WWE Raw On Netflix: 5 Things That MUST Happen

One of the biggest 'things that must happen' during WWE Raw's debut episode on Netflix? That the show feels different. This is a lay-up for the company in terms of overall attention - they're on a massive streaming platform in front of a mixed live and on-demand audience who might not typically check the flagship out. Grabbing attention and evolving into a new Monday night behemoth must be one of Triple H's top goals.

John Cena will be there to kick off his retirement tour, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa will lock horns in 'Tribal Combat' as The Bloodline saga rolls on, CM Punk and Seth Rollins will tear skin from one another's bones, Rhea Ripley is out for revenge vs. Liv Morgan and more. Anticipation is at a fever pitch for this special, and it's important WWE manages to lay down a marker for the year ahead.

They want 2025 to be massive. It can be, but first impressions matter.

Raw should be stacked with debuts, title changes, Saturday Night's Main Event lead-ins, Royal Rumble and WrestleMania chat (it is 'Mania season, after all!), emotional moments and an all-round celebratory atmosphere. Monday's offering is one of the biggest TV shows this promotion has ever put on, which is honestly saying something. Time to go to work and make sure it's one to remember, people.

Here's everything that simply must go down in front of millions on Netflix. Maintaining the surefire bulging audience weekly will be a real challenge, but Trips will know he has to do everything in his power to make WWE appointment programming for newbies and returning fans alike.

This is how he does it.

5. Rhea Ripley Beats Liv Morgan

Reborn babyface queen Rhea Ripley has been out for blood ever since Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio conspired to screw her over back at SummerSlam. To their credit, WWE's writers have been patient with the blowoff for Rhea's very own revenge tour (Liv's lawyers shall be in touch), and that'll pay dividends in LA on Monday night.

This is a bit of an easy choice for company creative. Putting the Women's World Title back around Ripley's waist heading into WrestleMania 41 season sounds like the right thing to do, but anyone worried about where Morgan goes from here shouldn't be. She's been thriving next to "her" Dominik, so there's plenty more bitchy heel badassery to come from the soon-to-be deposed champ.

She'll be absolutely fine. Trust the process.

Sometimes, giving babyfaces their flowers and booking ultimate comeuppance for wicked villains who think they're right is the way to go. Sure, Triple H could well have another wrinkle up his sleeve for the feud, but kicking Raw's Netflix bow off with a major title change would be killer. The pop would be seismic too, and it's that kind of early buzz WWE surely fancy creating right out of the gate. Rhea's title revenge is right there and waiting.

They can always line up some sort of gimmicky rematch for Saturday Night's Main Event, if need be, or maybe even have Morgan win the women's Rumble in February to set up one last tussle on the biggest stage at 'Mania. Options are abundant, but one thing's obvious: Ripley deserves her gold back, and both Liv and 'Dirty Dom' deserve some brutality.

4. Penta Makes A Debut Splash

WWE has been busy teasing a former AEW star's arrival on Monday nights. Various blink and you'll miss them inserts have aired on TV lately, and it's pretty clear they're references to one Penta El Zero Miedo. However, it's unclear whether or not he'll have that full name or simply go by something shortened like Penta. Most fans call him that by default anyway.

Some out there think Penta might be lost in the shuffle if he debuts on a show that'll boast top names like John Cena, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, CM Punk and others. Nonsense. This is the ideal chance to put the incoming masked man on a pedestal and tease that his brother Rey Fenix is also WWE bound once all that nasty contractual business with Tony Khan is ironed out.

That, regrettably, hasn't done much for AEW's PR department. WWE must be laughing all the way to the bank, because they've successfully scooped two of Khan's best workers whilst looking on at the social media fallout as a byproduct of AEW tacking on injury time for Fenix. That has perhaps delayed Penta's debut, but things will work out in the end and both promotions will move on.

So, what should Penta do on Netflix? Winning a routine squash match over some lower card sap as a "mystery opponent" is one option, but it'd be much more dynamic if he showed face suddenly to hit something flashy before posing for the cameras. Short and sweet could be the way to do it with this Lucha Bro, bro.

Debuting a brand new mask would be fun too. Just saying.

