It goes without saying that the TKO corporation will have a happy new year in 2025, especially ahead of the historic Raw debut on Netflix next week, a 10-year deal worth $5 billion dollars. It also goes without saying that the merger of WWE and UFC brought together enough media muscle that the sports properties collectively are in a stronger position even than they were before, particularly because of the continued demand of live content. As the media landscape continues to evolve, often at a relatively rapid pace, every form of a distribution channel. both on traditional television and the myriad of streaming services, look for a way to secure those valuable ad dollars. Keep in mind, regardless of the platform, media still makes its money primary from commercials, and companies are willing to pay for that ad time because it gets their products in front of a target demographic.
Make no mistake about it, there will be commercials during Raw on Netflix, as it will add another revenue stream to the platform’s portfolio, which is essentially their reason to get into the live event business. As we know, up until this point, Netflix has primarily focused on movies and television series to generate subscribers, which was very effective, simply for the convenience it gave viewers for access to such a vast amount of content. The company added comedy specials to its line-up, but with more players in the game, particularly those with enough capital to garner the resources to attempt to get a piece of the streaming pie, Netflix made a giant leap into the live event business with the acquisition of Raw, as well as the rest of the WWE product internationally because live content is more or less the foundation of the WWE business model. Sure, we saw the flood of streaming options over the course of the past several years and when the market became over saturation, as it still is in some ways today, some platforms were bought or just shut down. With mega corporations like Amazon and Disney putting more effort into their respective streaming platforms during the past few years, specifically with Amazon’s airing of select football games this season and the acquisition of the rights to the NBA broadcast next season, Netflix wants to keep pace with the evolution of live events through streaming platforms.
In many respects, for the WWE it’s “money in the bank” as far as they have a guaranteed five years on the platform, and unless something completely unforeseen happens, it’s difficult to think that Netflix won’t use the five-year option to keep the Raw brand on the service for at least a decade. Obviously, the most important question is, will the WWE audience pay the subscription fee for a show that was on free TV for more than thirty years? Fans have been conditioned to expect a certain amount of free TV wrestling before they’d have to pay for the pay-per-views so it’s definitely a different dynamic, but it’s a much easier transition when Netflix is so ingrained as one of the most well-known streaming platforms.
The interesting part is, especially after commercials and sponsors become a priority, how will WWE brass keep fans watching on Netflix? It’s safe to say that we can expect Cody, Roman, and many of the other featured stars to still be involved in the company after the initial five years of the contract, but it’s very difficult to even speculate where the WWE or the sports entertainment business as a whole will be in almost a decade.
That being said, as mentioned 2025 will be a happy new year for the WWE offices, mostly because the answer to their success for the year is more or less a very easy decision.
With John Cena set to retire at the end of the year, and from what was said during his original announcement, he plans to work a full schedule before he hangs up the boots, I don’t think it would be unreasonable for the centerpiece of WWE’s year to the final run of one of the greatest performers in the history of the company. While Roman Reigns has certainly carved a legacy that he can reflect on when he finishes up his career, it’s safe to say that John Cena is the biggest star that the company has had since The Rock and Steve Austin. Furthermore, and this is an important point, while it’s understandable for top stars to work a limited schedule, Cena was a throwback in terms of being the workhorse representative for the company during his peak as the champion. He worked all the shows, made all the media appearances, and did an incredible amount of charity work. In some ways, John Cena is the real-life hero that Hulk Hogan pretended to be in his heyday.
Let’s not forget, Cena earned and won over the WWE audience after years of generating a very strong reaction from both sides of the fence. Some fans paid to cheer John Cena and some fans paid to boo John Cena, but the most important thing was that fans were willing to pay to see him in the ring. As I’ve written on several occasions, the key to drawing money is a connection with the audience and their emotional investment into the characters. Without the emotional investment, pro wrestling becomes interchangeable with any other form of entertainment. It goes without saying that the crowd still connects with the 16-time champion and have embraced him as a way to recognize all of his hard work.
The story almost writes itself, as each Cena appearence can almost be tailored to his farewell tour. Cena’s final Royal Rumble, Cena’s final Wrestlemania, his last Summer Slam, and his last stop in Toronto are all selling points for events. More specifically, there was speculation online that maybe John Cena will challenge Cody Rhodes for the WWE championship at Wrestlemania with the notion that if he wins the belt again that he will break Ric Flair’s recognized championship record. I have to say, it would make sense and be a well-deserved accomplishment for him to conclude his career. Let’s be honest, as talented as Ric Flair was in the ring, his choices outside of the sport are less than stellar. Cena as the all-time winner of world championships would be a great representation of the sport and an almost fitting final chapter to his career.
The bottom line is, particularly with the momentum that the WWE already has, the journey of John Cena prior to his retirement is more than enough to maintain the company’s strong business throughout the majority of 2025. Sure, it’s a rather simplistic approach, but sometimes the simplest answer is the right answer. Cena has drawn money for the company for more than two decades at various points so it makes sense for the WWE to use his retirement tour as a way to propel the move to Netflix. Considering how unprecedented the next chapter for the Raw brand is and how it could affect the landscape of the corporation in the future, the ability to maximize the drawing power of John Cena’s retirement is a valuable asset for the company.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
