3 Changes WWE has quietly made ahead of RAW on Netflix premiere

WWE is entering a new era with its move to Netflix. The premiere episode of RAW on the global streaming platform will air this Monday, January 6. A blockbuster show is expected, and WWE has already announced major matches for…

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3 Changes WWE has quietly made ahead of RAW on Netflix premiere

WWE is entering a new era with its move to Netflix. The premiere episode of RAW on the global streaming platform will air this Monday, January 6. A blockbuster show is expected, and WWE has already announced major matches for Monday’s episode.

Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa will collide in Tribal Combat, CM Punk will take on Seth Rollins in a match 10 years in the making, while Liv Morgan will put her Women’s World Championship on the line for a third time against Rhea Ripley, this time, though, it will be in a Last Woman Standing Match.

At the same time, WWE has announced a few more changes ahead of the RAW premiere on Netflix, and in this article, we take a look at three of them:

#3. Lilian Garcia has been moved to SmackDown

Lilian Garcia made her return to WWE back in October to replace Samantha Irvin, who decided to move on from WWE. Garcia was a ring announcer for the Stamford-based company for a total of 15 years in two stints (1999-2009, 2011-2016) and has become a permanent ring announcer again.

Now, Lilian Garcia will move from RAW to SmackDown and will become the blue brand’s ring announcer. Her first appearance is set to take place on the first SmackDown of 2025, this Friday, January 3.

On the other hand, Alicia Taylor will move to RAW after nearly nine months on SmackDown as the ring announcer. Taylor was a ring announcer on NXT before moving to the blue brand and will now join the red brand, starting with the premiere on Netflix on January 6.

#2. WWE makes RAW and SmackDown three-hour shows

The move to Netflix has reportedly led WWE to the decision of making both RAW and SmackDown three-hour shows. Both brands recently had a two-hour format, with RAW adopting this format for a few months in late 2024.

Still, both brands will now seemingly move to a three-hour format, which will allow WWE Creative to have more storylines in place and more superstars showing up on WWE TV.

At the same time, it remains to be seen what the RAW and SmackDown roster will look like, as the WWE Transfer Window is open.

#1. Wade Barett and Joe Tessitore will no longer be part of the RAW commentary team

Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett will no longer be part of the RAW commentary team. Even though they did a great job over the past few months, they will now be replaced by Michael Cole and Pat McAfee.

Cole returns to RAW after a few months as SmackDown commentator next to Corey Graves, while McAfee spent the past few months away from WWE as part of other job commitments he had.

Now, they will reunite on RAW, while Barrett and Tessitore will be the hosts of the post-show. Whether they will join Corey Graveson SmackDown remains unclear, but the first episode of 2025 will shed more light on what plans WWE has for the blue brand’s commentary team.