Raw recap & reactions: The Netflix era begins – Cageside Seats
Filed under:Raw starts 2025 on a new platform with a stacked card and some major storyline movement. ️ LET’S GO ROLL-INS! ️ CM PUNK!#RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/KvnaxFSw5UThere was an early moment during Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk where they took the fight outside. And in a moment of exhilaration and pride, Seth yelled to the heavens that he “built this.” By this, he meant it’s because of him that WWE is on Netflix with all the pomp and circumstance worthy of a Hollywood premiere. It’s because of him that 2025’s first Raw is the largest gate in company history. And it’s thanks to him that this main event is even a thing. If it wasn’t obvious already, that moment made it clearer than white crystal how similar Seth and Punk are. Their motivations might differ, but they both believe they are the straw that stirs every drink. Any good waves that come from said stirrings are thanks to them and, usually, only them. That also meant both men came into this match with amounts of pride measured in tonnes. Which is why it eventually turned when the two sat in the middle of the ring and slapped each other for a few seconds. Before that, this was set up as a back and forth match between two dudes with embarrassment on their minds. Seth sent the first shot when he hit Punk with the GTS. Punk followed up with a Stomp. And before that, Punk targeted Seth’s neck, a strategy he telegraphed the last time these two shared a ring. The match evolved into big moves and counters for those big moves, along with, once again, someone refusing to give up. Punk survived not one but two Pedigrees, and one was on top of the announce desk. Seth survived multiple GTS’ before succumbing to two in the middle of the ring. All that was possible because eventually, the two guys wrestling realized that a simple “wrestling” match wasn’t enough. Their hatred for each other made it necessary to pull out their heaviest artillery and go for broke as many times as possible. SETH ROLLINS just hit CM PUNK with the GTS! pic.twitter.com/ZhSaG0jCbZI don’t know if this is the end of their feud overall, but it certainly feels like the end for now. And it’s a fitting conclusion. I know where Punk goes from here since he’s told us from jump he wants gold around his waist again. Seth is a little murkier. Does he move to the Blue brand and deal with Roman? Does he dare involve himself with this Bloodline mess? I’d say no but it also feels like the time is right. But he’ll enter the Rumble too, which means we’ll get at least one more tease from these two. I’m looking forward to it. THIS IS AWE-SOME! #RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/sy0i6zjpkkLike most Bloodline matches, Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa for the rightful title of Tribal Chief was an almost hour-long story. I’d be lying if I said it’s not a bit formulaic. Actually, I am lying; it’s very formulaic at this point. But when in this atmosphere, in this moment, and with so much at stake, the formula works. It’s hard describing these matches at this point because, again, we know what to expect. The only wrinkle here is the number of near falls. Roman had this thing won when he Powerbombed Solo through a table from the top rope. It looked fantastic and symbolized the match’s violence. It also brought out Tama Tonga, which signaled the true moment where a Bloodline match begins. Tama pulled the ref out of the ring and hell broke loose, so to speak. After Tama showed, Solo hit Roman with a Samoan Spike, then hit the ref with one after Roman kicked out of said spike. He was frustrated, so that was mildly understandable. But the big wrinkle came when Kevin Owens showed up. I’m used to Bloodline members old and new making appearances during these bouts, but not someone outside of their family drama. That said, Kevin was a pleasant surprise. Also a logical one. His whole beef with Cody Rhodes revolves around Roman. Of course he interfered because he doesn’t want Roman back in power. It wasn’t about helping Solo so much as it was about stopping Roman. But that brought out Cody Rhodes. On one hand, yes, Cody wanted to put hands on Kevin before the Royal Rumble. On the other? Well, he was helping Roman. With all their history, it’s wild seeing Cody willingly come to Roman’s aide in a situation like this. It’s probably not a big deal but it struck me as interesting. I’m surprised Drew McIntyre didn’t show up once Jey Uso and Sami Zayn appeared, but we can’t have everything we want in this world, can we?The match came down to Roman and Solo, with a new ref. Roman hit a spear, got the W, and reclaimed the Ula Fala. That’s when things got very suspenseful, at least for me. We ACKNOWLEDGE this! #RawOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/en5VtHQwGBRemember a few months ago when The Rock showed up and looked angry at Roman and Cody? Of course you do, you don’t even need to follow that link. Well, it looks like that truly was so last year, because this year, the Final Boss was in pure good guy mode. I thought it was just for the beginning of the show when he was in corporate mode. Not Corporate Rock mode for you old heads, but Dwayne Johnson, member of the TKO Board mode. He shook hands, thanked the Netflix partners, and did everything but kiss babies. I’d rather not get into all the business Rocky did related to, well, business, so let’s just skip to his appearance at the end of Tribal Combat (and yes, that sounds a lot like the Mortal Kombat yell in my head). Based on that Bad Blood incident and the last time Rocky was in the ring with Roman, WWE got a lot of suspense from Rock waltzing to the ring. Would Rock attack his cousin? Would he acknowledge him? He did the latter after a few tense moments. They created a nice moment that seemingly closed the door on any heel tactics coming from the Great One any time soon. I said soon, not forever. This was an exciting Raw that truly felt like a new broadcast. Part of that was the energy and all the big stars in attendance, while the rest of it courtesy of the Intuit Dome. This show felt momentous and every match, save for one, met that level of importance. It’s a new year and it’s time for the WrestleMania pieces to fall into place. This was a first step well worth the three-hour broadcast. And best of all, no technical glitches or shots of anyone’s butt! Sure, we got Travis Scott smoking weed on live TV, but I’ll take that over any other thing that could go wrong. What say you? How’d you feel about the first Raw on Netflix?Check your inbox for a welcome email.Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.
