“If you’ve never watched Monday Night RAW, expect the perfect blend of violence and physicality, mixed with your favorite TV show characters who you’re emotionally attached to,” says Liv Morgan, the current WWE Women’s Champion (for 200+ days, thank you very much). “Add in pyro, lights, and amazing costumes — that’s RAW.”
With the WWE’s cornerstone program streaming on Netflix starting on Jan. 6, longtime wrestling fans across the globe will be able to enjoy the show that they know and love on live television, while new audiences can experience RAW’s papable electricity for the first time. But before you’re mesmerized by WWE Superstars who you’ll love or despise or love to despise, let’s get to know a bit about them. They’re not just freakishly strong, remarkably athletic, enchantingly charismatic, larger-than-life entertainers, they’re also “dream chasers,” says WWE legend CM Punk.
“I think a lot of us are, in a funny way, mountain climbers. We’re goal setters, so we’re always climbing mountains, and we get to the summit and want to find the next goal, the next mountain to climb. I think Netflix represents that,” Punk says. “Worldwide, the number of houses we’re going to be in for eyeballs to watch is astronomical. I don’t think a lot of people really understand yet how big this is going to be.”
Current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes echoes the appeal of Netflix’s scale, noting that the streamer is prominent in his own household. “I got a three-year-old daughter who watches True and the Rainbow Kingdom and Gabby’s Dollhouse all day long. Netflix is a signature beat in our house, so I’m happy we can be part of that. I’m excited for folks who maybe don’t know WWE to see that little live thing pop up and hop on there. I feel like they’ll fall in love with somebody on the program or the program itself.”
Punk similarly insists that all it takes is tuning in to find someone (or several someones) you connect with. “I think we have a lot of personalities on RAW who are going to thrill a lot of different people. If you’ve never seen the show before, and you turn it on and see Rhea Ripley, you’re hooked. You’re tuning in next week.”
Scroll on down to get familiar with Rhea Ripley and the rest of WWE RAW’s illustrious roster.
Once a competitive cheerleader, Liv is now the WWE Women’s Champion and a prominent fixture in the women’s division. On one career-catapulting evening in 2022, Morgan won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and became SmackDown Women’s Champion in the same night. Since then, she’s remained a force, completing what she labeled the “Liv Morgan Revenge Tour.”
“A recap of the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour if you’re new here — I used to be teamed with this girl named Rhea Ripley,” Morgan tells Tudum. “She, for no reason at all, turned on me, and then I found new success with a new girl, and we became the Tag Team Champions. Rhea didn’t like that, because she was jealous, so she cost us the tag team titles. Then she dislocated my shoulder, and I tore my labrum, my rotator cuff, and my bicep.”
But wait, it’s just getting juicy. “As I’m off for six months having surgery,” Morgan continues, “I’m sitting at home watching Rhea Ripley ascend to the top of the women’s division. She doesn’t have a care [in] the world about me or how I feel. So I stopped feeling sorry for myself, and I created the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour. The sole purpose of the Liv Morgan Revenge Tour was to take away everything that Rhea Ripley loves. So her man, Dominik Mysterio, my daddy Dom, he’s mine now. Her family, The Judgment Day, the most dominant team in WWE, they’re mine now. And her beloved Women’s World Championship, it’s mine now. The Liv Morgan Revenge Tour has been completed, and we are moving on to the Liv Morgan World Tour that you guys are all lucky enough to tune in to see.”
Brace yourselves: the Liv Morgan World Tour is primed to run strong from Jan. 6 and beyond.
Acknowledge him!
Bearing the responsibility of leading one of wrestling’s most storied families could break even the strongest Superstar. But for Roman Reigns, it’s just another day at the office — or another day at Head of the Table.
The agile, imposing juggernaut has been told his entire life that he can’t achieve his goals. Whether it was finishing opposing teams as the enforcer of The Shield or grinding his way toward several early victories as WWE Champion, Reigns always left a lasting impression on anyone who came into contact with him.
As his dominance grew, so too did the power of Reigns’ Bloodline faction, made up of himself, his cousins The Usos, their younger brother Solo Sikoa, his special counsel, Paul Heyman, and even for a time Sami Zayn, as an Honorary Uce. The Bloodline ran roughshod over WWE, with Reigns becoming the longest-reigning Universal Champion and also capturing the WWE Championship.
When all is said and done, Roman Reigns will be remembered as one of the most iconic Superstars ever to step foot in the squared circle.
And that’s not a prediction. That’s a spoiler.
A standout in the WWE Performance Center and the Mae Young Classic, Rhea Ripley entered NXT UK already a seasoned and cutthroat grappler with one goal — to rip the NXT UK Women’s division apart.
The ultra-aggressive and terrifyingly strong Aussie embraced her true self, and that means bad news for anyone who faces her, as she already had the physical goods to stand toe-to-toe with any Superstar in sports entertainment.
