The Netflix era hits Paris with a thud
WWE dragging this production to Paris for a 2pm EST start time on Netflix was a choice. Maybe they wanted to align with the World Cup buzz starting in two days, but the result was a disjointed broadcast that felt like a house show masquerading as premium content.
The energy in the building was weird. These early afternoon starts strip the tension out of the room. You can hear the lack of stakes in the crowd noise, even when the talent is trying to push the tempo.
The Oba Femi show and his supporting cast of mid
Oba Femi rolled into the building to a massive reaction. It was the only moment during the June 8th Raw broadcast where the audience actually woke up.
Femi carries an intensity that the current roster lacks. While he was soaking up the cheers, we were stuck watching Austin Theory and Maxxine Dupri hovering in the hallway. Why are we pushing this angle?
Theory has been spinning his wheels for years. Pairing him with Dupri feels like a booking move designed to kill time before the ad break. It is a textbook example of a creative department running out of ideas.
The booking disaster in the city of lights
We saw Sol Ruca walking in as well, but the show lacked any real narrative momentum. Paris is a massive market, yet the creative team gave them a standard, filler-heavy episode. You have Netflix writing checks, yet the segments feel like they were scribbled on a napkin five minutes before air.
The pacing of the show was abysmal. Moving from a genuine heavyweight arrival like Femi to aimless backstage filler is a classic WWE blunder. You have the momentum, then you immediately squash it with low-tier storytelling.
The reality is that Raw needs a central focus that isn't just relying on international pop. If the best you can offer a global audience is Theory leaning against a wall, you have failed the assignment.
Femi is carrying this brand on his back. If they don't lean into his ascent, the Netflix transition is going to look like a massive expensive fumble.
The audience in Paris deserved better than a glorified warm-up session. WWE needs to realize that just being on a streaming service won't hide lazy writing for long.
