Plus this was board of directors Johnson showing up on the first raw on Netflix it’s gonna be ok, they will get back to the story soon 😂😂 he probably can’t make it to wrestlemania this year but at the same time still planning the seeds as the high chief going after the tribal chief for making the family look bad
Watched this with my gf and she's a casual vs me a long time fan/wrestler. She said at one point who wants to watch wrestling for this long....broke my heart lol
I was not impressed: The Rock seemingly just swept aside all of the storyline set up from last year’s Mania. Hogan getting booed out of the building was hilarious. Undertaker showing up for no real reason. Cena’s promo was fine. Rhea vs. Liv was good. But it feels like we’re right back where we were last year. With no one being built up as a credible threat to Super-Rhea. Also the women got hosed in general with this show (no Becky either). I would not have had Seth lose clean so soon. Really I don’t think this show gave people much to make them keep watching.,
They had to balance trying to bring in a new, completely unfamiliar audience, as well as continuing stories and keeping the every week fans like us entertained. It felt more like a stand-alone super show than a continuation of the weekly TV product. Hopefully, now that the first episode is out of the way, it'll feel more normal going forward. There's no reason to believe EVERYTHING is going to change, and HHH somehow forgot how to book a show because the first episode was a Netflix jerkoff session. It was what it was supposed to be.
@@joshuaeason3426agreed but this was like the big opportunity to get people hooked and I don't think this was.Reminds me of the episode where Punk debuted on dynamite and the show was mid.
Agree with most of this but didn’t we want to see random appearances from legends like undertaker when we heard about this show. It was quick but cool that’s all that was needed
Felt like a glorified house show. All the faces won, only person who got real heat was hogan, your IC and World champs were not on the show, and no huge angles. Best thing they did was that opening package and showing everyone in the crowd in order to introduce who some people are who are not mainstream stars.
Same aew did treat aew dynamite fight for the fallen like a important show but not as hyped up as raw debut on Netflix was which worked out for the best as I thought aew dynamite last week was solid nothing too crazy but solid nonetheless.
The first Raw that I've watched (not live, watched and skipped the filler) since wwe left Sky in the UK, still kept up with youtube highlights and reviews this entire time, so actually watching it was a nice feeling. Felt like I was 12 again
"Special" shows of Raw and SD often fall short of being quality other than their nostalgia call backs. Not a fan of nostalgia promos or chatter, this show was predictable and underwhelming. HHH opening every big event is also, Not the way. Does Danna White walk into the ring and try to hype everyone up before the main card starts? Open with a stellar wrestling MATCH.
i honestly enjoyed it, first time in a while i wasnt constantly fast-forwarding things i wasnt super interested in (except the hulk part), the undertaker appearance made zero sense but other than that i enjoyed the matches, yes there was only 4 but they did seem to be a decent length. I cackled when Pat is like Im yeeting all over myself and then cole said dont yeet on me LOL. Agree though that it didnt do much for storyline progressions.I really really hope the Liv/Rhea and Roman/Solo stuff is done for now and that Rhea isnt booked as she doesnt have any legitimate competition for the championship cuz nobody wants to watch that boring reign again.
Ironically this "special" episode of Raw is one of the worst episodes of Raw I have seen in years. Punk vs Seth was good, but it didn't feel like a bloodfeud. The other matches were just fine, but featured the wrong style of work for this show. This show needed insanity and big moments, and they got Bloodline slow ass main event work. Rock's segments were garbage, Cena's segment was pretty good, and Hogan's was just hilarious. This was a bad episode of RAW. Ironically a normal RAW card where they didn't talk about Netflix once would have been way better. It reminds me of the first episode of Smackdown on Fox. Another big moment squashed by a terrible show
I think the context of it being an important episode to get right gives it a lot of negative down force. Sure Punk vs Rollins and the Cena segments makes it better than a lot of trash episodes of RAW but this show being worse than just an average episode from last year makes it a terrible introduction to the product. If you have never seen a wrestling program or if you are a lapsed fan coming back and the first thing you see is The Rock talking about his newest movie and how much money they earned from this show, and the first match is a slow Roman Reigns match then you are tuning out and never watching again. Roman vs Solo was fine. If it was in the main event of Backlash. But as someones first wrestling match it is terrible. @michaelrivera8360
@@michaelrivera8360this show needed Gunther, Nakamura, LA Knight, Cody Rhodes and Braun Strowman. It needed Jey diving off a tall thing. It needed Kevin Owens trying to murder someone and then them getting into a giant security brawl. It needed Gunther slapping a hole through someones chest. It needed big moments. Then you get to the raztling later.
