Netflix & WWE Lunch and Learn Presentation Recap

411mania was on hand for a special event this week at Netflix HQ. Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, and Vice President, Unscripted and Documentary Series, Brandon Riegg, joined with WWE President Nick Khan and Chief Creative Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque for an informational session about Netflix and WWE’s new, historic landmark partnership that kicks off in 2025.

Monday Night Raw will make its debut on the streaming platform on January 6, 2025, with a major event planned for the Intuit Dome. Also, Netflix will be streaming home of WWE content in many countries outside of the United States, with Netflix streaming live weekly episodes of Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and premium live events. This includes the WWE archive of classic. WCW and ECW shows. Longtime WWE broadcaster Michael Cole hosted and moderated today’s presentation. Here’s a recap of the presentation:

Image Credit: WWE

* Michael Cole opened up the presentation with remarks about his history growing up as a WWE fan and pursuing a career with WWE starting in 1997. He talked about some of the many great moments he got to be a part of, citing the Attitude Era, getting a wedgie from DX’s Triple H and Shawn Michaels, the end of The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak, the 1,000+ days title reign by Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes ending his title reign and finishing his story at WrestleMania 40. He talks about those emotions, character development, moments, and storytelling inspiring WWE’s passionate fans and part of what finally made WWE and Netflix finally form a partnership. Cole stated, “I cannot wait for January 6, Monday Night, in the Intuit Dome, to sit down at ringside and put on those headsets and finally say, ‘Welcome to Monday Night Raw, live on Netflix!'” Cole’s intro was followed by a sizzle reel highlighting WWE clips and also news bits announcing the Raw and Netflix deal.

* Cole then introduced the first panelist, Netflix’s Bela Bajaria. Bajaria shared a personal story following getting into WWE as a young fan with her mild-mannered grandfather. Bajaria revealed that talks within Netflix about an opportunity with WWE started about a year-and-a-half ago, and she began to learn more about the business of wrestling, noting the multi-generational fanbase, more than one billion followers on social media, and WWE programming trending on social media 52 weeks a year. She shared some stats about how whenever WWE would move networks, the audience would usually follow. Bajaria stated, “Combining the intensity of WWE fans with the fandom and reach of Netflix just made sense.”

* Bajaria stated while this is a big change and the first time Monday Night Raw is leaving linear television since it debuted, adding, “But if the past is any indication, WWE fans will follow.” Netflix also hopes to bring in millions of more new fans to WWE with Netflix’s global reach, and all of WWE’s major events streaming on one platform outside of the US.

* Cole next introduced Netflix nonfiction and sports executive Brandon Riegg, who was instrumental in bringing WWE to Netflix, along with WWE President Nick Khan and CCO Triple H. After his entrance, Triple H joked, “I was going to do the water spit, but it’s a small room.” Cole responded, “No more wedgies either.” Triple replied, “I can’t promise that.”

* Khan briefly discussed the evolution of the wrestling business. A graphic was shown on the screen showcasing the old territory days of wrestling. Khan compared it to the way the boxing business is now, stating, “No one knows what’s going on at any given time.” He noted that “One company came around and rolled all that up and rolled some people over.” The next slide showed a map of the globe and the WWE branding covering all of it. Khan stated, “When you look at Netflix and its global reach, and the power of its brand, it was time that our brand met up with theirs. They gave us a great opportunity, and we’re going to underpromise and overdeliver.” Khan went over the record-breaking attendances and viewership during this year’s WrestleMania season, WWE making good use of social media outreach as the number one news source for the public, and WWE’s premium live event business. Khan explained that they changed the name of their pay-per-views to PLEs because there’s no longer any up-charge. He also showcased the global reach of WWE’s PLE business in 2024, stating that each one outdid the last. Triple H joked, “I just want to mention too, the one that didn’t set a record, just to clarify for everybody, had Bad Bunny on it. So, we’re grading on a curve on that one. It’s a clean record really.”

