INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The next era in WWE has arrived.
WWE started 2025 with one of the biggest shifts in the company’s history, aa its iconic Monday Night Raw made its Netflix debut. On air since 1993, Raw moved to the streaming giant for its first show away from cable, and it is expected to be a monumental night for WWE.
Four matches made up the card, all main event-worthy bouts. CM Punk and Seth Rollins finally put their feud in the ring, the right to wear the ula fala was determined in tribal combat, and the top rivalry in the women’s division entered another chapter with championship gold on the line. That doesn’t even include the many appearances that happen, including an ‘electrifying’ one and the start of the John Cena farewell tour.
Here is a recap of all the highlights and results from the first Monday Night Raw on Netflix.
Watch: Monday Night Raw post show
CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins
With no love lost between these two long-standing rivals, Punk and Rollins got right into it in trying to end the career of each other. They quickly went outside of the ring and tried to throw each other into the announcer’s table and the barricade.
Rollins got into a heated exchange with the referee, and the distraction gave Punk enough time to recover and drop kick his opponent. He then launched him off the top turnbuckle in a move not many would expect Punk to execute these days.
The two stars went back-and-forth, and Rollins even stole a page from Punk’s book with his own Go To Sleep. When Punk tried to do his own, Rollins caught in and landed another one of his opponent’s signature moves. He went for a pin that was unsuccessful. Rollins then had a few pin attempts that fell just short of getting the win. Fed up, Rollins tried to put it away with a vicious curb stomp. He went for another pin, but Punk was able to get his foot on the rope to end the attempt.
Rollins took Punk up the turnbuckle and landed a suplex, but it was countered with a Go To Sleep from Punk. Rollins stumbled and fell right back into the arms of Punk, who landed another Go To Sleep that did it. Punk got the pin and emerges the winner of this one.
Analysis: What a main event put on by some of the best performers to have been part of WWE this century. The clear hate between the two was evident and it made for some solid entertainment.
A case could have been made for either star to win, but Punk emerging on top surely resets Rollins’ positioning in the hierarchy of the company. This will likely send him down another dark path and wanting to seek redemption. On the other hand, Punk still has a stronghold over some bitter rivals. He got the best of Drew McIntyre, and now he has the upper hand on Rollins. It’ll be tough to take him down as he is headed toward a WrestleMania main event match.
Hulk Hogan returns, gets booed
”Hulkamania” is not running wild.
WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan came out to greet the crowd, but it didn’t seem to go as well as he thought as the crowd booed him. There was a clear distaste for Hogan, as the crowd only got louder as Hogan spoke.
Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre
Uso wasted no time going after McIntyre, flying out of the ring to strike him before the bell even rang. McIntyre recovered quickly and sent Uso into the steel steps and then into the ring to officially get the action started.
From there it was McIntyre trying to brutally attack the man part of the OG Bloodline. Uso had to play defense and try to counter anything thrown at him, but McIntyre wasn’t letting control get away from him.
McIntyre was able to land a Claymore on Uso and the pin was unsuccessful. That didn’t seem like a problem, as McIntyre went back to work with constant punches and chops. He went for another Claymore, and it didn’t land cause Uso fell. McIntyre gloated about it, but he got caught by surprise. Uso snuck up and rolled away with the victory to stun McIntyre.
Analysis: The frustrations will only continue to grow for McIntyre. Despite being in constant control for much of the match, he got caught letting down and loses.
This will likely only make McIntyre more upset with the OG Bloodline, and he might try to go after Uso once again. Watch your back Uso.
Jey Uso enters with Travis Scott
It was quite the “Yeet” entrance for Jey Uso with rapper Travis Scott, who is behind the new official song for Monday Night Raw, joined him for his entrance. The two made their way down the Intuitive Dome steps and partied with the crowd.
When the pair got to the ring, they made sure to “Yeet” with commentators Michael Cole and Pat McAfee.
The Undertaker celebrates with Rhea Ripley
The ‘Deadman’ is giving his congratulations to the new Women’s World Champion.