It was a sort of useless episode in a storyline perspective... Punk v Rollins was too goddamn slow...Punk pulled a John Cena win after getting his ass kicked for most of the match
@@redjohndeble9862Nah. There were back and forths. That is a good tempo for a main event. Probably should have had a little bit of a big fight feel which I agree it did not have, but that is due to the rest of the show sucking. The issue was more Roman vs Solo which went WAY too slow for an opener.
I genuinely think their big mistake was trying to make the episode an intro to new viewers. They should’ve stuck with what MADE them so popular in the first place. A very disappointing and underwhelming episode indeed.
As a major WWE apologist, yeah. Show was dog ass awful. Way too much corporate boot licking and self indulging. Very stupid. I had to stop watching it about half an hour in.
I think the strategy here was another glorified house show: Wrestlemania 1. Cram the place with celebrities and chaos, change outsiders' impression of wrestling in general. Fans were not the target audience at all, it was the mainstream. Time will tell if it worked or not. It's not the 1980s anymore...
I’ve watched every Royal Rumble since I was kid in the 90s, but I sadly will not continue that trend in 2026. Sucks. This show was good matches surrounding by intelligence insulting promos. The product overall was very weak this week. Hoping for improvement as it goes along.
It was an exposition episode. Lots of backstory telling for the casuals, reminding us of how feuds started, informing us who the good guys and the bad guys were.
Here's my WM booking at the moment: Randy Orton returns to win the Royal Rumble, challenge Cody for the WWE Championship Cm Punk wins the elimination chamber, challenges Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship Roman puts the ula fala on the line against Jacob Fatu Cena vs Logan Paul Rollins, McIntyre, Owens have a six-man tag match against The Usos and Sami
First time watching Raw since about 2012, boy that was something....Im used to AEWs manic pacing, we got 30 minutes into the show before anything actually happened. It was glacially paced, how do people watch 3 hours of this every week??
I've written a headcanon for myself thats only gotten more and more established in my mind. After Undertaker showed up in full kit to do a photoshot with LeBron James and got snubbed, hes just lost his mind and just wants someone to do a photoshot with him. Thats why he randomly showed up to "Pass the torch" to Bray Wyatt and nothing really came of it, then he showed up at NXT for no real reason, then he showed up at Wrestlemania to "Pass the torch" to Cody, and now hes shown up to "Pass the torch" to Rhea Ripley, he just wants someone to take a pucture with him
thought I was the only one who thought 1st episode of raw on netflix was a weird show...I think we are all waiting for the better show of smackdown....great episode ...its tiffy's show
But I thought WWE could do no wrong 😅 All jokes aside this show was just okay but considering how much it was hyped and built up it was meh *AEW at least did a normal Dynamite on Max*
Saying Cody carried WWE on his back for the last year is crazy since they also had people like Jey Uso and Gunther doing big things is pretty crazy and backhanded.
In Canada, I'm also on the lowest tier of Netflix and didn't get a single ad or Picture in Picture. There were moments were Michael Cole would start talking then suddenly stop mid sentence, which I thought was really odd.
The Tribal Combat match should have dedicated weapons that represent Samoan/Islander culture, war clubs etc and it should be a last man standing, what Tribal Combat ends in a pin? beat your opponent into submission makes more sense in a storyline of power and being a Tribal Chief. Make is special not just a No Rules Match.
So for me in Canada I didn’t get ads or picture and picture , I got the fade to black but immediately back to the match with commentary still going and I have lowest tier Netflix
Watched in US, had no ad breaks when we were watching live. It was only after we paused it for a few minutes and we’re watching “from behind” that we began to get ads.
Rock's pov at this point is very simple: he wants to constantly be told how great he is, even when he's terrible, because then he knows he's still in control; and I blame the fans for giving him all those undeserved nostalgia pops after his appearances just became unironically spouting catchphrases.
The first two matches had the same Bull Roar Finisher Kick out, hit you with two at once for the win. Initially after kicking out of the Claymore I was complaining again, but then it was a roll up so that was a nice change of pace. Then the final match was almost exclusively finishers & while some were stolen from the other person there were still over a half dozen. The production felt awesome but the matches & storytelling were so lame...
If the Rock is not taking part at Wrestlemania, I’m genuinely happy about that. I wouldn’t have wanted him politicking his way into beating Cody for the title and WWE need to stop this thread of bringing back legends when the current roster are absolutely capable of making a great show.
