John Pollock & Wai Ting are live later tonight following WWE Raw on Netflix
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Jermaine from Chicago. They pulled out all the stops tonight a star driven show. I didn’t like hunter using heel, face, work or shoot in his promo. Not using it during a show helps you to believe. More bells and whistle run ins, this bloodline things is over now right? Hulk hogan or his beer should never be in a WWE ring again. They booed him out the place like they should. It was sad that the actual raw champion couldn’t get on the show live. Punk and Rollins brung the good wrestling which this company is getting further away from. Are they going to more adult feel with Travis Scott smoking the weed on raw? Enjoyed the show.
Brian in New Jersey
Thumbs up for the first Netflix stream holding up quite well for me. Bigger thumbs up to the crowd in Los Angeles booing Hulk Hogan out of the arena. I savored that like the freshly made hot soup I had for dinner. After all the Trump-thumping he did, this crowd had no time for the Huckster selling his MAGA beer and talking about his more talented dead friends.
The show itself was pretty good once Triple H and Rock wrapped up things in the beginning. I found Cena’s promo a lot more engaging than Rock’s. Satisfying title win for Rhea Ripley, not to take away from everything Liv Morgan has accomplished last year. No big surprises in Tribal Combat, just glad Reigns won. Punk-Rollins the right choice to main event, and I thought it was very good.
Hamilton Dan
I hated Raw tonight. This was my first WWE check-in since attending Money in the Bank/Heatwave in Toronto and I found it incredibly dull.
Whether it was Triple H’s self-fellating monologue, The Rock trying to garner cheers for Ted Sarandos or the telecast’s endless blabbering about corporate business wins, it all just rubbed me the wrong way.
It’s like that Richard Serra and Carlota Fay Schoolman art piece Television Delivers People. WWE is not the product. YOU are the product. You are being sold. And while that’s off-putting enough, couldn’t I at least get a better show? The lack of wrestling wasn’t an issue for me. It was a lack of entertaining content. I was bored stiff and felt like I was at a WWE Multi Level Marketing seminar with a bunch of cameos tossed in.
Bless you if Tribal Combat, Hulk Hogan and the comedy stylings of Pat McAfee are your bag. It’s just not mine. I think I’ll duck out of WWE for a year or two and check back later. I hope Lee Fitting’s name isn’t on the end credits when that happens.
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Alexander from Portland
That may be the best episode of RAW I’ve ever seen. I started about an hour into the show and was able to play the episode from the beginning. I easily fast-forwarded through the ad breaks (the ad breaks were so much better than what we got for Dynamite), and catching up live was a breeze. The visuals for the show impressed, especially the drone shots. Uncensored FUCK YOU SOLO chants were sweet to hear. The varying videos and graphics to set up next week’s show looked so good, my excitement for next week is higher than I thought it would be. The content on the show excelled. My only negative is Travis Scott, dude looks like an utter tool.
Alex Francois here,
Just a couple of quick thoughts. Same as with AEW on Max, the sound and picture quality was a huge improvement on Netflix compared to the likes of Sling and Triller.
The show felt very much like a ufc template in some ways with each match feeling a big deal going into it, celeb shots and arena shots galore. However nothing must see was set up going into Mania season which surprised me. No Becky return for example and Rocks appearance not setting anything up going forward, only thing I know for sure is Cena wants to win the Rumble.
Also surely Austin would have been a better choice if you want a legend selling beer on a show. Thanks as always for all your work guys, especially enjoyed the best of/worst of show this year.
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Andrew from Cape Breton
First, the positives. The show was a spectacle. It had a great presentation and it felt big. The matches were ok with the main event being the main highlight. And of course, the hero living long enough to become the villian in Hulk Hogan. Now, the negative. They can’t keep having shows like that. That felt like one of the longest wrestling shows I’ve ever watched. I have to believe they only did it for this week and that they can’t keep up the pace of overly long video packages and drawn out promo segments. The pace was awful. I also don’t mind sponsors in the ring as I did just watch two New Japan shows back to back, but it does feel a bit rough seeing a sponsor for Saudi Arabia on the mat. I don’t think New Japan has that. Also I’m not a fan of the Undertaker anymore. If someone is gonna ride in on a motorcycle, I’d prefer it be on the Shooter Scooter.
The Netflix era is off on the right foot. There was a lot to like about it as two feuds has been wrapped up, Cena is looking to chase number 17, the Mastercard logo looking SOB got booed out of the building (it’s what he deserves), Roman feels whole again and Punk/Rollins came through and delivered.
I loved how the in-between stuff got aired over here. It feels more fleshed out. I wonder if it’ll be the case for Smackdown and NXT going forward
Rock being on New Year’s Evil tomorrow night tells me that it’s gonna crack a milli in viewership.
Overall, a strong start.
What a debut show tonight on Netflix. The Rock seems to have written himself off by not shooting any angle tonight, Lee Fitting got to show off what he got for Christmas, and the fans wanted nothing to do with Hulk Hogan.
WWE may need to rethink the next SNME if it’s supposed to be centered around Hogan because that reception was icy cold tonight. He may have been the biggest heel in the building.
