NFL
By Keith Richards
On Monday night, WWE streamed its longest-running program live on Netflix for the first time. According to Paul “Triple H” Levesque, the company’s Chief Content Officer, WWE Raw being on Netflix is the start of the Netflix Era. The company has seen significant improvements since Levesque took the role. With viewership strong and WWE continuously shattering records for gates and attendance, Netflix decided to take a chance, and the Netflix Era is now underway.
The debut of the Netflix Era of WWE and Raw did not disappoint. Meeting expectations is difficult, especially when they are as lofty as Triple H and the WWE state. Paul Levesque has said on record several times that we should expect to see things we’ve never seen before. So, after a brilliant debut, what now?
We can guess which WWE Superstars we expect to lead in this new Netflix Era for WWE and Raw’s Men’s Division. All but one of these Superstars were part of the show on Monday. To kick the Netflix Era off on the right foot, Seth “Freaking” Rollins, CM Punk, and Gunther will be cornerstones to success in the Men’s division. Let me explain how.
Gunther
January 12, 2019. That was the day that Gunther, then known as Walter, made his WWE debut at WWE NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool. Since then, Gunther has taken the WWE by storm, both with Imperium and without. He is a no-brainer regarding who Levesque and his team will lean on to start the Netflix Era.
As I sit and write this article, Gunther has been with WWE for 2,187 days. Look at his accomplishments since then:
- Won the NXT UK Title on April 5, 2019 – 870-day reign
- 2024 King of the Ring
- Won the WWE Intercontinental Title on June 10, 2022 – 666-day reign, the longest reign of all time
- Won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on August 3, 2024 – reigning champion at 157 days and counting
Let me put that in perspective. Of the 2,187 days that Gunther has been with WWE, he has been a champion for 1,693 of those days—77%. Gunther has been a champion for 77% of the time he has been with WWE. That’s unheard of!
Gunther has no number one contender after defeating Damian Priest and Finn Balor at Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 14th. As the Netflix Era kicks off, many names have been thrown into the hat as potential suitors of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship—names such as CM Punk, Chad Gable, Bron Breakker, and even Dirty Dominik Mysterio. I believe two superstars will be Gunther’s first opponents: John Cena and Logan Paul.
During his promo on Monday night, John Cena mentioned Gunther as a potential opponent for his retirement tour. The GOAT was candid about facing talent like Gunther. In answering a question about that list, Cena stated, “I’m just grateful to have a chance. And then it kind of struck me out there that there are a few lottery tickets out there so you never know.”
John would continue to say, “17’s been floating out in the universe, and I don’t know if 36 dates is enough time to work my way up from ‘Haven’t won a match in a long, long time’ to ‘#1 contender.’ So if I get lucky in one of these lottery things, I’ll be very happy.” Of those lottery things is the Royal Rumble, which takes place in three weeks. If Cena can pull that off, he has the golden ticket to pick his opponent for one last Wrestlemania moment. Assuming Cody Rhodes remains on Smackdown, Gunther is Cena’s man who captures that elusive 17th title and breaks that previous record. The only unicorn John Cena has not been able to capture.
Logan Paul is more straightforward as a potential rival for Gunther in the Netflix Era. During the live stream on YouTube to prepare for the Netflix debut, Paul declared himself unretired. He returned to the game, and Logan put Gunther in his crosshairs. Gunther, being the champion he is, immediately took notice.
Regarding Logan Paul’s intentions, the Ring General stated, “Well, he’s obviously a very talented man. Athletically, but also in the entertainment world. He’s the jack of all trades, as they say. But I don’t believe World Heavyweight Champion is one of them. That being said, I think my English is pretty good by now, but I’ll make it even simpler. If Logan Paul thinks he can walk in here and take this away from me, if he ever makes it to the top of the line to challenge me for the World Heavyweight Championship, it will be my duty and my pleasure to slap that stupid smirk out of his face.”