I do think they don’t need him this year there’s other potential main events big enough without him but I do think they should have laid some seeds for future stories. Throwing away the Cody feud is dumb and I hope they do a 180 on that and tbh it seemed like he even threw away the Roman feud too but she should make it so he has some time to do both between this and next year imo
Feels like wwe should have focused on how stacked next weeks raw is to draw in new people Wyatts vs final testament final match hopefully The first womens IC champ is getting crowned Finn and Damian in a street fight to finish there feud And Penta el zero M debut
A street fight to end a feud, a multiman match to end a feud, a historic championship crowing a debut one of the most intimidating wrestlers out there is..boring you must be fun
I’m with Luke on this one..I know kayfabe hasn’t been a thing for the longest time now, but the last person I need to tell me the show is scripted is the person in charge of said show
Horrible RAW but great podcast! More of these longer episodes Oli please. I love going in depth with you guys. It's half of the joy I get out of watching RAW weekly is to then log onto youtube to see what you guys thought of it.
I’ve never hated Cena. The only time I didn’t like him was ruthless aggression debut Cena. Once he became the Dr. of Thuganimics (you know, heel Cena) and Super Cena I loved it all. And I’m 40
I dont think this was for existing fans. But furthermore, i dont even think this was for lapsed fans. This is for people who know absolutley nothing about wrestling, and i feel like the matches gave you an enjoyable time and were easy enough to follow what wrestling is all about.
Logan Paul's Prime was a featured sponsor for a long time and he was always presented as a heel... they definitely could have had Hollywood Heel Hogan hocking his beer.
I thought this show was exactly what I expected. Yeah they gonna pander, yeah they will have a bunch of legends, yeah stories didn’t progress too much, but that’s what a first show is, and I thought this was a very successful first show
I was watching it with my partner yesterday. She does not watch wrestling. I was wondering if they will do any legwork to explain what is wwe since this was a Great Opportunity to get new fans. She was confused throughout the entire night, and was mainly interested how in how old and weird the Rock is now.
Was it just me as someone who hasn't watched regular TV in a while, but didn't it seem like there was an ad? Usually large amount of commercials like unbearably so.
It seems like I'm in the minority here but I personally had a blast watching RAW last night and enjoy the direction the company has taken. Maybe this is my sports bias coming out but I enjoy that they are giving their product more of a sports style feel, I.e. the arrivals and commentary. Fans of MMA will hopefully understand that since the UFC and WWE are tied to the same group, the product will look similar.
No Gunter No Bron Rock acting like Vince Rock casually ruins story continuity Tag champs not there No Damien Priest ( he should of come out to celebrate with Rhea) Taker should of come out on his own or come out and scared away the new day ( locker room leader etc) As a debut they didnt have their world champ. I think Netflix got way too involved in this show.
Non canon episode. I think it was very intentional for the Rock to come out as Dwayne Johnson the exec to thank the network execs. It was a showcase for Netflix and their sponsors so it was understandable the Rock was out of character. Next week will be “episode 1”
After watching the first Raw on Netflix, I honestly thought it was fine. Not an all timer episode, but I also don’t think it was the worst thing ever. Felt like an old legends night during the Vince era, but done slightly better imo. Enjoyed the opener, main event, Cena promo and the crowd booing Hogan. The Rock stuff is something I’m wary of, but after NXT last night (assuming it’s not damage control) it does seem he still hates Cody and might still be heel. We’ll see where it goes tho
Am i the crazy one for finding punk vs seth kinda boring? It was just punk selling for over 20 minutes, kicking out of 5 finishers, and seth goofy selling into a second gts
I was in attendance this past Monday night raw and I guess people were burned out a bit bc I kept trying to cheer and chant and you could hear others try the same but the rest of the crowd kept quiet and just wouldn’t pick up the chants
I’m not sure if Punk has worn that shirt before (I might just be really unobservant) but isn’t it the same one from the backstage altercation with Jack Perry?
I stopped watching WWE months ago (couldn't stand some of her policies anymore: +18 content ban, Saudi etc). Checked this show and it was terrible. One match in the first 70 minutes. 4 matches in 3 hours. Stupid censorship and crowd celebrating being "robbed" more than any other in history in the first 15 minutes. Bleeping words while allowing a weed smoker. Completely boring, childish and stale product. More of the same old.
I look past all the chaff that was on the show Monday night....AND BELIEVE ME......There was ALOT.....the show was above average. Four Good, SOLID matches & to me, that is all I cared about.
I liked most of the show. The Rock was the main thing that sucked to me. Hulk Hogan being booed out of the building was the unexpected highlight of the night.
