🤼 Netflix's First WWE Raw: Exclusive Report From Inside the Arena

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Den of Geek reporter Rosie Knight gives a first-person account of what it was like attending WWE's first Raw on Netflix...

Growing up in the '90s wrestling was everywhere. From my favorite movies like Mr. Nanny to video games — who could forget WCW/nWo Revenge on the N64? — all the way through the toys in stores, there was no escaping the influence of these icons of pop culture. As I grew older and my passions began to take shape, I spent more time in the cinema than watching pay per views, and the friends I did have who watched combat sports were more into MMA than WWE. But during the wilds of 2020 I began to watch Friday Night Smackdown and soon rediscovered my love of wrestling and the joy of losing yourself in the kayfabe of it all.

So it was with great excitement that I ventured to Los Angeles' newest arena, the Intuit Dome, for the first ever Netflix WWE Monday Night Raw. It was instantly clear that both parties understood just how important this moment was for them. A dynamic and beautifully shot opening that looked back at the history of WWE, a stacked card with four event-worthy fights, multiple WWE superstar appearances, incredible pyrotechnics that appeared to create immense fireworks inside the stadium, these were just some of the things that the 17,000 guests and attendees in the sold out stadium were treated to. And boy did they return the energy tenfold.

When Triple H was revealed at the center of the ring to introduce the show and thank Netflix for the new platform, the crowd went wild. Like, teen girls at a K-Pop show wild. The decibels and energy were off the charts setting us up for a night like no other. When Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson showed up to squash his beef with Roman Reigns and crown him the Original Tribal Chief after a decisive win over Solo Sikoa, the newly built stadium seemed to shake in time to the programmed lights built into the seats thanks to the cries and cheers from the crowd. That was probably encouraged by the appearance and involvement of many major players in the Bloodline rivalry and major outliers like Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes.

The immense star power of guests like John Cena — who revealed he would fight at Royal Rumble as part of his farewell tour — and the victory of faces and faves like Reigns and Rhea Ripley, who delivered a legendary championship win over her rival and hated heel Liv Morgan, made this a pretty dreamy watch for hardcore fans and casual viewers alike. And who doesn't want to watch a scantily clad goth queen like Ripley kick her cheating ex Dominic Mysterio right in the nether regions after he attempted to get her back after her win?

As Jay Uso entered the arena with Travis Scott and took down Drew McIntyre — countering a claymore and stopping the ravaging Scot who is still intent on his mission to destroy the original Bloodline — the crowd went wild making this feel like the major win for Uso that it was. If one man regrets his journey to the ring it was likely beleaguered one-time-star Hulk Hogan who arrived to promote his new beer brand only to find a cascade of boos and heckles from the Los Angeles crowd. Man, I love my city. The final fight saw CM Punk take down Seth Rollins, continuing the pair's radical rivalry and once again cementing Punk as one of the biggest stars in the game. It was a fitting end for Netflix and WWE's epic Raw debut that hints that together their $5 billion gambit might well pay off, if they can keep up this level of quality, fun, and fights.

— Rosie Knight is a journalist, author, and podcaster with a focus on all the things you love in the world of pop culture. You can check out her 2500+ bylines here, get her latest Godzilla graphic novel here, and listen to X-Ray Vision at iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts!

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