* Brandon Riegg shared his own personal story growing up as a young WWE fan. He also shared an early memory of going to the same school as the son of Big John Studd. Riegg added that he’s stayed a fan of the brand ever since.

* Nick Khan praised executives such as Bajaria and Riegg and what they’ve done for Netflix. He criticized Hollywood for selling to itself too often, and he praised Netflix for providing programming for a wide viewing audience and multiple demographics. Khan stated, “It’s all here, so WWE is here. We at WWE try to appeal to all 50 states, to countries globally. We think Netflix does the same thing.” Cole joked, “Netflix is going to ruin my marriage. She sits there and watches it all day long.” Triple H keeps up his joking rapport with Cole, “It isn’t Netflix, Michael.”

* Triple H spoke about what makes a top WWE Superstar. He talks about a larger-than-life presence and persona, noting that “the next never looks like the last.” Triple H describes some of the faces of WWE over the years, noting it started in the 1980s with the era of Hulk Hogan, before shifting in the 1990s to wrestlers such as Bret Hart, then highlighting stars such as The Rock, and later John Cena, before more recently the “maniacal Tribal Chief who everyone loves to hate” Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes “doing the right thing at all times.” Triple H notes while the style and look of top Superstars shift all the time, the common denominator is a larger-than-life persona and putting them in storylines where their characters come to life, which resonates with the fans who see bits and pieces of themselves and what they wish they could be in the top stars.

* Triple H explained how things started to change some years ago with the WWE Women’s Evolution, which changed from women Superstars being tertiary characters in WWE to becoming the focal points of WWE programming. Triple H noted how WWE changed their approach to women’s wrestling and how they train them, and they started looking for the same “larger than life qualities” in the women as they do the men’s wrestlers. Triple H stated the women Superstars have larger-than-life personas that young girls can aspire to be like, but he sees just as many little boys wearing Bianca Belair shirts as he does little girls. The women are now just as big a part of WWE shows as the men, and now they are main eventing WrestleMania, other premium live events, and weekly TV shows.

* Bela Bajaria talks about Netflix finally making the move to live weekly TV and how WWE “delivers on all of the things that we want,” and calls their partnership “super exciting.”

* Nick Khan shared a story about meeting with Brandon Riegg before the COVID pandemic when he was still an agent and negotiating WWE’s media rights and had a meeting with Brandon Riegg. Riegg told Khan at the time that Netflix wasn’t looking to make the move to live programming yet, but he offered Khan some advice, stating, “You gotta help WWE line up their international rights because if we ever get into life, of Netflix is live with WWE…in Tunisia is not really going to get the kind of press that Netflix and WWE wants.” Khan states that’s what started the process of WWE getting its international deals lined up, adding that WWE has a belief of “every great macro-transaction is the result of a thousand great micro ones.” Khan goes over other major events that led to Netflix being ready to try live weekly programming and then sitting down with Netflix starting about a year ago. He says the deal with Netflix was done in about a month after beginning talks.

* Michael Cole asks Triple H about WWE’s social media reach. Triple H noted the tension that had been building between CM Punk and Roman Reigns at WWE Survivor Series during the WarGames match, explaining how a moment in the match of Roman Reigns just putting his arm up in front of CM Punk was so powerful it hit 78 million views on social media within 24 hours of it airing. Triple H says their programming weekly does that type of traffic, and their stars are some of the most followed people on the planet on social media, which he considers “the water cooler of today.”

* Triple H spoke about the enormity of the significance of WWE’s streaming deal with Netflix, and he’s not sure if people get how huge and game-changing the Netflix partnership with WWE is, noting that the rest of the world outside of the US is “getting everything” on Netflix, adding, “It’s a game-changer.” Triple H references a line Cole said earlier about the Attitude Era being the biggest and most robust era of WWE. He continued, “I don’t think that is accurate anymore. I think it’s right now. I think the moment that we’re going through right now — I was in the Attitude Era at the peak of it as you were. We didn’t realize what it was in the moment. Having seen that, I see this, and I see bigger. I see this as this different moment of time in the business, and it being something different. And you mentioned it being the Triple H Era. I don’t think it’s that. I think at the end of it, it’s going to be called the Netflix Era because that’s where the big change is.” Cole replies, “You’re not going to stop me from saying Triple H Era.”

