“WWE Raw” is set to premiere on Netflix, marking the first time the flagship program has left cable television. In an interview with “Nightcap“, Shannon Sharpe asked the former AEW World Champion what to expect from the show’s streaming debut, and Punk was as curious about the changes as anyone.
“We’re all going to figure it out together. I personally think the format of the show will be a little different…I think you’ll see some footage where you’ll see the first hour, maybe the first 90 minutes without commercials,” Punk guessed. “Those are questions for the people in the production truck. I just know that because it’s Netflix…we’re not going to hit a wall.”
Punk believes the biggest difference will be the lack of time constraints, which will allow the normally three-hour program to run as long as necessary, with Netflix offering no hard limits on when the show will end. Paul “Triple H” Levesque said “Raw” would have more flexibility on Netflix, and Punk echoed that view.
“(Time constraints are) the biggest difference between wrestling for an audience and wrestling for television,” Punk said, listing all the things someone needs to consider when wrestling on television. “There’s another show after yours. It’s not like football… There’s definitely things we’ll work on as we go along, but I love it. I love that chaos televised live, anything can happen and anything – an atmosphere that can go wrong.”
While “Raw” makes the lucrative jump to streaming, “Smackdown” will remain on USA Network, where the show has expanded to three hours. “WWE NXT” is currently on the CW, having left the USA Network in October, marking the program’s broadcast television debut.
