LOS ANGELES — In the hot run WWE has been on in the past few years, media and fans have referred to it as the ‘Triple H era,’ a nod to the creative work of chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque.
Levesque has been humble to say he isn’t worthy of holding the title of this new period, but the head man of WWE is ready to offer a new title to signify the next point in the company’s history: the ‘Netflix era.’
With 2024 coming to a close, WWE is gearing up for the bang it is attempting to start 2025 with as its iconic show Monday Night Raw makes the move to Netflix. The inaugural show will take place on Jan. 6 at the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
It’s a big move for the most popular wrestling company in the world, and shows how far its viewership has come since its beginnings in the 1960s. Starting as one of the many regional companies in the U.S., WWE eventually became the dominant brand that had a firm grasp on what the country was watching, and although it has faced stiff competition at various points — even today — it reigns supreme with its programs available worldwide.
But the top brass in WWE believe the move to Netflix is going to be like something not seen before in professional wrestling, and at one of Netflix’s Los Angeles theatres on Tuesday, they gave the media some insight as to why it is making the jump to Netflix, as well as what WWE fans can expect to see starting on the debut episode on the streaming service.
‘To have a brand like WWE, which has been so enduring going back decades, was just an awesome opportunity for us to jump at,’ said Brandon Riegg, Netflix vice president of nonfiction series and sports.
Why is WWE going to Netflix?
The two companies are finding exactly what they want. Netflix has been wanting to expand its live sports coverage, and WWE wants to expand its outreach. Netflix is already one of the top streaming service globally, and having WWE programming on it gets more potential eyes on a product that is already having strong viewership in the U.S.
‘We try to appeal the WWE to all 50 states and to countries globally. We think Netflix does the same thing,’ said WWE president Nick Khan.
Outside of the U.S., all of WWE’s live programming — including its premium live events — will be available to watch on Netflix at no extra cost to subscribers. Levesque added it will be a ‘game changer’ for people in countries where WWE isn’t easy to access, or is on at inconvenient times. With episodes added to the Netflix catalog, subscribers can watch tapings at any time after it airs.
With a larger audience pool, Levesque also said there will be more more international events in 2025. The company already announced it will have a 11-city tour through Europe leading up to WrestleMania.
What other WWE content will be on Netflix?
Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria said in addition to WWE’s live programming, Netflix also will produce documentaries, and are looking into the possibilities of doing scripted and unscripted series involving WWE talent. Bajaria added Netflix also is open to doing movies with WWE talent, similar to WWE Films in the 2000s, and Riegg said there could be chances for reality show types of series.
‘First and foremost, it has to be a good idea, because it doesn’t serve anybody’s interest if we just roll something out for the sake of having the talent in there, if it’s not great. But you will absolutely see those sorts of things beyond just the documentaries,’ Riegg said.
Levesque said Netflix’s openness to other concepts will allow both sides to try new things.
‘There’s so many opportunities,’ he said. ‘We’re just really talking about the stuff that currently exists, but I’m really excited about the stuff that doesn’t even exist yet that we can build together.’
What will change about WWE programming?
With WWE moving away from network TV, there has been speculation WWE will stray away from being PG and go for more a mature rating given the company has tested the waters in recent months. There’s been more expletives, gore and suggestive themes to indicate a transition.
Well, put those theories to rest.
‘We’re not changing the rating of our programming,’ Khan said. ‘That’s definitely not happening. It’s family friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly programming. It’s going to stay that way.’
The goal from executives is trying to expand the fanbase, and not alienate a younger generation. Levesque said he wants it to be ‘a safe place for families’ to watch.
What will change is fans can expect a more ‘global flair’ to programming, Khan said. He said WWE and Netflix still are trying to determine how commercial breaks will work. Levesque added there will also be more opportunities for stars ‘to come in and out’ so it’s not the same people on screen every week.
What about the issues from Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson?
Despite the hype, WWE viewers might have been worried about how it will be on Netflix after the issues that plagued the highly anticipated fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. Even though the event’s viewership peaked at 65 million concurrent households, several people experienced issues watching it.
With so many problems spoiling Netflix’s big event, how is the streaming service going to ensure it doesn’t become a consistent issue? Netflix will also air two NFL games on Christmas Day.
‘You can’t learn these things until you do that,’ Bajaria said. ‘So you take a big swing, and our teams and our engineers are amazing, moved super quickly, stabilized it and really, many of the members really had it sort of back up and running pretty quickly. But we learned from those things, and we’ve obviously sort of done a lot of stuff to learn and get ready.
‘We’re totally ready and excited for WWE that’s going.’
Pat McAfee returns to Monday Night Raw
On air, expect the return of a familiar voice.
Pat McAfee will be returning to commentary of Monday Night Raw, Levesque said. He added that he will be ‘back with us here full time’ alongside Michael Cole. McAfee has been away from WWE since August as he moved toward focusing on his college football duties for ESPN.
What to expect on the first Netflix Monday Night Raw?
It’s no secret the first Monday Night Raw is going to be a massive tone setter for the rest of the ‘Netflix era.’ Even though he didn’t reveal what could be in store on the night, Levesque said the Jan. 6 date has been circled for months and it’s being ‘looked at like a WrestleMania.’
So far, WWE has promoted Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, CM Punk and Bianca Belair. Also in the program will be rapper Travis Scott and John Cena, who will start his farewell tour at the show.