After winning the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble Match, Ripley captured the SmackDown Women’s Championship for the first time at WrestleMania 39.
Ripley enjoyed a lengthy one-year reign as Women’s World Champion, running through the entire Raw locker room before relinquishing her title on the April 15, 2024, episode of RAW due to injuries sustained at the hands of Liv Morgan. Ripley stormed back just before SummerSlam but was shockingly betrayed by “Dirty” Dom when he sided with Morgan. The fracturing of The Judgment Day was complete when Finn Bálor turned on Damian Priest, forming a new-look Judgment Day with Mysterio, Morgan, JD McDonagh, and Carlito.
Often called the “Best in the World,” CM Punk has a radical, anti-establishment attitude and “Straight Edge” lifestyle that have connected with audiences and made him one of the most beloved figures in professional wrestling. He’s already got a résumé befitting a hall-of-famer, having held the ECW, WWE, and World Heavyweight titles, as well as being a former World Tag Team and Intercontinental Champion.
Punk’s not just a leading man in the squared circle, he’s also a TV and film star, in Girl on the Third Floor and Heels, which is currently streaming on Netflix. No stranger to intense fandom and the duties of celebrity, Punk tells Tudum what life is like for one of the WWE’s biggest names.
“It’s pretty nonstop. If I’m doing RAW, I’ll fly into town Sunday. Flying the day of is too much of a hassle. A typical day at RAW is very, very busy. Getting drug tested, signing 400 eight-by-tens to be sold at the arena. I’m running around like a headless chicken. You forget to eat a lot of the time. You’re doing photo shoots and pictures nonstop.”
But Punk also reflects on the rewarding aspects of his obligations. “We are fortunate to be able to do things like Make-A-Wishes and fan meet-and-greets. I always like peeking my head out. There are a lot of fans who come to [the] arenas and wait for us to show up. Those are the hardcores. It’s my first stop. I immediately go outside, say hi to the fans, take pictures, [and] sign autographs, because without them we wouldn’t be coming to Netflix.”
Jey Uso (and his twin brother Jimmy) spent years dominating the tag team division, carrying out one of the longest championship reigns of all time. For Jey, wrestling is the family business, with his bloodline having deep roots. “I’m a second generation wrestler,” he tells Tudum. “I’m the son of Rikishi. I come from a long line of talented wrestlers. The Rock, Umaga, The Wild Samoans, Yokozuna. We’ve been in [the] game. In my eyes, my family helped build WWE to what it is today. I’m just trying to make my own footprint in the sand.”
Though Jey’s achieved a lot while working alongside his brothers Jimmy and Solo Sikoa as well as his cousin Roman Reigns, the family has also clashed with each other at times. Still, that dysfunction hasn’t prevented “Main Event” Jey Uso from doing big things. On a September 2024 episode of RAW, Jey proved himself to be a high-level individual competitor, winning the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in his career.
But Jey’s just getting started. “2024 has been an awesome year for me,” he tells Tudum. “I ain’t ever think I’d reach heights the way I did this year. [But now] I’m going after the World Championship. I see that in my vision. I can be a WWE champion. Let’s show it in 2025.”
This is Seth “Freakin” Rollins, and he’s really freaking good.
Did you know that he’s the only man to cash in a Money in the Bank contract in the main event of WrestleMania? Or that he’s the only human being ever to hold the WWE Championship and United States Championship simultaneously?
If you didn’t, it won’t be long until this hybrid athlete’s skills turn you into a believer. A veteran of the independent scene who sometimes seems more ninja than superstar, Rollins set up shop as one of WWE’s on-the-spot history makers from the second he walked in the door.
At WWE Night of Champions 2023, Rollins reigned supreme over AJ Styles in a hard-fought matchup. He became the first titleholder of the new World Heavyweight Championship, which he kept for almost a year, delivering stellar performances each and every night. As he’s fond of saying, Seth “Freakin” Rollins is the future, and the future can’t be stopped.
There are plenty of high-flying Superstars, but there’s only one Genius of the Sky.
A peerless aerial artist, Sky first established herself when she touched down in NXT in the summer of 2018. Moonsaults, hurricanranas, and springboard dropkicks were Sky’s stock-in-trade, and you’d expect nothing less from a Superstar who cited Rey Mysterio as her greatest inspiration.
At WWE Money in the Bank 2023, Sky ascended to a whole new level when she won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. She cashed in the coveted contract to defeat Bianca Belair for the WWE Women’s Championship.
The sky truly is the limit for Sky. Luckily, we all have a front-row seat to her air show.
Gunther is one of the most destructive heavyweights ever to set foot in a WWE ring.
Walking down the aisle as Antonín Dvořák’s New World Symphony echoes through the arena, Gunther inspires fear in his opponents before he even steps through the ropes — and for good reason. Dreaded around the world for his pulverizing in-ring style, including brutal knife-edge chops that leave opponents’ chests sunken and discolored, the man known as the Ring General stands 6-foot-4 and weighs a sturdy 250 pounds.