I understand RAW wasn’t on Netflix before but in like 2010-11 they had all their docs on Netflix, I watched them during the hurricane on my birthday in 2011. I doubt the Rock knew that and it was a botch but technically he not wrong
One of the worst shows of the last few years. Felt like a soulless corporate slurping.
That's what they're right now, a soulless company/product, just marketing.
I could have had another match or 2 over the celebrity introductions after every match.
Couldn’t agree more
As an actor, it’s surprising that Rock doesn’t have a grasp on storytelling continuity.
Or acting.
Well just another proof he is not a very good actor
Rock is very overrated as promo and acting people forget he has a writer that tells him what to say
How y’all don’t know it’s all part of something bigger all this sounds like everyone is disappointed that he didn’t do what everyone wanted 😂😂😂
Plus this was board of directors Johnson showing up on the first raw on Netflix it’s gonna be ok, they will get back to the story soon 😂😂 he probably can’t make it to wrestlemania this year but at the same time still planning the seeds as the high chief going after the tribal chief for making the family look bad
Road to RAW Netflix was better than the RAW Netflix episode itself
Raw on Netflix was 3.5 out 5 mostly because Solo vs Roman and Punk vs Rollins.>
It felt like those old nostalgia Raw on USA episode
I swear man, raw after clash at catsle last yeae is better than this raw
last episode of smackdown was better than first netflix raw episode
Is it me or did the rock take a big swig of tequila on world wide streaming, before getting into a vehicle to drive away?
We all know Dwayne ain’t driving himself ever wym
When I watched it it looked like he went to then stopped himself however I was half paying attention.
I noticed that too 😅
he did because there are no broadcast standers on Netflix
😂 I said the same thing! He's drinking and driving
When WWE said raw on Netflix was looked at like wrestlemania, I didn’t know they meant WM27 😂😂
this comment deserves 1 million likes
Joke aside, to me, 32 is the worst
@ oh yes brother, 32 and 27 are close relatives for sure lmao
Wow....HARSH.
Watched this with my gf and she's a casual vs me a long time fan/wrestler. She said at one point who wants to watch wrestling for this long....broke my heart lol
I was not impressed:
The Rock seemingly just swept aside all of the storyline set up from last year’s Mania.
Hogan getting booed out of the building was hilarious.
Undertaker showing up for no real reason.
Cena’s promo was fine.
Rhea vs. Liv was good. But it feels like we’re right back where we were last year. With no one being built up as a credible threat to Super-Rhea. Also the women got hosed in general with this show (no Becky either).
I would not have had Seth lose clean so soon.
Really I don’t think this show gave people much to make them keep watching.,
Rhea is super? Dang i thought charlotte was the OP in wwe women’s division. 😂
They had to balance trying to bring in a new, completely unfamiliar audience, as well as continuing stories and keeping the every week fans like us entertained. It felt more like a stand-alone super show than a continuation of the weekly TV product. Hopefully, now that the first episode is out of the way, it'll feel more normal going forward. There's no reason to believe EVERYTHING is going to change, and HHH somehow forgot how to book a show because the first episode was a Netflix jerkoff session. It was what it was supposed to be.
@@joshuaeason3426agreed but this was like the big opportunity to get people hooked and I don't think this was.Reminds me of the episode where Punk debuted on dynamite and the show was mid.
Agree with most of this but didn’t we want to see random appearances from legends like undertaker when we heard about this show. It was quick but cool that’s all that was needed
Charlotte wasn’t regularly beating up multiple people by herself.
Charlotte felt less superwoman than Rhea does.
Felt like a glorified house show. All the faces won, only person who got real heat was hogan, your IC and World champs were not on the show, and no huge angles. Best thing they did was that opening package and showing everyone in the crowd in order to introduce who some people are who are not mainstream stars.
I hope I'm not the only one who hated the number of finishers getting kicked out of in this show...
Felt like I was watching AEW
My friend who doesn’t watch wrestling that often said this like 3 times
by the 6th time it happened i thought i was watching aew.
I'm a massive Punk fan, but 2 GTS and 2 pedigrees should've been more than enough for Seth to put him away
This was a God awful episode of RAW and I don't think they made any new viewer think that they HAVE TO watch next week's show.
Agreed they should have ended with a big angle kinda like Oli pitched on the predication
Agreed - this felt more like a season finale vs a season premiere
Maybe you enjoy aew don't you?
@@redwan6605 I don’t really watch them much but this show definitely could’ve done more than it did to hook people in for next week.
@@redwan6605 I watch both and usually enjoy both. But this RAW was terrible.
As far as streaming debuts go, I have to say dynamite did it better.
