Below are some top WWE news stories of the day, involving CM Punk, Gunther, RAW and Netflix.
• WWE’s December 29th Live Event at Chicago’s Allstate Arena was a massive success, drawing nearly a sell-out crowd of 11,936 fans, according to WrestleTix.
The surge in sales, including 1,400 tickets sold in just two days, was driven by CM Punk’s highly anticipated steel cage match against Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Punk’s return to his hometown, where he has a storied history, including his WWE Championship victory over John Cena at Money In The Bank 2011, drew significant interest.
Despite interference from Dominik Mysterio leading to his loss, Punk made the event one of WWE’s most successful house shows of the year.
Other matches included Seth Rollins defeating Chad Gable, Rey Mysterio overcoming Dominik Mysterio, and successful title defenses by Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan, adding to the event’s appeal.
WATCH: Liv Morgan’s Buns Exposed:
• WWE is poised to revamp its storytelling approach as Monday Night RAW moves to Netflix on January 6, 2025.
According to Chris Featherstone, the shift will emphasize authentic, unscripted moments, with talent encouraged to go with their gut and connect with the audience organically:
“There are talent backstage in WWE who are really focused on getting a feel of the crowd and ‘going with their gut with what’s given’ by the creative team in order to generate stories that come off as more authentic and not scripted. This is a theme that will go into the Netflix era with storylines.”
This aligns with Netflix’s cinematic reputation, allowing WWE to experiment beyond traditional network TV constraints.
As WrestleMania season approaches, fans can expect a more film-like, immersive storytelling style to define WWE’s Netflix era, promising a new level of creative innovation.
