WWE made its debut on Netflix Monday night with a star-studded lineup, headlined by CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa.

What went down in the company's maiden voyage with the streaming giant and what does it mean as it embarks on the road to the Royal Rumble?

Find out with this recap, including grades and analysis for every segment.

Match Card

Announced in advance for the monumental show:

• Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk
• Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre
• Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan (c)
• Tribal Combat: Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa
• Appearances from: John Cena, The Rock, Logan Paul and Hulk Hogan

Triple H Welcomes WWE Universe to Netflix; The Rock Electrifies

The Netflix era of WWE kicked off Monday night with an incredible opening video package telling the story of professional wrestling before Triple H took center stage.

The WWE chief content officer then welcomed fans to the show before pyro erupted around him.

From there, The Rock entered the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles to a thunderous ovation.

The Great One took to the squared circle for a promo in which he thanked Netflix executives, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns in a promo that was interesting only because it never felt like a guy continuing the Final Boss character we last saw on the Raw After WrestleMania 40.

Whether the crowd-pandering and catchphrases were meant to be a diversion to distract from the creative plans remains to be seen, but this felt out of character considering what we saw from Rock less than a year ago.

An interesting start to the show that capitalized on the Hollywood star's name value but not necessarily in a way that was true to the overarching narrative that began on the road to WrestleMania last year.

The overall grade here, though, is a positive one for the extraordinary presentation and production at the top of the show.

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Rock announced that Monday night's show was the largest arena gate in WWE history.
• The Great One thanked Rhodes, with no tension or dismay between them. That's interesting given the last time we witnessed them on television together.
• Rock acknowledged Reigns as the only Tribal Chief. Also interesting.

Tribal Combat: Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa

With the ula fala and status as the undisputed Tribal Chief on the line, Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa settled their differences Monday night in Tribal Combat.

A match dominated by Sikoa descended into chaos late with interference from Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu, then countered by Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso.

From there, Kevin Owens attempted to avenge years of frustration by dropping the babyface with a Stunner, only for Cody Rhodes to make the save.

From there, Reigns dodged a Samoan Spike and delivered one last Spear for the win.

This had a slow start but once we came back from the second break, it was a ton of fun. It was an Attitude Era-esque brawl with logical run-ins, story advancement and a crowd-pleasing finish.

A great way to kick off this Netflix run that highlighted the biggest star and two of the biggest stories in WWE.

After the match, The Rock emerged from the locker room and placed the ula fala around the neck of the undisputed Tribal Chief.

Anyone expecting a beatdown or a betrayal by Paul Heyman was proved wrong as The Great One stood back and watched Reigns celebrate.

Result

Reigns defeated Sikoa

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The fans in L.A. shouted profanities at Sikoa and you could hear every word. Netflix is a different beast for WWE. 
• Sikoa delivered a wicked spinning uranage to Reigns, onto the announce table, and seized control of the match. He followed up by tossing the ring stairs directly in Reigns' face.
• "Live on 80 percent of the Earth," Pat McAfee said on commentary, an enormous number when you think about it.
• There was a great near-fall off a superkick, Helluva Kick and Spear from Reigns after a referee was late arriving. Sikoa kicked out at two to the disbelief of the crowd.

The Last Time is Now for John Cena

John Cena will kick off his farewell tour by entering the men's Royal Rumble match on February 1, with the intention of winning it and pursuing a historic 17th world title, he revealed Monday night in his return to WWE.

The Greatest of All Time hit the ring to a deafening pop and hinted that he did not believe a championship was possible, citing his long winless streak of the last several years.

It was all a setup to announce his entry in to the annual 30-man Rumble match, with a WrestleMania main event awaiting the winner.

And with that, the Rumble means so much more. Not only is it Cena's last one, but it's also a chance to etch his name in the history books as the most prolific champion in pro wrestling.

That is a story that tells itself, in a landscape full of other ongoing programs, rivalries and feuds.

Cena is about to take the WWE Universe on a ride full of highs, lows and hopefully one last championship reign.

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The latest teaser video confirmed that Penta is on his way. 
• "Damn, there's people everywhere!" Cena said.
• "You deserve it" chants came from the crowd as Cena discussed becoming a record-breaking 17-time champion. It is a testament to his tireless efforts that he turned a crowd that was once hostile toward him to one supporting a possible last title run.
• "As far as a 17th championship is concerned, it's never gonna happen." 
• "The only time we say 'never' around here is when we say 'never give up.'"

Women's World Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan

The year-long rivalry between Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan wrote its latest (final?) chapter Monday night when The Eradicator challenged for the Women's World Championship in the show's lone title match.