Same aew did treat aew dynamite fight for the fallen like a important show but not as hyped up as raw debut on Netflix was which worked out for the best as I thought aew dynamite last week was solid nothing too crazy but solid nonetheless.
I'm glad they brought up that HHH said he doesn't want to be on TV anymore yet he appears more after saying that than before.
It was the carny history too and beautiful cinematography that made the cold open lovely. Plus the mention of an ever evolving story. Very cool!
Monday Night Pandering.
Elaborate pls!
@ WWE basically verbally fellated Netflix the entire show.
All the pandering WWE did to netflix
They gave WWE more than 5 billion and gave them arguably the biggest worldwide reach they ever had. I don’t like it, but I completely understand 😅😅
@@pinroshan020 rock, hogan, cena, taker.
The Rock promo was a kick in the balls to all of us invested in story lines!!! HATED IT SO MUCH!!
He needed to be face for the fans who actually love him. It was like a non cannon appearance. On a show like this I WANT FACE rock
The first Raw that I've watched (not live, watched and skipped the filler) since wwe left Sky in the UK, still kept up with youtube highlights and reviews this entire time, so actually watching it was a nice feeling. Felt like I was 12 again
"Special" shows of Raw and SD often fall short of being quality other than their nostalgia call backs. Not a fan of nostalgia promos or chatter, this show was predictable and underwhelming. HHH opening every big event is also, Not the way. Does Danna White walk into the ring and try to hype everyone up before the main card starts? Open with a stellar wrestling MATCH.
Last year's new year shows were great, the new day special was great, I think this was just mid
i honestly enjoyed it, first time in a while i wasnt constantly fast-forwarding things i wasnt super interested in (except the hulk part), the undertaker appearance made zero sense but other than that i enjoyed the matches, yes there was only 4 but they did seem to be a decent length. I cackled when Pat is like Im yeeting all over myself and then cole said dont yeet on me LOL. Agree though that it didnt do much for storyline progressions.I really really hope the Liv/Rhea and Roman/Solo stuff is done for now and that Rhea isnt booked as she doesnt have any legitimate competition for the championship cuz nobody wants to watch that boring reign again.
Rock coming out as a nice guy set the tone for the show… definitely was more for the eyes of those that were being introduced to the product
Man I hated this show, but these reviews are always so funny after a bad show. So still a win i guess
This just reinforced everything I hate about WWE programming right now; a 3 hour show with only 4 matches.
The fact that this only has 24 likes is criminal.
That's why AEW is better. They put wrestling first.
They could've savored a lot if Cody and Rock were passive aggressive towards each other but they really just dropped everything I guess
I would like to see Cena vs. LA Knight before it's all said and done.
Ironically this "special" episode of Raw is one of the worst episodes of Raw I have seen in years. Punk vs Seth was good, but it didn't feel like a bloodfeud. The other matches were just fine, but featured the wrong style of work for this show. This show needed insanity and big moments, and they got Bloodline slow ass main event work. Rock's segments were garbage, Cena's segment was pretty good, and Hogan's was just hilarious. This was a bad episode of RAW. Ironically a normal RAW card where they didn't talk about Netflix once would have been way better.
It reminds me of the first episode of Smackdown on Fox. Another big moment squashed by a terrible show
It wasn't a terrible episode it was just ok not the 5 star show WWE promoted it would be
I think the context of it being an important episode to get right gives it a lot of negative down force. Sure Punk vs Rollins and the Cena segments makes it better than a lot of trash episodes of RAW but this show being worse than just an average episode from last year makes it a terrible introduction to the product. If you have never seen a wrestling program or if you are a lapsed fan coming back and the first thing you see is The Rock talking about his newest movie and how much money they earned from this show, and the first match is a slow Roman Reigns match then you are tuning out and never watching again. Roman vs Solo was fine. If it was in the main event of Backlash. But as someones first wrestling match it is terrible. @michaelrivera8360
@@michaelrivera8360this show needed Gunther, Nakamura, LA Knight, Cody Rhodes and Braun Strowman. It needed Jey diving off a tall thing. It needed Kevin Owens trying to murder someone and then them getting into a giant security brawl. It needed Gunther slapping a hole through someones chest. It needed big moments. Then you get to the raztling later.
It was a sort of useless episode in a storyline perspective...
Punk v Rollins was too goddamn slow...Punk pulled a John Cena win after getting his ass kicked for most of the match
@@redjohndeble9862Nah. There were back and forths. That is a good tempo for a main event. Probably should have had a little bit of a big fight feel which I agree it did not have, but that is due to the rest of the show sucking. The issue was more Roman vs Solo which went WAY too slow for an opener.