3. CM Punk & Seth Rollins Is Only Chapter One!

It genuinely feels like a lifetime ago that Seth Rollins was lined up as CM Punk's first opponent following the latter's unlikely WWE comeback in late-2023. Take a minute to breathe in, breathe out then...realise it's 2025. Time flies when you're having fun, eh? Punk has been having plenty of it under WWE's watch second time round. Injuries aside, his bouts/skits opposite everyone from Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns and more have been a riot.

He's only just getting started too, which is unreal.

There's next to no chance Punk vs. Rollins is some one and done exhibition for Netflix. WWE don't tend to operate that way. This isn't a soft dream match factory, put it that way. The match will surely be the first in a series of clashes between these tense rivals. Monday's spectacular is the first, then something else will follow at SNME, the Rumble and/or WrestleMania.

These dudes haven't been physical inside company rings since 2014, so matches between them feel fresh and enticing. OK, so a fair few reading will roll their eyes at this, but...a non-finish or some kind of screwy stoppage could be for the best. That way, creative can set up a rematch under 'No DQ' conditions. 'Let them fight! Let them fight! Let them fight!'.

Hell In A Cell was wheeled out for Punk vs. Drew, so it'd be ambitious to do that again so soon for Punk vs. Rollins. A cage is possible, but stopping these arch enemies short at one bout seems impossible. That'd be a clanger from Trips and crew, especially when there's more money to be made and a splash of real-life animosity to the story.

2. John Cena Announces His Rumble Entry

Well, this is it.

2025 will be the final year of John Cena's career as a pro wrestler. In truth, the former poster boy has been Hollywood's property for a long time now. 2017 was really his last fully active year. The most Cena has worked per annum since? 28 matches in 2018. After that, numbers dwindled before a sudden spike (16 bouts) in 2021. Most fans probably reasoned that'd be a wrap on JC's in-ring days.

Nope, he's popped back up for 10 WWE matches in years since. House shows included, John will surely top that number and then some in 2025. Raw's first episode on Netflix marks the beginning of his much-anticipated retirement tour. There won't be a dry eye in the house once 'Super Cena' jogs down the aisle and kicks things off with a bang. Announcing his entry to Feb's Royal Rumble is practically guaranteed.

There's been a ton of talk about John potentially breaking Ric Flair's almost mythical 16-time World Champ brag before hanging up his jorts for good. Another World Title reign certainly isn't out of the question, and neither is headlining 'Mania one final time. To get there, Cena would have to win the 30-man match in Indianapolis and punch his ticket to April's meaty weekender.

Fans will presumably also see some hints dropped on who Cena's other opponents will be throughout the tour too. A celeb-heavy collision with Logan Paul has been rumoured, and there'd be significant juice in matches with old rivals like CM Punk, Randy Orton, The Rock and Roman Reigns as well.

First, he's getting ready to Rumble...right?

1. The Rock Screws Roman Reigns

The Bloodline saga has been one of WWE's top priorities since Roman Reigns was repackaged as the sensational 'Tribal Chief' in 2020. Almost 5 full years have passed, and yet Bloodline biz has survived. No, scrap that. It has thrived. Debuting new family members like Jacob Fatu and the rise in popularity of Jey Uso as a standalone babyface has helped massively there.

WWE has met demands to give people even more Bloodline. They even split the thing into two separate groups and had them tangle inside WarGames at Survivor Series. Before that, The Rock shockingly showed up at Bad Blood and left everyone with more questions than answers. As the iconic Bobby Heenan might've asked: 'Yeah, but whose side is he on?!'.

Raw's Netflix debut may furnish you with some answers.

Ideally, the 'Final Boss' returns and screws over Roman Reigns. Do that, and WWE can rest assured they'll finally get to book that elusive money-spinning showdown between Rocky and Roman at WrestleMania 41. Of course, that all hinges on The Rock's availability come April. Only he'll know what his schedule is looking like through the spring and summer months, but it'd be so cool if this battle between 'Tribal Chief' and 'Final Boss' could become reality.

Meanwhile, Solo can continue building his stock in the background. Let's be honest, Triple H can always book Roman vs. Solo again before 'Mania and get the ula fala back on Reigns. Seeing Rock rush out to wreck Roman's plans here, and side with Sikoa into the bargain, sounds like one hell of a party.

We smell what you're cooking, Hunter!

What would you like to see happen during WWE Raw's debut episode on Netflix? For more wrestling content, check out 50 Things You Learn Binge-Watching Every WWE Royal Rumble and 50 Things You Learn Binge-Watching Every WWE WrestleMania!