* Nick Khan talks about how many families such as Bela Bajaria’s likely had a similar upbringing in the 1980s with someone watching WWE or becoming a fan of WWE through a family member. He talked about his own family being big fans of The Iron Sheik because he was also Iranian and he spoke their language that they were usually “embarrassed to speak outside of the house,” and how watching WWE in the 1980s gave them a feeling of acceptance. Khan adds that Bajaria being a part of Netflix made creating the partnership a lot easier because the previous generation of entertainment executives looked down upon wrestling.

* Bela Bajaria mentions an upcoming original movie starring John Cena and Eric Andre that’s in the works. Triple H says he’s excited about where Superstars can go with the Netflix platform and the things that don’t even exist yet that they will be able to build together.

* Cole then plays a sizzle reel showcasing the celebrities and international stars who have appeared in WWE, noting that celebrities are clamoring to collaborate with WWE or appear in WWE. Triple H mentions that what’s even crazier than the clip that was just shown is the long list of people who call into WWE on a “regular basis” saying they want to do something with them, adding, “I saw what Bad Bunny did with you guys. I want to do that.” According to Triple H, “That’s a regular occurrence now.” Triple H notes that Jellyroll is eager to get in the ring at WrestleMania. He also said on singer Jelly Roll, “Jelly Roll, I just saw him the other day. He’s still raving about when we did stuff with him. And every time I see him, he says the same thing, ‘I got another 100 pounds to go, baby, and I’m doing a match with you guys. Just let me get there.”

* Triple H also talks about other celebrities who have successfully transitioned into WWE, such as Logan Paul and Pat McAfee. Triple H recalls the conversation with Logan Paul about Paul wanting him to put aside everything else to focus on his WWE career, noting that it’s his passion and calling. He also says McAfee left his career in the NFL in the hopes of working with WWE. Additionally, he reveals that Pat McAfee is about to return to WWE “full-time” on Monday Night Raw. Nick Khan discusses how the Bad Bunny relationship came about, which culminated in Bad Bunny training to work in the ring and wrestling at WrestleMania. Khan notes that it’s not just a celebrity appearance in the ring with WWE and that you have to take it seriously and respect the product, “When you do, it ends up being a great result for all of us.”

* Nick Khan talks about WWE’s international fanbase and how Netflix having hundreds of million subscribers will affect how WWE rolls out its product next year. Khan says they planted the seeds for that about a year ago by putting on half of their PLEs in international territories. He adds that we can expect to see “more of that” next year, including “a run of Raw and SmackDowns from international locations.” Khan talks about being a “global-local” company, going to international territories and having stars emerge from there, and having “boots on the ground.” He expects a great 2025 with WWE at Netflix.

* Nick Khan considers Netflix “just the starting line” for WWE. He says they have “a one-hour celebration rule at WWE.” If they have a good show, they celebrate for one hour and then move on to the next one since that’s how it goes. Khan notes how WWE twenty years ago was on UPN and TNN, which became The National Network, which then became Spike TV, which is now the Paramount Network, “which is now wholly relevant.” He adds, “So for all of us to be here at Netflix, that being said, it’s just the starting line.” He says WWE are the underdogs much like Netflix were once the underdogs.

* Cole then transitions to the Q&A portion of the presentation. KTLA asks what they are doing at Netflix to make sure the WWE experience won’t have the same issues as the live Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight. Bajaria notes that they took a big swing with the Paul/Tyson fight, and said their engineers worked quickly to stabilize things for the Tyson-Paul fight. They are also learning and getting things for more live-streaming programs. Bajaria adds, “We’re totally ready and excited for WWE.” Triple H also jokes, “I’ll just say if it blinks a couple of times and we do sixty million, I’m good with that.” Bajaria responds, “We’re going to be ready for your sixty million!”