*Hogan seemed like he had dementia.*
Of course it's 2025 not 1987
I genuinely think their big mistake was trying to make the episode an intro to new viewers. They should’ve stuck with what MADE them so popular in the first place. A very disappointing and underwhelming episode indeed.
As a major WWE apologist, yeah. Show was dog ass awful. Way too much corporate boot licking and self indulging. Very stupid. I had to stop watching it about half an hour in.
It's going be like that now sadly just look at the ring canvas just says it all of what it's becoming
I think the strategy here was another glorified house show: Wrestlemania 1. Cram the place with celebrities and chaos, change outsiders' impression of wrestling in general. Fans were not the target audience at all, it was the mainstream. Time will tell if it worked or not. It's not the 1980s anymore...
Randy Orton should be at the top of Cena’s list of final opponents but he didn’t even get a mention.
Randy vs cena 1 last time is mania worthy but more than likely will be at a Saudi show
He might come out on a RAW and cut a promo about it.
I’ve watched every Royal Rumble since I was kid in the 90s, but I sadly will not continue that trend in 2026. Sucks.
This show was good matches surrounding by intelligence insulting promos. The product overall was very weak this week. Hoping for improvement as it goes along.
The hogan segment got funier when he walked away and the shirt he ripped was wrapped around his legs
It was an exposition episode. Lots of backstory telling for the casuals, reminding us of how feuds started, informing us who the good guys and the bad guys were.
Here's my WM booking at the moment:
Randy Orton returns to win the Royal Rumble, challenge Cody for the WWE Championship
Cm Punk wins the elimination chamber, challenges Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship
Roman puts the ula fala on the line against Jacob Fatu
Cena vs Logan Paul
Rollins, McIntyre, Owens have a six-man tag match against The Usos and Sami
Get off the grill. Never cook again
First time watching Raw since about 2012, boy that was something....Im used to AEWs manic pacing, we got 30 minutes into the show before anything actually happened. It was glacially paced, how do people watch 3 hours of this every week??
The short answer is: they don't. I havent really watched RAW live in years because it was about 50% ads.
AEW is the wrestlers' show. WWE is the promo show.
Undertaker showing up at random biking around the ring reminded me of Bobby’s World intro.
Damn, core memory unlocked. 😄
I've written a headcanon for myself thats only gotten more and more established in my mind. After Undertaker showed up in full kit to do a photoshot with LeBron James and got snubbed, hes just lost his mind and just wants someone to do a photoshot with him. Thats why he randomly showed up to "Pass the torch" to Bray Wyatt and nothing really came of it, then he showed up at NXT for no real reason, then he showed up at Wrestlemania to "Pass the torch" to Cody, and now hes shown up to "Pass the torch" to Rhea Ripley, he just wants someone to take a pucture with him
Well maybe Undertraitor need to put on the Deadman suit again
thought I was the only one who thought 1st episode of raw on netflix was a weird show...I think we are all waiting for the better show of smackdown....great episode ...its tiffy's show
this episode felt extremely underwhelming and has stunted multiple storylines which is depressing
But I thought WWE could do no wrong 😅
All jokes aside this show was just okay but considering how much it was hyped and built up it was meh *AEW at least did a normal Dynamite on Max*
Putting the name Penta on screen in a promo piece, an hour or so before Chad Gable requested to job to a "random luchador" was a bit bloody stupid
Saying Cody carried WWE on his back for the last year is crazy since they also had people like Jey Uso and Gunther doing big things is pretty crazy and backhanded.
In Canada, I'm also on the lowest tier of Netflix and didn't get a single ad or Picture in Picture. There were moments were Michael Cole would start talking then suddenly stop mid sentence, which I thought was really odd.
The Tribal Combat match should have dedicated weapons that represent Samoan/Islander culture, war clubs etc and it should be a last man standing, what Tribal Combat ends in a pin? beat your opponent into submission makes more sense in a storyline of power and being a Tribal Chief. Make is special not just a No Rules Match.
So for me in Canada I didn’t get ads or picture and picture , I got the fade to black but immediately back to the match with commentary still going and I have lowest tier Netflix
Yup, can confirm for Canadians. The absence of ads was nice.
The cold open was Mr H's version of Vince's "Good guys versus Bad guys" speech on Raw in 97.
Watched in US, had no ad breaks when we were watching live. It was only after we paused it for a few minutes and we’re watching “from behind” that we began to get ads.
In terms of ads, here on the East coast of the US, the majority of the ads were from the sponsors on the canvas.
