WWE RAW on Netflix debut: Triple H provides update on John Cena, RAW timeline & more
(Courtesy : WWE)
WWE COO sat down with Jimmy Traina ahead of the Netflix debut
As WWE prepares for the historic show of Monday Night Raw on Netflix, scheduled for January 6 at the Intuit Dome, excitement among fans is on the brink of a fever pitch. Four high-stakes matches have been announced for the show thus far.
Ahead of the debut, WWE COO and pro wrestling legend Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque sat down with Jimmy Traina on the SI Media Podcast. During the conversation, Levesque spilled some secrets regarding the length of the show, the PG rating, an update on John Cena, and more.
The length of Monday Night Raw will be flexible
On the final episode of Friday Night SmackDown, it was announced that the Blue brand will transition to a three-hour format, with its first extended show scheduled for January 3 in Phoenix, Arizona. Many fans believed that the Red brand would soon follow this exciting change.
However, no official announcement regarding this change was made, leaving many fans puzzled. During the recent conversation, Triple H shed some light on the matter. Levesque revealed that the length of Raw on Netflix will be flexible.
“It’ll be flexible in that I don’t think necessarily the time constraints of network television or cable television apply. I think much like many shows, they have the ability to do whatever the show needs to have done. So if this episode needs to be an hour, great, it’s an hour, this next episode needs to be 42 minutes, it’s 42 minutes. It’s what makes for the best product. Now, I’m not saying that we’re going to be 42 minutes, but clearly we’ll deliver the product in a way that is best for Netflix and for their business model and what is best for our storytelling.” Levesque revealed.
Levesque also stated that the promotion will deliver a product that is best for Netflix, its business, and the storyline. Unlike cable television, they are not bound by time constraints which gives them the freedom to create the show as per their liking.
Triple H confirms WWE on Netflix will remain PG, with occasional edginess
Levesque also reinforced that WWE programs on the streaming giant Netflix will remain family-friendly. He also added that they will “push the envelope a little bit sometimes” but nothing extreme which will disappoint the viewer.
“This will be family programming just like it’s always been, right? PG programming. To me, the whole, I need somebody to swear in a movie to make the movie good. Like, I just don’t… I get it. There’s certain genres of things that need that or that are good with that.
But I’ve seen just as many comedians that are clean, that are, you know, crazy money as I have, you know, ones that are late with profanity. I think that all of that is given way more importance. It’s a rating and a brand that makes you feel a certain way, so people get excited about that.
But we want to be very conscious about making this, what we just talked about, which is, you’re not, hopefully, on there watching with your kid and be like, oh, God, why am I showing my kid here? And I don’t, you know, I shouldn’t be exposing to this. Are we going to push the envelope a little bit sometimes here and there? Sure but nothing that’s going to turn you off as a viewer.” Levesque stated.
Update on John Cena’s Farewell Tour
The ‘G.O.A.T’ of pro wrestling John Cena will kick off his farewell tour on Monday at the Intuit Dome. He will retire at the end of the year and will also compete in the final WrestleMania of his career. Fans are hyped up with anticipation about which stars and newcomers will be a part of Cena’s farewell tour.
Reinforcing what WWE EVP Chris Legentil said, Levesque revealed that Cena is making wrestling his prime commitment and will perform at live events as well as regular programming.
“He has made this his prime commitment for the year. And he’s kind of all in. So he’s going to make some live events. He’s going to make TV’s, not everything because then obviously supply and demand as well. He’ll make select premium live events. He’s going to wrestle a lot. And then it’s, you know, it’s sort of a one calendar year thing. And then he’s going to call it a day.” Triple H said.
As the G.O.A.T embarks on his last ride, fans are hoping to see him break the tie with Ric Flair and become the 17-time WWE Champion.
Triple H confirms that Joe Tessitore will be on commentary for SmackDown
Levesque confirmed reports of Michael Cole moving to Monday Night Raw and joining Pat McAfee on the commentary desk. Alicia Taylor will also be joining them as she will replace Lilian Garcia who has shifted to SmackDown.
During the conversation, Levesque confirmed that Joe Tessitore will join Corey Graves in the SmackDown commentary booth going forward. Levesque also had high praise for Tessitore, sharing the story of how they first met.
“He’s such a massive fan. Even before he was doing anything with us, Joe would text me on stuff. We became friends through Nick [Khan]. He would be telling me, ‘I saw on this podcast,’ and I don’t even know what he’s talking about, and it’s my job to know what he’s talking about.” Paul stated.
Levesque reflected on his initial encounter and conversation with Tessitore, highlighting the connection they developed working with each other and the respect he has for Tessitore’s work and professionalism.
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