It sure seems like we’re not getting The Rock in a match at Wrestlemania. He tied up all his loose ends. That savage beating he gave Cody last April, water under the bridge. Patched up by kind words. Coming out at Bad Blood to show disdain? Nah, The Rock will crown Roman Reigns as the tribal chief. WWE does not need The Rock, but we needed more from the Final Boss because it was amazing.
This first show on Netflix was fantastic. The Intuit Dome was the perfect venue for Lee Fitting to show off his new drone collection. The show we get next week will probably be more of the norm.
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Hey Guys,
Long time listener, silent for the most part but felt the need to chime in tonight.
So its been awhile since I have watched the WWE product in full. Am a 90s era guy and Got back in at 2015 and slowley backed off a few years ago once AEW took off. Watched both for a long time but eventually AEW became my brand and in the last year minus my dippings into NJPW and GCW it is my brand of choice.
New era, and new look I was very interested in tonights RAW. It has been a awhile since I watched a show in full.
Presentation 10/10 they did it up perfectly
However I felt like i was watching a UFC or Boxing PPV.
4-5 matches… in 3 hours. More focus on the the celebs and executives from Netflix than the actual wrestling. This felt like more of a product than a wrestling show. I am very curious to watch next week to see how they change the format and pacing.
Not sure if it was just in Canada due to commercial breaks or what but they felt like they took forever and the pacing was atrocious.
Again havent watched the product in over a good year and a half but the wrestling and shows pacing felt extremely off. Had I paid to seen that show live I would have felt deflated from to much down time.
SIDE NOTE:
Also just curious and sorry if i missed any comments before but the ticket pricing on Elimination Chamber in Toronto felt insane this year especially including ticketmasters stupid fees. We thought about going this year but the prices out of the gate seemed steep as hell.
Back to original comment:
Again maybe thats the AEW mark inside speaking for me, but with 4-5 matches in 3 hours I would have expected more. Thats not saying that they were not decent but this was supposed to be a PLE for them unless they were trying to tone down expectations. Rollins Punk was okay but for a new generation Rollins should have gone over.
Again like I said previously very interested in next weeks presentation and will give it another go.
But looking at eveyone elses comments is all being based off 75% the presntation and 25% the product…not the wrestling. Again why i feel like i am in the minority!
Looking forward to your review and insight like always.
Cheers guys,
Had to add:
Loved your Hulk Seg. Great conversation and very much appreciated.
Damian from Winsted, CT
I have to say I haven’t watched weekly WWE in probably 5 or 6 years. However, tonight I checked it out and I was very pleased. I started on about a 45 minute delay and the show breezed by with fast forwarding. Wasn’t into the Drew and Jey match, but other than that I enjoyed this episode and will be watching again next week to see if it was a one off feeling or if it continues. It felt special tonight which is EXACTLY what was needed. The production was different and felt big.
9.5 Hogan Booings out of 10.
I wasn’t able to do feedback for WK19 or Wrestle Dynasty since I finished today. WK19 was a MASSIVELY better show than Dynasty. However, Gabe Kidd and Omega had the match of the weekend. Gabe Kidd SOLD me with that performance and I hope Gabe gets pushed to the moon. He is better than Finlay in my eyes and should be the leader of War Dogs. On other notes, Umino is very clearly not the guy. Unfortunately NJPW is going to push him like Vince did Roman. He is giving me 2010 Naito vibes. On the Chris Charlton note, he was in my eyes severely over punished. His commentary added to the story they were telling in the match and I hope his suspension is storyline or something.
I would love both of your opinions on if you think Gedo has run his course as booker or not. NJPW feels stale and I don’t think it has anyway of feeling fresh wothout some changing of the guard. Thanks for all you do for our entertainment.
Jordan from the Bronx
The Netflix stream was mostly flawless and the upgraded production made WWE feel like it was larger than life. I will always give them credit for knowing how to polish themselves when they’re embarking on unchartered territory.
However, part of that is exactly why I disliked the show overall. The wrestling felt tertiary behind thanking Netflix for a million times and showing celebrities that are there to promote their own Netflix projects. WWE is clearly fine with knowing that this is who they are, because they’re bragging to the fans about how much money they’re getting. I only check out WWE for PLEs or major TV shows, but having to wait 30 minutes before a wrestling match starts is showing me that I could spend that time elsewhere. Especially when those 30 minutes are spent stroking their own ego.
Finally, I hope that they finally, once and for all realize that no one wants to see Hulk Hogan anymore. His boos get louder after each appearance.
Mat from MTL.
I loved the show but the Rollins-Punk clean finish got me a bit angry and here is why:
Many of my friends who haven’t watched wrestling in a long time told me recently how excited they were to watch RAW live on Netflix tonight. I assume millions of old wrestling fans came back tonight. I don’t understand why Seth Rollins, one of the best wrestlers of the last 10 years had to lose to CM Punk, who isn’t really at his best anymore. I felt like the window was wide open to show all these new fans that Seth Rollins was the new netflix era star.
Love you guys!
Nas from NYC
This was an absolute home run for me. I’m not just talking about the production, which was absolutely brilliant. The creative direction, in ring action, promos, entrances, announce teams, and introducing the current roster. The Clown Hulk Hogan getting booed. Thank you, Los Angeles. All were done very well. Makes me wonder how much more this current WWE regime could have done with the Fox debut 5 years ago.