So we lose the Hydration station yet gain the Ugliest mat I've Ever Seen
Does Netflix have ratings for shows? If so, what was this show supposed to be rated?
Watched video yesterday and the rating is 12.
"Standing at a soaking wet 112lbs"
*_Oli, get out of my bathroom and for the last time we NEED seperate doctors!_*
The Rock had it at the Golden globes awards ceremony with vin diesel so he the same awkward moments with Cody Rhodes
Rock's pov at this point is very simple: he wants to constantly be told how great he is, even when he's terrible, because then he knows he's still in control; and I blame the fans for giving him all those undeserved nostalgia pops after his appearances just became unironically spouting catchphrases.
@@LeRoiEnJaunenostalgic wrestling fans are what are keeping Rock relevant lol
@@LeRoiEnJaune never read something so accurate 👏🏻
Im from Philippines and Raw wasn’t available on Netflix Philippines. I guess wwe lied for saying its globally.
The first two matches had the same Bull Roar Finisher Kick out, hit you with two at once for the win. Initially after kicking out of the Claymore I was complaining again, but then it was a roll up so that was a nice change of pace. Then the final match was almost exclusively finishers & while some were stolen from the other person there were still over a half dozen. The production felt awesome but the matches & storytelling were so lame...
WWE has gotten obsessed with wrestling edging. At some point you just gotta let a climax happen and build back up afterwards.
Drew, Seth and Ko. Sword, shield and liberty (winged eagle)
If the Rock is not taking part at Wrestlemania, I’m genuinely happy about that. I wouldn’t have wanted him politicking his way into beating Cody for the title and WWE need to stop this thread of bringing back legends when the current roster are absolutely capable of making a great show.
I do think they don’t need him this year there’s other potential main events big enough without him but I do think they should have laid some seeds for future stories. Throwing away the Cody feud is dumb and I hope they do a 180 on that and tbh it seemed like he even threw away the Roman feud too but she should make it so he has some time to do both between this and next year imo
Feels like wwe should have focused on how stacked next weeks raw is to draw in new people
Wyatts vs final testament
final match hopefully
The first womens IC champ is getting crowned
Finn and Damian in a street fight to finish there feud
And Penta el zero M debut
This show was good but man those are ads are the worst
Cant watch it live as wwe is 1 in the morning in the uk and have to watch it later can’t imagine how annoying the ads were
Man that sounds incredibly mid…where’s your WHC Gunther? Oh he doesn’t wrestle or show up on Raw anymore
A street fight to end a feud, a multiman match to end a feud, a historic championship crowing a debut one of the most intimidating wrestlers out there is..boring you must be fun
I’m with Luke on this one..I know kayfabe hasn’t been a thing for the longest time now, but the last person I need to tell me the show is scripted is the person in charge of said show
Horrible RAW but great podcast! More of these longer episodes Oli please. I love going in depth with you guys. It's half of the joy I get out of watching RAW weekly is to then log onto youtube to see what you guys thought of it.
new intro is fine. but please bring back the classic support wrestle talk , please
I think you are both right. It’s a scripted story showing you a beautiful art piece
I thought redone was absolutely on purpose this morning 😂
My kids haven’t watched wrestling in a bit, they loved this show
I’ve never hated Cena. The only time I didn’t like him was ruthless aggression debut Cena. Once he became the Dr. of Thuganimics (you know, heel Cena) and Super Cena I loved it all. And I’m 40
Let’s hope this is actually a homelander character where Cody has to just stand there and smile double turn
I dont think this was for existing fans. But furthermore, i dont even think this was for lapsed fans. This is for people who know absolutley nothing about wrestling, and i feel like the matches gave you an enjoyable time and were easy enough to follow what wrestling is all about.
Randy Orton needs to be Cenas final mania opponent. Never had a 1v1 at mania which is crazy considering how many they have had.
Logan Paul's Prime was a featured sponsor for a long time and he was always presented as a heel... they definitely could have had Hollywood Heel Hogan hocking his beer.
I dont think there were ad breaks even in America. I saw all of the ad break spots Luke was talking about.
The Rock is now Vince McMahon ripping up storylines the night of the show. 😢
I thought this show was exactly what I expected. Yeah they gonna pander, yeah they will have a bunch of legends, yeah stories didn’t progress too much, but that’s what a first show is, and I thought this was a very successful first show
21:03 I watch wrestling talk for the highlights
If Rock didnt came up with the final boss music
It wouldnt have felt so weird for me
21:25 Now imagine Netflix viewers watching that *on their phone,* maybe even in vertical mode. How could they possibly see anything? XD
I think that the Tribal Chief is not the same as the High Chief. I could be wrong, but that would make RR the second in command?
