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WWE may have touted RAW on Netflix as a huge success, and in some aspects, it was. The in-ring action was great all night.
However, the constant need to show celebrities and legends was mostly to fill time and show off for Netflix officials. The second offering on Netflix was much better.
It clocked in at a surprising two and a half hours instead of last week's three-hour show. Even though the latest episode was more palatable, the show still had some misfires. WWE made the following five mistakes on the latest episode of RAW.
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#5. Michael Cole's rough night
Having more freedom under Triple He has been great for WWE commentators. They can say what they want instead of sounding like they're simply reading back what's dictated to them through their headsets.
Even with that change, Michael Cole has taken a step back. His time on SmackDown with Kevin Owens was overtly annoying despite his claim to be an "unbiased journalist." Cole continued this bad trend on RAW, calling The Miz a follower for allying with Karrion Kross against The Wyatt Sicks.
It was more for self-preservation as he tried to ditch Kross several times. Cole never said the same about Sami Zayn who actually did follow Roman Reigns, as recently as WarGames. Seth Rollins pointed this out to Zayn in a backstage segment.
The long-time commentator also had a few botches, like claiming Jey Uso would win his first singles title if he beats Gunther at Saturday Night's Main Event. He won the Intercontinental title last year.
#4. Nia Jax showing up on RAW
After losing the WWE Women's title to Tiffany Stratton, Nia Jax's immediate direction would have been a rematch.
Instead, she lost out in a No. 1 Contender's Fatal Four-Way match, which Bayley won last week. Due to the transfer window, Jax cut off new Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley.
The Eradicator claimed she was back on top before Jax interrupted. Jax also insulted Bayley, who attended the show since it was in her hometown of San Jose, California.
Ripley cleanly defeated Jax at last year's Elimination Chamber event in Perth, Australia. Bayley vs. Ripley would be more appealing than having Jax challenge Mami again.
#3. Treatment of the Intercontinental Champion
For the last several weeks, Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker hasn't been used meaningfully. One week, he was cut off randomly and simply appeared in the crowd as a spectator for RAW's big debut on Netflix.
The latest episode gave him one more thing to do—watch Sheamus face Ludwig Kaiser. After The Celtic Warrior won, he confronted Breakker, and the Champ shoved his enemy.
Why hasn't one of the brand's top stars been used more lately? Is he hurt? After the altercation, a match between the two was booked for Saturday Night's Main Event. Is Breakker saving up all his energy to spear Sheamus back to Ireland?
#2. A severe lack of balance in the commentary team
WWE cannot seem to land on permanent commentary teams across all three of its brands. For much of 2024, several names were pivoted between RAW, SmackDown, and even NXT.
Michael Cole moved to RAW and was joined by Pat McAfee. While McAfee can be funny and insightful, it leaves RAW with a huge problem - both commentators only cheer for the face side of the roster.
Both McAfee and Cole act like fanboys, especially when they "Yeet" for Jey Uso. While Corey Graves could be too much at some points, he at least was the yin to Cole's yang.
Not having representation for the other side of the story feels a bit like piling on the heel, so Cole and Pat act more like fans than analysts.
#1. Bye-bye, Uncle Howdy and The Wyatt Sicks!
The transfer window struck again, but if you hadn't listened to Karrion Kross' backstage segment, you probably missed it.
As he was talking to The Miz, Kross mentioned that they couldn't tangle with The Wyatt Sicks because they were quietly moved to SmackDown. It was a bad way to end a feud that was interesting for both sides. Neither Kross nor the Sicks definitively won, so it feels like an excuse to move a group for the sake of it.
Officials could have had a "Loser Leaves RAW" match or at least done something more meaningful. It feels a bit like they didn't know what to do with the group because too much focus was on the debut on Netflix.