* Joe Reedy with The Associated Press asks about the production changes for streaming programming without traditional TV ratings, along with how Lee Fitting has helped with the production side. Triple H praises the work of Lee Fitting and the influence he’s served on the WWE production side and making the product better. Triple H adds that they have to give the fans everything they “love and expect” with WWE but also “reinvent” it and “drive it to the next level.” He says they are trying to think outside the box and do things differently. He says that’s one of the great things about Netflix is they are thinking about doing things that have never been thought of before.

* Deadline’s Rosy Cordero asks about WWE’s streaming deal with Peacock, which is slated to end in 2026, and if there have been any talks with Netflix about bringing WWE’s extensive library to Netflix as well (in the US). Khan says Peacock is WWE’s incumbent partner, and they will always respect their incumbent partner’s media rights. He adds, “We’ll have those conversations with them in 2025, and we’ll see what shakes up.”

* Chris Van Vliet with Insight asks about what the format for Monday Night Raw will look like on Netflix. Triple H replies, “I’ll let you know on January 6 *laughs*.” Khan says they are having those conversations with Netflix right now regarding the format and how commercial breaks will work. He credits Gabe Spitzer with how he’s been helping them get dialed in.

* Before the Bell’s Clayton Thomas asks Triple H about which WWE storylines other than the big ones that he’s most invested in as a fan. Triple H talks about trying to find the storylines that resonate the most with the Superstars and fans and that it’s hard to pick just one. He talks about his philosophy of crafting the storyline and also figuring out what’s getting a reaction and not getting a reaction. He mentions the long-term build of The New Day storyline, and how their segment on last Monday’s Raw was like a moment of a ten-year culmination, and how the fans reacted. He says those moments are why they do it.

* In response to a question from Sports Illustrated, Triple H if he was to point to something he’s most proud of since fully taking over the creative of WWE, it’s not something that we can see on TV, it’s that everyone’s having fun. Michael Cole chimes in praising Triple H’s leadership and how he’s having the most fun he’s ever had in his career. He expresses how Triple H has allowed Cole to open up on TV and says that style is what has their business “clicking” so much right now.

* Nick Khan says they aren’t changing WWE’s rating on Netflix and that it will remain “family-friendly, multi-generational, advertising-friendly programming” on the streamer. Khan adds that fans should look forward to more “global flare” as the relationship between Netflix and WWE continues to develop. He talks about targeted countries that are priorities for both WWE and Netflix, and fans can expect to see more of that.

* Triple H says as they create more stars, they will be able to bring more talent in and out, citing the recent of Drew McIntyre on this week’s Raw after he took a break for about two months. He talks about giving Superstars time to take a break to be with their families or even work on an outside project or opportunity. According to Triple H, we can expect to see more of that too.

* ScreenRant’s Joe Deckelmeier asks Bela Bajaria about current and modern WWE Superstars starring in Netflix projects. Bajaria says it’s “for sure” possible, but it will depend on whether it’s a right fit and not because they are trying to jam things together. Triple H chimes in “It has to be good.”

* Triple H is asked if he felt any doubts about WWE forming a partnership with Netflix. He says he had no doubts about the partnership and thought it was a game-changer for WWE.

* With the conclusion of the Q&A, Cole reveals some custom WWE Championship title belts with Netflix sideplates for the WWE executives.

Image Credit: WWE

After the presentation concluded, it was followed by an informal luncheon attended by a group of WWE Superstars, including Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Women’s Tag Team Champion Bianca Belair, Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan, WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, and The Miz. WWE makes its Netflix debut on January 6, 2025, with the debut of Monday Night. The event is being held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, and will stream live on Netflix.