Ripley dominated early, but interference from Dominik Mysterio and Raquel Rodriguez at ringside allowed Morgan to gain control of the match. But the challenger weathered everything thrown at her and fought her way back into the match.

Late, Morgan tried one last ObLIVion, but Ripley caught her and delivered the second and third Riptides of the match, the final putting the heel away and netting Ripley the title.

This was a strong match between two women who were allowed to have their match after months of interference-heavy battles.

This was not about a love triangle. It was a match between two women with their own personal beef and a championship at stake, as it should have been a long time ago.

After the match, Ripley got a monster-sized sign of approval as Undertaker entered the arena and joined her for her exit.

Result

Ripley defeated Morgan to win the title

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• In a pre-taped video package, Logan Paul revealed WWE is no longer a side hustle. He is 100 percent a WWE Superstar. 
• Ripley demolished Morgan with a powerbomb on the announce table, to the delight of a laughing McAfee.
• Morgan kicked out of Riptide straight up, with no interference. A big spot that put her over as a wrestler as much as anything she had done throughout her run.
• Ripley kicked out of ObLIVion on the steel chair, a nice callback to the spot that led to Morgan's victory at SummerSlam.

Jey Uso vs. Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre and Jey Uso had been at each others' throats since the latter cost the former the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle in 2022.

Monday, they wrote another chapter in their rivalry as they clashed in singles competition.

Uso proved his resilience, absorbing The Scottish Warrior's punishing offense to stay in the fight. He caught McIntyre with a few superkicks and appeared to have victory in hand with a Spear, but the heel kicked out.

McIntyre jumped back on the attack but saw one Claymore attempt thwarted and another kicked out of. He set up once more, but an exhausted Uso dropped to his knees before the Scot could execute and cut off the heel's momentum.

Ultimately, Uso caught McIntyre with a crucifix pin for three, infuriating The Scottish Warrior.

This was a good, competitive match that an exhausted audience had trouble investing in. Still, Uso looked great, McIntyre sold the shock and anger of his loss appropriately and will look to avenge yet another professional frustration that is the direct result of the immensely popular babyface.

Result

Uso defeated McIntyre

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Travis Scott smoking as he accompanied Jey Uso to the ring was the most surreal thing on the show to this point.
• Cole and McAfee Yeet'd on the announce table, We didn't know how much we needed that pairing back until we got it.
• Props to Cole, who did a fantastic job of catching first-time or newer viewers up on the stories so they knew what was going on, without ever treading on longtime fans.

CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins

Moments after the fans in Los Angeles booed Hulk Hogan and his glorified beer advertisement promo, Seth Rollins and CM Punk hit the ring for one of the most anticipated matches in years.

The intense hatred between the two manifested itself often with both throwing fists before the fight spilled to the arena floor. Rollins earned the upper hand, but he let his emotions get the best of him and Punk stunted his momentum with a straight kick to the face.

The combatants traded control of the match, neither gaining it for a sustained period of time, before Rollins delivered his opponent's own finisher to him, rocking Punk with Go To Sleep.

The Best in the World recovered and delivered Rollins' Stomp for a two-count. The Visionary answered with another GTS, but Punk kicked out.

Moments later, Punk tried his running knee lift in the corner but Rollins caught him, delivered a buckle bomb and added a Stomp, but his opponent draped his foot over the ropes to prevent the three-count.

Rollins set up Punk for the superplex/falcon arrow combo, but he countered and delivered Go to Sleep, added a second and scored the pinfall victory.

This was an excellent match that had potential to be even better. Some of that can be chalked up to time restrictions as the show ended at three hours and a few minutes. Still, Punk and Rollins lived up to the hype with an intensely personal matchup that saw each man do what he could to put the other down until The Best in the World did just that.

The question now is where this goes from here as it was a very decisive finish.

Result

Punk defeated Rollins

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Cole told the story of a "young Colby Lopez, now known as Seth Rollins." We did not have that on the bingo card.
• The crowd was legitimately split 50-50 for the main event, with loud alternating chants for each man raining down from the stands. 
• Rollins delivered a Pedigree on the announce table but appeared to have injured his left knee/shin in the process.

Overall Grade

One of the best and biggest episodes of Raw ever.

From the moment Triple H appeared at the top of the show until Punk finished Rollins in the main event, this took on the appearance and feel of a premium live event.

Every match was meaningful, there were star cameos, celebrities in abundance and a red-hot crowd.

This was WWE production at its finest and a reminder of why the company is better at creating spectacles and must-see TV than any other promotion in the world.

A massive success for the company.

Grade: A+