start of a different (and much more mature) approach to professional wrestling.
It’s as real as our ancient yearning. Not merely for a hero, but the villain as well. Just as they need each other, so do you need them to tell a story. But what of the story of wrestling itself? What if the canvas could speak of an ageless carnival with primeval roots, but that came of age with that most American of institutions... television. As television changed, so did wrestling. And together they changed America.
"You need them to tell a story" is a pretty hardcore way to introduce vast audiences to the crazy world of professional wrestling, but it's also perhaps the most accurate. The emphasis on its report with television is also a way to introduce WWE's new way of doing things.
Truth is, a great swath of American culture is born of that eternal battle between the face and the heel. From ecstasy to humiliation. Fame to obscurity, and back again. An endless cycle that changed the rules and blurred the lines, made it harder to distinguish the good guys from the bad, the shoot from the work, the real from the unreal.
The company is openly acknowledging to its audience - old and new - that WWE should be treated more like a Hollywood production than actual combat. That opens many doors. Exploring a more fictional side of storytelling doesn't insult the viewers' intelligence. Rather, it's this unique relationship with the audience and the latter's privileged position to suspend disbelief that let WWE - and professional wrestling - stand out from everything else in the entertainment world.
Despite its longtime stay on the USA Network, many industry insiders feel like the move to streaming not only makes sense for the promotion but for its performers as well. Netflix is a premium service with a platinum name and a proven platform. One that's considered at a higher level of prestige than standard, basic cable.
That should lead to much more mainstream exposure for performers like Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, and the rest of the roster. We've already seen several WWE superstars become major motion picture stars. Those opportunities will only grow as the WWE becomes more firmly entrenched as part of the Netflix family of programming.
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