{"id":129244,"date":"2025-01-03T08:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=129244"},"modified":"2025-01-02T15:11:07","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T20:11:07","slug":"wwe-raw-on-netflix-is-the-rock-returning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/01\/03\/wwe-raw-on-netflix-is-the-rock-returning\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE Raw on Netflix: Is The Rock Returning?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>WWE Raw&#8217;s premiere episode on Netflix is the hottest thing in wrestling. In anticipation of the WWE Raw on Netflix debut, hours upon hours of WWE content has dropped on the streaming service.<\/p>\n<p>WWE has released the full match card\u00a0for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/12\/19\/wwe-raw-netflix-everything-we-know-so-far\/\" target=\"_self\">January 6, 2025 WWE Raw<\/a>. It features Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley, Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso, Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa in Tribal Combat, and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/12\/17\/wwe-raw-netflix-cm-punk-seth-rollins\/\" target=\"_self\">CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins.<\/a>\u00a0A John Cena appearance plus Logan Paul&#8217;s promise to establish himself as the number one contender to Guther&#8217;s World Heavyweight Championship means the premiere WWE Raw on Netflix will be loaded.<\/p>\n<p>Netflix has more than 282.7 million subscribers. That&#8217;s a lot of homes set to be body-slammed by WWE content. But is there room for WWE&#8217;s largest household name &#8211; The Rock?<\/p>\n<p>Here, we weigh up why The Rock almost definitely will but could also not show up on WWE Raw on Netflix.<\/p>\n<h3>Why The Rock Will Appear on WWE Raw on Netflix Premiere<\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A year ago, The Rock shocked everyone when he showed up on the January 1, 2024, WWE Raw. The Rock caused shockwaves across the WWE Universe when he asked if he &#8220;should sit at the Head of the Table?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This was a reference to his cousin, Roman Reigns, who was more than 1,000 days into a championship reign and had declared himself the Tribal Chief. Reigns had been anointed with an Ulu Fala as the head of the <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/inside\/anoai-family-photos#fid-27204101\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anoa&#8217;i family Bloodline<\/a> by his father and uncle Afa and Sika in 2020. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Since then, everybody hoped The Rock might show up and challenge Reigns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A dream match between the Reigns and The Rock <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/07\/09\/original-plans-wwe-wrestlemania-40\/\" target=\"_self\">was set for WrestleMania 40<\/a>. But that got scrapped when Cody Rhodes won the Royal Rumble and demanded a title shot against Reigns. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/04\/07\/andnew-cody-rhodes-finishes-story-wwe-wrestlemania-40\/\" target=\"_self\">Rhodes took the gold from Reigns<\/a> at WrestleMania 40. But what we got in the build-up was The Rock returning to his eyebrow-raising, versace-wearing, trash-talking bad guy best.\u00a0<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/02\/27\/the-rock-in-the-bloodline-will-be-the-high-chief-not-hollywood\/\" target=\"_self\">The newly-monikered &#8220;Final Boss&#8221;<\/a> even <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/04\/06\/wwe-wrestlemania-40-saturday-night-one-results-recap\/\" target=\"_self\">laced up his boots on night one of WrestleMania 40.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Rock and Reigns defeated Rhodes and Seth Rollins. On the WWE Raw after WrestleMania, The Rock bid goodbye to the fans and told Rhodes he would return for him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL SEGMENT: Cody Rhodes and The Rock&#039;s story has just begun: Raw highlights April 8, 2024\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZOqwZwh4wPo?start=9&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Since The Rock Has Been Gone<\/h3>\n<p>Whilst The Rock left WWE to concentrate on churning out two of the most successful movies of 2024 &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/11\/06\/the-movies-stopping-the-rock-joining-wwes-bloodline-civil-war\/\" target=\"_self\">Moana 2 and Red One<\/a> &#8211; the youngest member of the Anoa&#8217;i family picked at the bones of Roman Reigns. Solo Sikoa took out Reigns and stole his Ulu Fala.<\/p>\n<p>Reigns&#8217; former enforcer now claimed to be the new Tribal Chief and leader of The Bloodline. Sikoa brought in Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, and Tonga Loa.<\/p>\n<p>After months of Sikoa&#8217;s domination, Reigns returned and a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/11\/30\/wwe-survivor-series-2024-wargames-results-highlights\/\" target=\"_self\">Bloodline civil war<\/a> took place. Both Reigns&#8217; original Bloodline and Sikoa&#8217;s Bloodline 2.0 have claimed a victory.<\/p>\n<p>Reigns and Sikoa meet on the premiere of WWE Raw on Netflix in Tribal Combat. The winner will claim the Ulu Fala and the prestige of being the Tribal Chief.<\/p>\n<p>The only problem is The Rock. Neither man can truly claim to be the most dominant member of the Anoa&#8217;i family if they haven&#8217;t defeated The Rock.<\/p>\n<p>The Rock appeared after Sikoa and Reigns&#8217; first conflict at WWE Bad Blood in October and made a throat-slitting gesture. It is clear The Rock is coming for one of the men, who is hard to predict. When is slightly easier.<\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Millions and Millions of Views <\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Rock had a busy year post-WrestleMania working on <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/04\/16\/the-rock-begins-the-smashing-machine-mma-movie\/\" target=\"_self\">The Smashing Machine and other movies<\/a> but now has some free time. A match at WrestleMania 41 &#8211; the first Showcase of the Immortals to be streamed live on Netflix &#8211; is surely a plan for WWE. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The premiere episode on Netflix is likely to get the most eyeballs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Netflix has hosted two <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">mega live<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> events recently. 108 million people are said to have streamed Mike Tyson and Jake Paul&#8217;s fight in November. Whilst 30 million global viewers watched the NFL Christmas Games on Netflix.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Simply put, the storyline is set perfectly for The Rock to return now. His schedule seems open for him being in LA on Monday, January 6. Plus it makes perfect business sense for The Rock to set up <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> WrestleMania 41 match with an appearance this Monday. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Why Won&#8217;t The Rock Appear<\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The case for The Rock not appearing on the premiere of WWE Raw on Netflix takes a lot less explaining and is really boring. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The WWE doesn&#8217;t need any more star power.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, John Cena, Travis Scott, Logan Paul, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Solo Sikoa, Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso, Triple H, Michael Cole and Pat McAfee will all appear live. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Plus, we can assume we will get some shock returns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The lack of female presence on the card has led many to speculate that a top woman could return. Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are the obvious choices.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pentagon Jr. also looks likely to debut and The Wyatt Sicks have hinted at another massacre. Ok, if all that is the reason The Rock won&#8217;t appear, that&#8217;s anything but boring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWE | LIVE on Netflix | January 2025 - 6s Global Reaction\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H-gkbasFQSo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE Network<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Peacock<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WWE Raw&#8217;s premiere episode on Netflix is the hottest thing in wrestling. In anticipation of the WWE Raw on Netflix debut, hours upon hours of WWE content has dropped on the streaming service. WWE has released the full match card\u00a0for the January 6, 2025 WWE Raw. It features Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley, Drew McIntyre [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3852,"featured_media":129257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,25,4,3],"tags":[4615,9106,77,8343,550,47,49],"class_list":["post-129244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-raw","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-netflix","tag-raw-on-netflix","tag-roman-reigns","tag-solo-sikoa","tag-the-rock","tag-wwe","tag-wwe-raw"],"modified_by":"Chinyere Okafor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3852"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129244"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129258,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129244\/revisions\/129258"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}