While the production quality of the cold open for WWE Raw’s Netflix premiere episode received widespread praise, some fans expressed criticism over the use of insider wrestling terms such as “work,” “shoot,” “heel,” and “face” during Triple H’s narration. Triple H addressed these comments during the post-show press conference, providing insight into the creative intent behind the decision.
Triple H explained:
“The reaction seems like we did a good job with it. That was the intent, to capture the emotion and let people know, we’re not hiding what we do. I saw a lot of chatter today from people saying, ‘Oh my God, they said heel and face and shoot and work in one promo.’ We’re not hiding what we do. That’s what we do.
“To be honest, I think most of the world understands those terms, and they’ve almost transcended our business. It’s what it is. People know what we are. We talk about it. We’re not insulting anybody’s intelligence. We’re an art form—absolutely an art form that captures people’s emotions.
“We don’t take ourselves as seriously as most other people take us. It was all part of trying to capture that and say, ‘If you’ve watched, watch this, and hopefully, we honor what you love. If you’ve never watched this, watch this. We’ll explain to you what we are.’ That was the attempt.”
Triple H’s comments highlight WWE’s evolving approach to storytelling, acknowledging the audience’s awareness while celebrating the art and emotion of professional wrestling. The cold open aimed to bridge the gap between longtime fans and new viewers, setting the stage for an era-defining debut on Netflix.
WWE's Chief Content Officer @TripleH narrates the official Cold Open for the debut of #RawOnNetflix streaming live TONIGHT at 8PM ET nationwide!#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/35eCNT1Moa
— WWE (@WWE) January 6, 2025