Logan Paul is the ultimate heel. He’s one of the most unlikable characters in all of WWE. As much as he is disliked, Logan is fantastic in the ring. The war of words that would take place between Logan Paul and the Ring General would be, as we like to say, cinema. More importantly, Paul and Gunther are about as close to a guarantee as you can get to a five-star banger of a match at Wrestlemania, the Royal Rumble, or Elimination Chamber.
Whoever Gunther faces in these next few months will not be a disappointment. Still, John Cena and Logan Paul will give the coward the most bang for that buck and get this Netflix Era cooking with fire.
Seth “Freaking” Rollins and CM Punk
To end the debut of the Netflix Era, we were treated to a dream match—not a dream match in the sense that the two had never faced each other before. Instead, it is a dream match in the sense that the two have not faced each other since CM Punk returned to WWE. Seth and Punk went from being close friends to bitter enemies in Punk’s ten-year absence. What better main event to have to kick off the Netflix Era?
How did close friends become bitter enemies? Legendary commentator Michael Cole laid it out for us. Cole stated, “Over 20 years ago, Colby Lopez, now known as Seth Rollins, a massive CM Punk fan, got into a car and drove from Iowa to the East Coast to try out for CM Punk’s training school. Seth Rollins blew Punk away, but he didn’t have the money to continue training, so he went home and redefined himself and his craft. They would reunite briefly in NXT.”
Michael Cole would continue to say, “And, then, Ambrose, Reigns, and Rollins, known as The Shield, would become a mercenary for CM Punk. Then Punk would leave WWE. Personal, professional issues. He went to MMA, to other companies and talked harshly about WWE. And while Seth Rollins carried this place on his back for a decade, CM Punk would return 14 months ago to huge fanfare, a big contract, the support of the fans, many in the back, and that didn’t sit well with Seth Rollins. There was no way Rollins was going to welcome Punk back.”
The Second City Saint, CM Punk, was not shy about criticizing WWE when he left. It seemed like Punk took a shot at WWE and its talent anytime he had a half-chance to do so. During that time, Seth did many things for WWE. He was the architect, the Monday Night Messiah, the Visionary, and the Revolutionary. Most of all, he was the flagbearer for WWE.
During CM Punk’s first run with AEW, the Voice of the Voiceless got into trouble. Brawl Out 2022 led to the suspension of CM Punk, the Young Bucks, and others. Then, Seth Rollins was asked about Punk’s troubles in AEW and the possibility of CM Punk returning to WWE. The Revolutionary did not mince words.
Rollins said, “Oh, Philly Phil. Stay away. Stay away, you cancer. Get away from me forever. I don’t like Phil. I don’t like Phil. He’s a jerk. Did we just figure that out? Do we just figure that out? No. Everybody in the room is like, ‘Oh no, did he say that?’ Yeah, no. He’s a jerk. Come on. We figured it out over there, we knew it over here. I don’t want him back. Go do something else. See you later.”
To Seth’s dismay, CM Punk would return at the end of Survivor Series 2023. According to multiple sources, the initial plan was for Punk and Rollins to face off at Wrestlemania 40. That plan was derailed when CM Punk was injured in the Royal Rumble. After the Rumble, the Second City Saint would enter a feud with Drew McIntyre. Many consider that feud to be the best feud of 2024.
Finally, with the Netflix Era upon us, the time was right to ignite the CM Punk – Seth Rollins rivalry. After 14 months of waiting, the match did not disappoint. Though it was the first main event of Raw in the Netflix Era, it won’t be easy to top as the year progresses. I do not believe for a second that we’ve seen the last of this rivalry. There is no better time to continue to explore this than in the Netflix Era.
Paul Levesque promises much more to come in the Netflix Era. If Monday night was any indication, we’re in for a wild ride. Team NBS will be here for it all! Next week, after the Women’s Intercontinental Title is resolved, we will look at what we might expect from the Raw Women’s Division in the Netflix Era. Don’t miss it!
