On January 6, 2025, how we watch wrestling is going to change in a huge way, as WWE's Monday Night Raw moves from its current home on the USA Network, where it has spent most of its three-decade run, to Netflix. While there is obviously a reason for fans to be nervous, thanks to the disastrous Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight on the site, there's no going back now. As millions of viewers cut the cord on cable, streaming is the future, and it's here to stay. Netflix recovered with no problems at all with its NFL games on Christmas Day, so hopefully that means those worries are behind us. Here's everything you need to know about Raw moving to Netflix, a historic moment which will change the landscape of wrestling forever, and with a first episode that is being treated like a WrestleMania. And for you international readers, the news is even bigger than just Monday nights.
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WWE Raw Moves To Netflix On January 6, 2025
SmackDown And NXT Now Air On The USA & CW Networks
- Raw debuted on the USA Network in 1993.
- AEW just signed a new TV rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Disney and Prime were also in the running for Raw's TV rights.
Raw made its TV debut on January 11, 1993, and for almost 35 years it has mostly aired on the USA Network (there were five years when it played on TNN/Spike TV), but 2024 has been all about wrestling TV rights deals. AEW just had their own deal finished with Warner Bros. Discovery, one that will keep Dynamite and Collision on TBS and TNT for years to come, but now with simulcasts on Max.See Also7 Things WWE subtly told us about the RAW on Netflix debut: Veteran name to leave SmackDown after 608 days, Major event to end after 23 years?Netflix veröffentlicht ersten Trailer für „Monday Night RAW“ – Bekannte Indy-Wrestlerin für „WWE ID“ bestätigt (inklusive vollständige Liste) – Frühere World Championesse denkt über weitere Auftritte nachHow to watch WWE Raw on Netflix: What to know before the Jan. 6 debutBecky Lynch's Return, The Rock & More Potential Surprises For The WWE Raw Netflix Premiere
It's WWE who has made the biggest headlines. After five years on network TV at Fox, SmackDown recently moved back to the USA Network. Meanwhile, NXT left USA for CW. Those are easy to adjust to changes, but in January this year came the big shocker. Many huge companies, like Disney and Prime, were interested in acquiring the rights to Raw, but it was Netflix who won the bidding war, with a whopping five-year deal worth $5 billion.
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What Kind Of Plan Do You Need To Watch Raw?
Will Raw Be Commercial Free?
- Netflix will now be the only way to watch Raw.
- Almost 283 million people worldwide have a Netflix subscription.
- Raw on Netflix will not be censored.
This means that come January the only way you can watch Raw is on Netflix. If you only have cable TV, we're sorry to report that you're not going to be able to find it anywhere there in a few weeks. If you don't have a Netflix account, you're going to have to get one. Thankfully, most people already do, with there being nearly 85 million subscribers across the United States and Canada, and a jaw-dropping 282.6 million worldwide. This immediately puts more eyes on the product. If you didn't have cable or a service like YouTubeTV, you will now be able to watch Raw simply by having a Netflix subscription.See AlsoWWE RAW & mehr bei Netflix: Auch in Deutschland?
But what about the show itself? Will it be any different? Does it matter what kind of subscription you have? Thankfully, no matter what kind of plan you use on Netflix, you'll be able to watch Raw, just with more ads if you don't have an ad-free plan. Triple H has confirmed that Raw will not be censored back in June 2024 (via The Pat McAfee Show):
Right now, just as an example of us being on Fox, if the crowd chants ‘Holy sh**,’ or something much worse, they just take that audio. Sometimes they take the picture and the audio off, and it’s just black screen... We won’t have those issues with Netflix. The ability to be live globally, the ability to have everything seen all at once everywhere, it’s a game-changing moment.
While that doesn't mean that the show is necessarily going to be TV-14, you can kiss those annoying audio drops whenever someone curses or the crowd chants "Holy s**t!" goodbye. It's not known how long Raw will be yet either. After being three hours for years, USA recently reduced it to two hours. Since there will be fewer commercials (it's not known if there will be no ads whatsoever), the thought is that the show will be somewhere between two and three hours, and that Netflix will allow it to fluctuate.
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International Viewers Will See All WWE Content On Netflix
The WWE Network Is Being Done Away With
- WWE PLEs will stay on Peacock for North American viewers.
- International viewers will be able to watch SmackDown, NXT, and PLEs on Netflix.
- There's a good chance everything WWE will end up on Netflix in a few years.
If you're in North America, everything else WWE stays the same. SmackDown and NXT will stay on USA and CW respectively for the next five years, and Peacock will still be airing the monthly PLEs. If you're outside of North America, however, you're in for an even bigger change than American wrestling fans.
Come January 2025, international viewers will be able to watch everything WWE on Netflix. You'll not only get to see Raw, but SmackDown, NXT, PLEs, and past shows all in one spot. Because of this, the WWE Network, which was founded in 2014 and began the wrestling streaming revolution, will come to an end. Hopefully everything goes smoothly, because if it does, chances are that everyone, no matter where they live across the world, will be seeing all of their WWE content on Netflix in a few years.
The First Raw On Netflix Is Being Treated Like A WrestleMania
The January 6 Raw Has Several Main Event Level Matches
- John Cena and Cody Rhodes are scheduled to appear on the first Netflix Raw.
- Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa and Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk are two huge matches scheduled.
- The January 6 Raw will see the WWE debut of Penta El Zero Miedo.
WWE is going all out for the first episode of Raw on Netflix on January 6, with it set for the new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, and big names like John Cena and Cody Rhodes scheduled to appear. It's seen as a new era for Raw, which means a newly released logo as well and an updated theme song by Travis Scott. WWE isn't just giving us a few cameos and a new look, but a card worthy of a major PLE or even WrestleMania itself.
| Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa for the ula fala |
| Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk |
| Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley in a Last Woman Standing Match for the WWE Women's Championship |
| Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre |
| Rey Mysterio and a mystery partner vs. The New Day |
The January 6 Raw will be a rare TV match for the Original Tribal Chief, especially on Raw. After many fans thought Rollins vs. Punk would be saved for WrestleMania, we're getting it on Raw instead. Don't look for this to be their final chapter though. What should be the final chapter is Morgan vs. Ripley, which is a feud that has been going on for several months. And as for who Mysterio's partner will be, all signs point to it being the WWE debut of former AEW star Penta El Zero Miedo. Be sure to tune in to Netflix at 8 pm on Monday, January 6 for an episode of Raw you'll never forget.