WWE Announces Title Match, New Roster Member During Raw On Netflix Kickoff Event
Women's World Championship to be defended on Raw's Netflix debut, and guess who's not retired?
WWE used its kickoff event for Raw on Netflix Wednesday to announce a title match and reveal the newest member of the red brand's roster.
Meanwhile, the "True WWE Champion" crashed the party, but more on him in a moment.
WWE turned the foyer of its Stamford, Connecticut headquarters into an hourlong plug for the 6 January debut of Raw on the world's largest streaming service (which they repeated about a dozen times), bringing out a phalanx of superstars to plug their involvement in the show, with Michael Cole serving as emcee. In a nod to how big WWE considers this Netflix move, Triple H declared the Raw debut on Netflix to take a coveted title away from the Royal Rumble:
ARE YOU READY?!
The Road to #WrestleMania starts January, 6th on @netflix! ? #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/OSqGo1P3gr
— WWE (@WWE) December 18, 2024
To the surprise of none, Raw GM Adam Pearce announced that Women's World Champion Liv Morgan will defend her title against new number one contender Rhea Ripley. The Eradicator was named top contender on Raw two days earlier, so making the match official for the biggest show on the horizon makes perfect sense. Both Ripley and Morgan were on hand for the proclamation, and neither backed down.
Pearce was busy during the rally, announcing that Raw was bringing onboard former United States Champion Logan Paul, who very clearly is not retired, as he originally said on his podcast last week. Ever the worker, Paul not only isn't hanging up the boots, he declared himself better than every superstar and took aim at the World Heavyweight Championship: "If you have something that I want, I'm gonna take it. I'm not asking permission, I'm going to take it from you," he said.
Gunther was unfazed by Logan throwing down the gauntlet, suggesting later that if Paul tried to take his world title off him, the Ring General said it would be "my duty and my pleasure to slap that stupid smirk out of his face." Basically, buckle up for Gunther/Paul in the near future.
But that wasn't it for the kickoff event. Kevin Owens barged his way into the proceedings, walking out onto a hallway overlooking the entrance/stage and complaining that the "True WWE Champion" didn't get invited and had to sneak in. Carrying the Winged Eagle title he stole after Saturday Night's Main Event, Owens said that December 26 in Jacksonville (a house show) would be his first appearance as champion.
Sadly for KO, his mic got cut and security escorted him out, so that ended Owens' segment for the day.
WWE's 10-year, $5 billion deal to bring Raw and its PLEs to Netflix begins in 2025, with Raw jumping to the streaming service after 32 years on cable television.