4 Ups & 7 Downs From WWE Raw (5 January - Results & Review)

6. Strange Tie-In

WWE Raw CM Punk
WWE

Maybe someone who is a diehard Stranger Things fan will chime in and say that the cross-promotion between WWE and the popular Netflix program was *chef’s kiss*, but after all the hype, Raw came across more as a Halloween episode in January.

They decorated the entrance and ringside area with various props and accoutrements, and used Stranger Things visuals for commercial bumpers, but otherwise, there wasn’t much to this crossover. WWE did a more involved cross-promotion when Bob Barker hosted Raw and did a Price Is Right segment.

That’s not to say that WWE should have gone over-the-top with guest spots and tie-ins like a lumberjack match with demogorgons, but coming two weeks after the Christmas episode of Raw, this was simply subbing out a tree and presents for a WSQK radio van and vines.

Normally, this wouldn’t even merit a reference, but WWE hyped it so much and kept hammering the point throughout Raw, despite it having no bearing on the show whatsoever. Did any wrestlers even wear Stranger Things-inspired gear? If not, that’s incredibly lame, and WWE deserves a “down” for overpromoting this and then just doing the equivalent of sticking a red phone booth and black taxi onstage when they’re in the UK.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.