Posted in: Netflix, Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: netflix, wwe, WWE Raw

WWE Raw: Travis Scott Sparks Up The Crowd Ahead of Uso/McIntyre Match

Though he didn't perform the new WWE Raw theme, Travis Scott made sure to light up the crowd in a big way by joining Jey Uso's entrance.

Tonight's the night that the WWE and Netflix start making good on their multi-year, multi-billion-dollar deal in a very big way, as WWE Raw makes the leap to streaming. For the opening show, we've got Roman Reigns taking on Solo Sikoa in Tribal Combat for the coveted Ula Fala, Rhea Ripley challenging Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship, a main event grudge match between Seth "Freakin'" Rollins and CM Punk, and Drew McIntyre looking to get some revenge on OG Bloodline member Jey Uso. We've got Michael Cole and Pat McAfee on commentary, WWE legend John Cena kicking off his year-long retirement run, Logan Paul on hand to annoy the living f**k out of everyone, and even Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (with some last-minute rumblings of a possible appearance from the Undertaker) – and that's not counting surprises. Of course, we need some music to kick things off – and that's where Travis Scott comes in because he was set to perform the new theme song live. Except… he didn't.

What Scott did do was officially enter the arena shortly before Uso did ahead of his match with McIntyre – but instead of performing the new theme "4×4" (as Cole announced), Scott posed for the crowd with a drink, what appeared to be a custom WWE Hardcore Championship belt, and what we will refer to as some "sage" (as McAfee called it) that he took a puff from. Here's a look at what went down and we'll leave it to you to make the call:

Here's a look back at the official cold open to tonight's premiere that was released earlier today, with WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H narrating a special look at the history of the professional wrestling organization and the "stories" it has told over the decades as it prepares for its future:

Triple H Explains Why WWE Raw Runtime "Will Be Flexible" on Netflix

"It will be flexible. It will be flexible in I don't necessarily know the time constraints of network television or cable television apply. It's a slightly different platform. Much like many episodic shows, they have the ability to do whatever the show needs to have down. If this episode needs to be an hour, great, it's an hour. If the next episode needs to be 42 minutes, it's 42 minutes. It's what makes for the best product. I'm not saying we're going to be 42 minutes, but clearly, we'll deliver the product in a way that is best for Netflix and their business model and best for our storytelling." Triple H shared with Jimmy Traina during the latest episode of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast. "We have averages. For me, the perfect show time is somewhere in the two-and-a-half-hour range. If you had asked me years ago, the two-hour shows, you get into them, and you don't have the real estate on that program to get everything in there you want to get in, all the stories and characters. Sometimes, it's a good thing because it creates scarcity and opportunity for people to be more over, but sometimes there are things you want to get in there."

Triple H offered an example of how a segment going long would impact the rest of the live show. "People lose track of the fact that what we do is live. There are formats we have to stick with and constraints of commercial time. If you run a segment that is scheduled for 10 minutes and it ends up being colossal content and goes 17 minutes, you're now 17 minutes into a show, and you have to find places to pull that out and still hit commercial times and crossover times, which is important for networks. All of that makes it difficult to do," he explained.

"I think we'll have more freedom in the format and more freedom to say… if two hours is not enough, three hours, you can be in the position of 'did you need that or was it important?'" Triple H continued. "I don't want to say filler because I don't want anyone to feel like they're filler. Sometimes, a three-hour show, having hours that crossover, you're so constrained by that that you're putting in the show what we call 'collapsible.' The show is heavy, we get late into an hour, something has to lose time. What is collapsible? What is not the story driving everything? What can be shrunk or can go quicker? The amount of commercial time doesn't change. It's difficult. Sometimes, three hours can feel long, and two hours is not enough. Somewhere in the middle is a sweet spot."

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