Gunther made history by becoming the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion ever, lasting 666 days until he lost to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania.
At WWE King and Queen of the Ring 2024, Gunther defeated Randy Orton to win the King of the Ring Tournament. The Ring General then usurped Damian Priest at SummerSlam to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
The Street Champion of the Island has arrived.
Solo Sikoa is the apple that fell far from the illustrious Anoa‘i family tree. Given up on and abandoned, he survived by fighting on the streets since he was just 15 years old.
Once Roman Reigns’ most trusted Bloodline member, Sikoa formed a new and more vicious crew. After ejecting Jimmy Uso and the wiseman Paul Heyman, Sikoa added Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu, forming a formidable faction the likes of which have never been seen.
Following in your father’s footsteps is never easy, let alone when he’s the most legendary luchador of all time. But “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio couldn’t care less about the family legacy.
First gracing the WWE Universe’s screens as a child during his father Rey Mysterio’s legendary rivalry with Eddie Guerrero, Dominik has reemerged as a Superstar in his own right.
Dominik made history by winning the SmackDown Tag Team Titles alongside Rey — they became the first father and son to capture them. But at WWE Clash at the Castle, Dominik shocked the world by viciously attacking his father. The following week on RAW, “Dirty” Dom stuck the knife deeper into his father’s heart by officially joining The Judgment Day.
“Dirty” Dom further cemented his status when he shockingly turned on Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam, helping Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan successfully defend her title. The devious duo then kissed, rubbing salt in Ripley’s wounds. Mysterio and Morgan joined Finn Bálor with JD McDonagh and Carlito in the following RAW to form a new Judgment Day.
He stands only 5-foot-6 and barely weighs 175 pounds, but his small stature hasn’t stopped the incomparable Rey Mysterio from achieving giant dreams in WWE, including capturing the WWE Championship, two World Heavyweight Championships, two Intercontinental Titles, three United States Titles, five Tag Team Titles, and three WWE Cruiserweight Titles. He outlasted 29 other Superstars to win the Royal Rumble as the No. 2 entrant.
Trained in the proud Mexican tradition of lucha libre before he was old enough to drive, Rey Mysterio adopted his ring name in tribute to his great-uncle, Rey Sr., and he hid his face under a mask as lucha custom dictates.
The smallest Superstar ever to hold the World Heavyweight Championship, Mysterio believes his size has been an advantage that’s allowed him to perform at a high level for more than 34 years. “The thing that I have in my favor is my size and my weight,” he tells Tudum. “I’m not a heavy guy. Despite that, I’ve had [more than] 13 surgeries on my left knee and one on my right and [on my] bicep. So over the years, modern medicine has really helped me out.”
Despite being one of the most decorated professional wrestlers of all time, Mysterio isn’t resting on his laurels as RAW enters a new era. He intends to give new fans a show. “I hope I can captivate Netflix’s audience [so they] know who Rey Mysterio is by the time I retire.”
When Sami Zayn, a Canadian-born Superstar of Syrian descent, arrived in WWE, he brought a level of experience matched by few others. Having competed in a staggering 29 countries, Zayn’s in-ring presence incorporates an eclectic blend of styles, from explosive aerial moves to hard-hitting strikes. Simply put, Zayn can take down any Superstar on the roster.
At WrestleMania XL, Sami Zayn ended the 666-day reign of Gunther to claim the Intercontinental Championship.
The Scottish Warrior skyrocketed from the UK independent scene to WWE before he was old enough to rent a car, embracing his heritage and a warrior-like mentality.
At WrestleMania XL, McIntyre finally won a world title in front of live fans after defeating Seth “Freakin” Rollins for the world heavyweight title. Moments later, however, he was cashed in on by Money in the Bank holder Priest, who took away his thunder and his title. Since then, McIntyre has shown his penchant for anger by dropping any opponent with his patented claymore — a ferocious kick like a Highland broadsword — while only looking out for himself.
Raquel Rodriguez has the size and strength to push any Superstar past her breaking point. Six-feet tall with back muscles so wide you could show a movie on them, the towering Texan does what she wants when she wants, and there’s little anyone can do to stop her.
As the daughter of longtime wrestler Ricky “Desperado” González, Rodriguez was all but certain to be a future Superstar. In her own words, she’s “coming to wreak havoc.” She gives Tudum a rundown of her resume for those unfamiliar: “WWE NXT Women’s champ for [more than] 200 days. Inaugural NXT Women’s Tag Team champ. Three-time WWE Women’s Tag Team champ.”
After some time away, Rodriguez made a dominant return, helping Women’s World Champion Liv Morgan retain her title at WWE Bad Blood against Rhea Ripley. Since then, Rodriguez has been a one-woman wrecking crew, joining The Judgment Day.
To learn more about every RAW superstar, visit WWE.
And click here for more details on what to expect from the first episode of RAW on Netflix, streaming Jan. 6.
