WWE released some major news a few weeks ago. As of January 2025, WWE Monday Night Raw will officially be part of Netflix. The flagship show will be streaming from the app, and fans must head to Netflix to watch their favorite weekly episodic show.
Over the years, Raw has come to us live from various networks. These networks have left their imprint on the product as they would. They are investing money in the product, so they should have some say in what happens, which makes the deal with Netflix all the more interesting.
Now that the streaming site will be home to Monday Night Raw, one wonders what type of changes might be coming. With a five-billion-dollar deal in place, Netflix will no doubt influence the product. What kind of changes can we expect? Let’s brainstorm some possibilities.
More Convenient Viewing Opportunities
The issue with live television is that once you miss it, it’s gone. Sure, there are options for recording, but a new age would happen with Netflix.
The streaming site would be able to keep an extensive catalog of Raw episodes. This will allow the viewer to go back and watch any episode they want. It is a huge plus that Netflix brings to the game. Fans will have everything at their fingertips, being able to relive whichever Raw moment they desire.
Will An Extensive Library Exist?
Over 1600 episodes of Monday Night Raw have been produced. Since 1993, the show has been on television every Monday night without taking a break or stopping mid-season. This means that there are thousands of hours of programming out there.
With Netflix being the home to Raw, will this mean that a library of episodes will exist? Will we be able to access any show from any year that we want? The work to put this together would be labor-intensive but well worth it for anyone who subscribes to Netflix.
Could A More Mature Product Be On The Way?
Since the Attitude Era, much has changed with WWE programming. It shifted away from an adult-oriented product and towards something more palatable to the average viewer. This was done less for the fans than for the sponsors. Many of the big-time sponsors wanted nothing to do with a product that showed blood and dealt with mature subjects.
Now that Netflix is in the driver’s seat, there are no sponsors to appease. This means that WWE could return to a more mature product. I’m not saying that there has to be nudity or extreme violence on the show, but some blood to heighten the drama surrounding a feud might not be a terrible idea now and then.
A Change To The Overall Look Of Raw
Monday Night Raw has gone through many changes since 1993. The stage, the theme song, the signature, and the ringside area are all things that are going through changes. This is something that would most assuredly be changed next January.
Netflix will want to make visual changes to Raw. Sure, the overall theme will be consistent with what WWE has always done, but there will be noticeable differences. The easiest of those changes was to the stage and theme song. These have been things that were done in the past when a regime change took place. It would naturally be the first move when Netflix takes over.
