WWE/Getty Images
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
WWE Reportedly Trying to Get The Rock for Raw’s Netflix Debut
WWE Raw is set to make its move from USA Network to Netflix in January, and the company is reportedly working hard to secure a massive star for the debut episode.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE is “hopeful” it will be able to get The Rock to appear on the historic show.
Since becoming WWE’s weekly flagship show back in 1993, Raw has always aired on traditional championship, but the move to Netflix will mark WWE’s first foray into one of its weekly shows streaming live.
It is undoubtedly a massive moment in WWE history, and there is little doubt that the company would love to have as many top stars as possible on hand for the event.
Both Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes seem likely for the show in terms of current stars, and John Cena has already said that he intends to be part of the first Raw on Netflix.
The Rock is perhaps the biggest star of them all, and WWE seems to be building him up for something huge in the coming months.
After Reigns and Rhodes beat Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu in the main event of Bad Blood earlier this month, The Rock made his surprise return, appearing on WWE programming for the first time since April.
The Rock made his intentions clear back in April regarding his desire to get his hands on Rhodes and the WWE Championship, but he may also have an issue with Reigns since Roman is now at odds with The Bloodline.
Regardless of what the plans are for The Rock, WWE would benefit from his presence, and he would make the move to Netflix feel like an even bigger deal.
Punk Reportedly Receiving Positive Reviews Backstage in WWE
CM Punk returned to WWE nearly one year ago, and the move seems to have been highly fruitful for all parties involved.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Mukherjee), “good things” continue to be said about Punk, his actions and his demeanor backstage, and it was speculated that Punk has made it a point to “not justify or sort of give any opportunities to his haters to zero in on the things people have criticized him about.”
After leaving WWE in January 2014, Punk returned to pro wrestling with AEW in 2021, but his time with the company was marred by backstage issues and altercations, leading to his release in September 2023.
It was unclear at that point if Punk would ever return to WWE, but he shocked the wrestling world in November 2023 by making a surprise appearance at Survivor Series in his hometown of Chicago.
There was plenty of skepticism regarding how Punk would fit in after he left both WWE and AEW on bad terms, but there has yet to be any indication of Punk being a problem child.
In fact, Punk seems to be consistently going above and beyond to provide value to WWE, especially in terms of spending time at the WWE Performance Center and both on camera and behind the scenes in NXT in effort to aid in the development of WWE’s up-and-coming stars.
On top of that, Punk has been part of some of the most compelling programming in WWE over the past year, particularly his rivalry with Drew McIntyre, which concluded with a spectacular Hell in a Cell match at Bad Blood.
On the ensuing episode of Raw, Punk said he was stepping away for a bit and wasn’t sure when he would be back, but when the time comes for him to return, he figures to be a featured part of the show once again.
Hendry Potentially Hints at Royal Rumble Appearance
TNA star Joe Hendry may have teased an appearance in February’s men’s WWE Royal Rumble match with a somewhat cryptic post Monday on X.
Hendry responded to a fan who said it was “kinda crazy how fast Joe Hendry fell off the radar.”
The Scottish star wrote that the post would age poorly “in about four months,” which lines up with when the Royal Rumble is set to take place.
The 2025 Royal Rumble will occur on Feb. 1 in Indianapolis, meaning it is now less than four months away.
Given that WWE has a working relationship and talent exchange with TNA, it will not be a shock if Hendry or other TNA wrestlers are used in the Royal Rumble, especially given Hendry’s viral popularity.
Hendry has already made several WWE appearances in NXT, including challenging Ethan Page for the NXT Championship at No Mercy in September.
He was instantly over with the WWE Universe thanks to his catchy theme song and strong presence on social media, and there is little doubt that those factors will result in a huge pop if he does enter the Rumble.
Just last year, TNA’s Jordynne Grace entered the women’s Royal Rumble prior to the talent exchange officially coming into effect, which likely means the possibilities are endless this time around.
Hendry has all the makings of being a future WWE Superstar when the time is right for him to make the jump, and the Rumble could be the perfect litmus test to see what a larger-scale crowd thinks of him.
Leave a Reply