So people loved when Taker was out giving Bray Wyatt the seal of approval, but when it's Rhea? Huh? Make up your minds already.
I was watching it with my partner yesterday. She does not watch wrestling. I was wondering if they will do any legwork to explain what is wwe since this was a Great Opportunity to get new fans.
She was confused throughout the entire night, and was mainly interested how in how old and weird the Rock is now.
If this was an outside of storyline "off cannon segment" why wasn't Dwayne Johnson in a suit doing that promo that way?
Luke. Your point at 17:55 sums up how I felt about the show as a whole. Mostly filler.
Was it just me as someone who hasn't watched regular TV in a while, but didn't it seem like there was an ad? Usually large amount of commercials like unbearably so.
It seems like I'm in the minority here but I personally had a blast watching RAW last night and enjoy the direction the company has taken. Maybe this is my sports bias coming out but I enjoy that they are giving their product more of a sports style feel, I.e. the arrivals and commentary. Fans of MMA will hopefully understand that since the UFC and WWE are tied to the same group, the product will look similar.
It was like the 1st episode I watched from start to finish all year, not a bad show
No Gunter
No Bron
Rock acting like Vince
Rock casually ruins story continuity
Tag champs not there
No Damien Priest ( he should of come out to celebrate with Rhea)
Taker should of come out on his own or come out and scared away the new day ( locker room leader etc)
As a debut they didnt have their world champ. I think Netflix got way too involved in this show.
Non canon episode. I think it was very intentional for the Rock to come out as Dwayne Johnson the exec to thank the network execs. It was a showcase for Netflix and their sponsors so it was understandable the Rock was out of character. Next week will be “episode 1”
After watching the first Raw on Netflix, I honestly thought it was fine. Not an all timer episode, but I also don’t think it was the worst thing ever. Felt like an old legends night during the Vince era, but done slightly better imo. Enjoyed the opener, main event, Cena promo and the crowd booing Hogan. The Rock stuff is something I’m wary of, but after NXT last night (assuming it’s not damage control) it does seem he still hates Cody and might still be heel. We’ll see where it goes tho
Am i the crazy one for finding punk vs seth kinda boring? It was just punk selling for over 20 minutes, kicking out of 5 finishers, and seth goofy selling into a second gts
We have the no ads tear and for some reason we had to watch tons of them.
I was in attendance this past Monday night raw and I guess people were burned out a bit bc I kept trying to cheer and chant and you could hear others try the same but the rest of the crowd kept quiet and just wouldn’t pick up the chants
P.S. Yes a lot of ppl were laughing while booing Hulk Hogan 😂
I’m not sure if Punk has worn that shirt before (I might just be really unobservant) but isn’t it the same one from the backstage altercation with Jack Perry?
The Rock might only have one match left in him.....I thought Oli was joking in the news with 'Redone' 😂
Also works if Cody is the corporate champion
rock was one of the best heels in wrestling in 2024, so dissapointing to not at least keep the Cody thread open. I think its bad creative all round
Does no one kick out of the claymore?
I stopped watching WWE months ago (couldn't stand some of her policies anymore: +18 content ban, Saudi etc). Checked this show and it was terrible. One match in the first 70 minutes. 4 matches in 3 hours. Stupid censorship and crowd celebrating being "robbed" more than any other in history in the first 15 minutes. Bleeping words while allowing a weed smoker. Completely boring, childish and stale product. More of the same old.
What was censored? I watched it yesterday rather than live and Rock's bs was played.
I look past all the chaff that was on the show Monday night....AND BELIEVE ME......There was ALOT.....the show was above average. Four Good, SOLID matches & to me, that is all I cared about.
I liked most of the show. The Rock was the main thing that sucked to me. Hulk Hogan being booed out of the building was the unexpected highlight of the night.
Wwe was on Netflix. They had dvd’s sold on there before streaming was a thing
Yeah so weird that it drew the highest rating for NXT in the last 5 years.
"Anita Haircut" sounds like an Attitude Era character. Ollie's barber to NXT confirmed! 😅
you just gave me my next CAW creation for 2k 😆
@ESQUIREtv100 cheers to you! Enjoy!
The Rock now has get off my screen type of heat
I understand RAW wasn’t on Netflix before but in like 2010-11 they had all their docs on Netflix, I watched them during the hurricane on my birthday in 2011. I doubt the Rock knew that and it was a botch but technically he not wrong
18:46 nothing happened? Are you serious? EVERYTHING happened… title change, MITB cash in, ulu fala change, Rollins vs punk …