As Ripley made her way back down the ramp, the signature bell ring went off inside the Intuit Dome, turning the lights off and sending the crowd in a frenzy. Then the ‘American Badass’ music played and The Undertaker came out riding his motorcycle. He went around the ring and came back to be right next to Ripley. The two shared a look and raised their arms as the fireworks went off in the arena, signifying of the WWE’s legend approval of Ripley.
Women’s World Championship match: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
The two heated rivals wasted no time trying to rip each other apart, trying put as much punishment as possible. But as the battled it out, Morgan’s partners in Dominik Mysterio and Raquel Rodriguez made sure to get their shots in whenever the referee wasn’t looking.
Because of the advantage, Morgan was able to establish some offense and even toyed with Ripley at some points. However Ripley took every shot and it only fueled her in turning the tide. With her dominant height and strength, Ripley threw Morgan around with ease. She landed a Riptide, only for the champion to kick out.
Seeing Morgan slipping, Mysterio and Rodriguez created a distraction that helped Morgan land an Oblivion on the steel chair, something she had done many times before. She went for the pin, but Ripley kicked out. Morgan then paid homage to Eddie Guerrero − or Mysterio − by doing the Three Amigos, the Guerrero shake and a frog splash. But the pin didn’t work after that.
Morgan was upset, and she tried to do another Oblivion, only for Ripley to catch it. She picked Morgan up and landed another Riptide. But one wasn’t good enough; she picked Morgan up for another Riptide and it was enough to put her away and reclaim the championship.
After the match, Mysterio tried to make up with Ripley by offering an embrace, and Ripley not only hit a low blow on her former love, but she hit the Riptide on him to punctuate her victory.
Analysis: ‘Mami’ is back on top. Ripley’s quest to reclaim her gold she never technically lost is finally complete, and she did it in spectacular fashion. The rivalry, even though it’s gotten stale at times, is the top thing in the women’s division, and it needed some change in order to maintain some approval with the fan base.
Ripley starts 2025 with gold around her waist, and it is very likely she’ll head into WrestleMania season with a solid chance to defend that title at WWE’s top event. But she definitely isn’t done dealing with Morgan, and there’s likely a rematch coming up in the near future, perhaps at the Royal Rumble.
John Cena emerges
Let the farewell tour begin.
John Cena came out to start his final year of wrestling, addressing the crowd with another ode to the move to Netflix. He said he couldn’t think of a better place to start the farewell tour than in Los Angeles, and talked about his wrestling roots in the area.
There’s been hope Cena would become a record 17-time WWE champion this year, but he said it’s “never going to happen.” He clarified that he has a better chance to win an Academy Award than win another title, but there are chances he could compete for it.
With a smirk to the crowd, Cena then announced he will enter the 2025 Royal Rumble for the chance to be a No. 1 contender at WrestleMania 41. He then made a strong prediction before signing off.
“I’m going to win the Royal Rumble,” he said.
Tribal combat for the ula fala and title of Tribal Chief: Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa
After locking up to start, Reigns threw Sikoa out of the ring. They locked up again outside, and Sikoa then took advantage, bouncing Reigns’ head off the announcer’s table.
The momentum shifted once Sikoa brought the weapons out, throwing the steel steps at his opponent and using a chair afterward. After Reigns countered the shots, the competitors continued to go back-and-forth, taking any opportunity to land a brutal shot.
Reigns sent Sikoa through a table and went for the pin, but Tama Tonga came out to stop the referee. Jacob Fatu then emerged and went to work on Reigns, trying to help Sikoa secure the win. He landed a Samoan spike, but Reigns kicked out of the pin. Frustrated, Sikoa then hit the Samoan spike on the referee.
With Reigns outnumbered, Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso came out to neutralize the battle, and then teed off Sikoa. Reigns landed a spear, but there was no referee to count. By the time a new one came out, Sikoa kicked out to continue the mayhem.
Then another shocker: Kevin Owens emerged to take out Reigns, and Cody Rhodes came out to take care of his rival, taking the fight to the crowd.
Then it was Reigns and Sikoa left. The two tried to execute finishers on each other, and it was Reigns who landed the spear. His opponent was down, and Reigns did his war cry before landing another spear. He went for the pin, got it and Reigns is back as the Tribal Chief.
