The wrestling world is bracing for a seismic shift as “WWE Raw” prepares to leap from the familiar ropes of cable TV into the streaming colosseum of Netflix come 2025. During an entertaining chinwag on “The Pat McAfee Show,” WWE CCO and all-around grappling legend, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, dropped some juicy tidbits about what’s in store for fans.
“Right now, on Fox, if the crowd lets rip with a ‘Holy s**t’ or something even spicier, they just mute that racket,” Levesque chuckled. “On Netflix, we won’t have those issues.”
Recounting a particularly “electrifying” episode of “WWE SmackDown” featuring none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, which Fox decided to censor into oblivion, Levesque and commentator McAfee highlighted the frequent frustrations of network censorship. Levesque promised that the no-holds-barred world of Netflix would bring a refreshing breeze of freedom to the WWE universe. And the big kicker? “Raw” will air live across the globe, uncut and unfiltered.
“It’s a game-changing moment,” Levesque declared with his trademark intensity. “Streaming is where the world is heading, and we’re at the forefront.”
With the NFL dipping its toes into streaming waters, WWE’s jump to Netflix is set to be a trailblazing move. Levesque believes that the sports and media giants will be watching WWE’s transition closely, eager to see how both the changes and the fan reactions unfold.
Starting January, “Raw” will debut on Netflix, with premium live events also making their way to the platform for international audiences. While “SmackDown” and “WWE NXT” still have their own TV deals, Levesque hinted at more WWE content eventually tagging in for some Netflix action.