On January 6, 2024, WWE Raw will make its Netflix debut. With many big stars like John Cena, Roman Reigns, and The Rock included in the debut show, it’s sure to attract a lot of viewers.
Some are worried Netflix might face streaming problems as it did during the Mike Tyson and Jake Paul boxing fight. However, they have promised that they’ve fixed the buffering issues to ensure a smooth experience with family-friendly content.
During a recent event at Netflix headquarters, Nick Khan and Triple H addressed speculation that the show might become more edgy on the streaming platform. He said, “It’s a safe place for families, for kids, for everybody, to be able to view the programming. That will not change.”
Triple H speaks on not changing the rating for #WWERAW on Netflix:
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) December 4, 2024
“I think it’s what you want and expect out of WWE. It’s not pushing anybody away from what they want, it’s a safe place for families, for kids, for everybody to be able to view the programming. That will not… pic.twitter.com/vo6LTT4SdA
Nick Khan agreed, saying, “There’s some online chatter about how it’s going to be ‘R’ rated or, for us old folks, ‘X’ rated. That’s definitely not happening. It’s a family friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly programming. It’s going to stay that way.”
Netflix has also resolved the buffering issues that plagued its previous live events, such as the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight. Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said, “Whenever we do any live events, obviously, we want it to go very smoothly for every single one of our members.”
Nick Khan noted at the WWE Netflix event that WWE Raw will remain family friendly and advertiser friendly
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) December 4, 2024
She added, “There was a lot of interest in it. When you test and push something to 65 million [streams] at the same time… you can’t learn these things until you do them. So you take a big swing, and our teams and our engineers moved super quickly, stabilized it.”
WWE Raw begins to shine comparing SmackDown’s popularity
WWE Raw used to be less popular than WWE SmackDown. But under Triple H’s leadership, those days are over. With the show moving to Netflix, preparations are already in full swing, and recent episodes show it. For example, the latest RAW featured surprising storyline crossovers no one expected.
RAW is way better than SmackDown right now and it's not even close.
— TribaI Wrestling (@TribalMegastar) June 1, 2024
I think it's fair to say Roman Reigns was carrying SmackDown. pic.twitter.com/0zEYnqet3x
Netflix’s global reach is helping the show get noticed around the world before its premiere in January. This makes RAW easier for people around the world to access, which increases its popularity.
At times, WWE Raw generates nearly the same amount of revenue as SmackDown, which is truly impressive. his Netflix partnership will propel RAW’s growth in the future.
