Appearing on SI Media with Jimmy Traina this week, CM Punk was asked about WWE Raw‘s impending move to Netflix.
And while the “Straight Edge Superstar” downplayed how edgy Raw might become without the constraints of linear television, he did share another reason why he’s optimistic about WWE’s flagship show moving to the streamer next January.
“The only thing that excites me about Netflix is what should excite everybody about Netflix, is we are going to be seen by billions more people,” Punk said. “Like, it’s unfathomable I think to a lot of people what the Netflix deal means to a wrestler in WWE.”
“Billions” with a ‘B’ might be an exaggeration, as Netflix reported 277.65 million paid subscribers globally for the second quarter of 2024. Even if every paid subscriber watched Raw each week (unlikely), each household would need to have multiple viewers to reach one billion viewers, let alone “billions” plural.
Punk’s larger point, however, seems to be that WWE’s presence on Netflix will result in unprecedented exposure for the pro wrestling giant, which doesn’t seem all that far-fetched. Raw has averaged 1.744 million weekly viewers in the United States to this point in 2024, according to Wrestlenomics. And while the show also airs globally, it’s not a stretch to say that being on Netflix will make it more readily available than it currently is.
“USA Network has broadcasted professional wrestling for WWE for decades. Raw has always been on USA,” Punk said. “So for it to go to a streaming service where like, you know, I don’t have the USA Network app on my phone, but I have the Netflix app on my phone. And I guarantee you it’s like that worldwide. So we are going to have doors kicked in, in a lot of different markets, in a lot of different countries, all over the world. And to me that’s exciting.”
As for the actual content, Punk dismissed the idea that being on a streamer will automatically mean an edgier product.
“I don’t want people to use Netflix as a crutch to say the F-word,” he said.
But regardless of how being on Netflix affects WWE’s on-air product, there figures to be a lot more people who will be watching whatever they are — or aren’t — saying once they make the move next year.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.