As Paul Heyman was about to put the ula fala on Reigns, The Rock entered. He took the ula fala and placed it on Reigns’ neck and they embraced.
Analysis: It was the same old chaos that happens in Tribal combat, and it ends with the “OTC” on top. It was refreshing to see both sides get right into the action rather than waiting for something to build.
It was expected Sikoa’s sidekicks would come out, but Owens was a surprise. Still, there was enough support for Reigns, and Rhodes coming out showed the two sides have mutual respect.
The battle in The Bloodline is still far from settled, and it will likely head toward WrestleMania. However, Reigns is back on top and ready to retake claim within the WWE, just like many fans have been waiting for.
The Rock appears
People didn’t have to wait long to see The Rock.
The WWE legend was first person to emerge from the entrance ramp, as the Intuit Dome crowd erupted once his music hit the speakers. He came out with the People’s Championship title he was given during WrestleMania 40 weekend, and he gave it to his daughters to hold before going in the ring.
The Rock recalled how tough it was to watch wrestling as a kid, and now it has evolved to being available worldwide. He announced Monday’s event set the record for the largest arena gate in the history of WWE.
But what happened next was a shock. The Rock thanked Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes for carrying the company ‘on his back’ the past year. The two were rivals at WrestleMania 40, and The Rock was now gracious to Rhodes, who was in attendance. The two sides acknowledged each other with respect. Later, they shared an embrace that had to stun the WWE crowd.
He then gave credit to Roman Reigns, the ‘original Tribal Chief’ as he is set to take on Solo Sikoa in tribal combat for the right to wear the ula fala. The Rock said he will be watching the result of the match closely.
Triple H kicks off show
The night starts off with WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque revealing the new ring for Monday Night Raw. He told the crowd the entire globe will be able to watch the show now that it is available to watch on Netflix. He did his signature ‘are you ready’ before the crowd erupted.
‘Welcome to the Netflix era,’ he yelled.
Watch: Monday Night Raw cold open
When is Monday Night Raw on Netflix?
The first Monday Night Raw on Netflix is Monday, Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. ET.
Where is Monday Night Raw on Netflix debut?
Monday Night Raw on Netflix will take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, home of the Los Angeles Clippers. It will be the first wrestling event to take place at the arena since it opened in August 2024.
How to watch Monday Night Raw on Netflix: TV channel, streaming
Monday Night Raw will be available only on Netflix. Viewers will need a Netflix subscription to watch the event, and it’s available at no additional cost. Fans with any Netflix subscription tier will be able to watch.
Monday Night Raw on Netflix match card
Matches not in order
- Women’s World Championship match: Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley
- Tribal combat for the ula fala and title of Tribal Chief: Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa
- CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins
- Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre
Who else will be at Monday Night Raw on Netflix debut?
There will be plenty more happening other than the scheduled matches for Monday. Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Bianca Belair have been promoted for the show, but it’s unclear how they will take part. Rapper Travis Scott will perform the new Monday Night Raw theme song.
There will be some returns as well, including the arrival of Logan Paul.
Will John Cena return?
The farewell tour stars now as John Cena will kick off the final campaign of his storied wrestling career. The 16-time WWE champion announced in 2024 he would be retiring from in-ring competition in 2025 and plans to compete in several matches this year.
What about The Rock?
Get ready for the return of the ‘most electrifying man in sports entertainment.’ The Rock confirmed he will be part of the show.
‘I’ll come back home to WWE tomorrow night as we make history on Netflix and begin a new and exciting era,’ he said on social media on Sunday. ‘Tomorrow night is dedicated to my grandfather, the High Chief Peter Maivia, my grandmother, Lia Maivia and my dad, Rocky ‘Soulman’ Johnson and my ancestors who have ALL paved the way.’
It’s unclear how The Rock will be part of the event, but it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to play a role in the tribal combat between Reigns and Sikoa. The last time The Rock appeared in WWE was in October, when he appeared at the end of Bad Blood and stared down Reigns and Sikoa.
Monday Night Raw stage
There’s nothing new inside the Intuit Dome when it comes to the Monday Night Raw stage. It is similar to how WWE has structured its shows which allows for people to sit in the seats behind the entrance ramp.
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