WWE programming brokered a deal with Netflix this past year. The anticipation around the move has been palpable for ardent fans of the product, along with the causal fan that may get back into professional wrestling with the increased exposure and accessibility of streaming.
As was announced Monday morning, the first episode of RAW on Netflix — taking place January 6, 2025 — will come live from the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The facility was recently built/funded by Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer in Inglewood.
However, the excitement doesn’t stop there. A host of WWE Superstars are being associated with the event regardless of whether they’re regulars on RAW or SmackDown.
The event reportedly will feature the likes of Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, John Cena, and Roman Reigns. Famed musical artist Travis Scott is also slated to be in attendance along with a host of other to-be-named figures. Some of those likely will be of the ‘surprise’ variety.
There was also a fascinating note as it pertains to programming for the brand moving forward. RAW will be given a TV-14 rating on Netflix. NXT will be given a TV-PG rating, and SmackDown will interestingly enough be rated TV-MA.
The content for professional wrestling under the WWE umbrella has fluctuated in the wake of Vince McMahon not being involved with creative decision-making. With Triple H now in that spot, we have seen some features paying homage to older eras — most specifically the Attitude Era.
With the programming now featured on Netflix, there are truly no barriers compared to the ones WWE would face on a normal cable channel. As such, you can expect some raunchier language and content to presumably occur — though we’ll have to wait and see for this possibility to unfold upon watching the programming on the streaming platform.
