On January 6, WWE could see its largest audience ever as its flagship show, "WWE Raw," makes its Netflix debut. The streaming platform, with its approximate 282 million paid subscribers, gives WWE the ability to put its product in front of millions of new people, which the company hopes to convert into fans. Appearing on the podcast "2 Bears, 1 Cave,"WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes sat down with comedians Bert Kreischer and Tom Segura to discuss the importance of connecting with people who might not otherwise be wrestling fans.
"From the pro wrestler's standpoint, I always go out there with the idea that they've never seen me before,"Rhodes said of his presentation."I need them to know right out of the gate, 'Okay, this is who he is...our wise men who help put the show together, when they say something like, 'Hey, there's a lot of new eyeballs out there.' This will be one of those situations where it really is. Really, truly is. And you have the chance to hook them."
Rhodes acknowledged the difficulty in capturingpeople's attention in the modern era, noting how fans demand more authenticity in wrestling compared to years past.
"There's such a carny element to how pro wrestling used to be, in terms of reeling in a mark for something to watch,"Rhodes said. "Now the audience is so sophisticated...You can't just hook them. You can't be cheap. You have to actually see someone authentically that they like, and then hopefully they stay on board."
"Raw"'s Netflix debut is advertising several marquee matchups, including Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa and CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins. But WWE isn't waiting until January 6 to lock up with Netflix's subscriber base. Several WWE archival shows will be available to stream as soon as January 1.
