Netflix and WWE have officially announced a crossover event between Monday Night Raw and the global phenomenon Stranger Things. The special episode is scheduled to air live on Monday, January 5, 2026, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, exclusively on Netflix.
The announcement was made by Netflix on social media with the tagline, “THE WWE GETS STRANGER”. The event coincides with the one-year anniversary of Monday Night Raw’s move to Netflix and follows closely on the heels of the highly anticipated series finale of Stranger Things, which is set to premiere on New Year’s Eve, 2025. While specific details of how the worlds will collide remain under wraps, the January 5 episode from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, will feature multiple high-stakes championship matches.
Official Announcement and Strategic Timing
The crossover was first reported in mid-December, with initial details pointing to a major promotional partnership in development. Netflix made the official confirmation on December 24, 2025, with a brief teaser video that featured the neon-red aesthetic synonymous with Stranger Things before revealing the WWE Raw logo. The announcement is a strategic move by Netflix, leveraging two of its most valuable properties to create a unique streaming event.
The timing is particularly significant. The final season of Stranger Things began with Volume 1 on November 26, 2025, followed by Volume 2 on December 25 (Christmas Day). The series finale will premiere on December 31, 2025 (New Year’s Eve), making the January 5 Raw a key piece of the show’s extended finale rollout. For WWE, the date marks the first Raw of 2026 and celebrates the first anniversary of its flagship program’s exclusive home on Netflix, which began in January 2025.
What We Know About the January 5 Raw Event
The core of the January 5 episode will remain a live WWE broadcast, featuring a packed card of championship matches already confirmed by official announcements. The main event will see CM Punk defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against the formidable Bron Breakker.
The women’s division will also be prominently featured with two major title bouts. Maxxine Dupri is scheduled to defend the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against the former champion, Becky Lynch. Furthermore, the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) will put their WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on the line against the challenging team of Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY.
“THE WWE GETS STRANGERโฆ January 5 LIVE only on Netflix at 8 PM ET | 5 PM PT #WWERaw” โ Netflix official announcement.
The exact nature of the Stranger Things integration into this live wrestling show remains the subject of intense speculation. Netflix and WWE have not disclosed whether cast members will appear, if the arena will receive a thematic makeover, or if wrestlers will participate in storyline segments inspired by the show. However, the crossover does have a minor precedent: WWE star Rhea Ripley previously starred in a promotional video where she spoofed a scene as the character Eleven.
Fan Reaction and Speculation Run Wild
The announcement has generated a wave of excitement, confusion, and creative speculation across social media and fan forums. Reactions highlight the intriguing, if unexpected, pairing of a supernatural 1980s drama with modern sports entertainment.
Many fans have taken to humorously fantasy-booking dream matches and scenarios. One popular suggestion on social media envisioned a Demogorgonโa monstrous creature from the showโentering the ring to be “RKO’d”. Others speculated about a potential showdown between the show’s primary villain, Vecna (played by Jamie Campbell Bower), and WWE legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Some fans even edited images of a WWE ring surrounded by creatures from the “Upside Down,” the alternate dimension central to Stranger Things.
Not all reactions were purely exuberant. Some longtime wrestling fans expressed concern, drawing parallels to past celebrity crossovers that they felt detracted from in-ring action. Comments on wrestling forums included skepticism about how seamlessly the integration would be handled, with one fan noting, “Whenever they do crossovers, the RAW episode usually ends up sucking because they focus too much on the stars of the crossover”. Others humorously wondered if the WWE talent were having “flashbacks” to previous movie-themed matches.
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A Calculated Synergy Play for Netflix
This crossover represents a calculated business and promotional strategy for Netflix. Stranger Things is not just a popular show but a global cultural phenomenon and one of Netflix’s most-watched original series ever. Similarly, WWE’s programming, especially Monday Night Raw, has provided Netflix with a consistent, weekly live event since the partnership began.
By marrying these two properties, Netflix aims to achieve several goals:
- Maximize Subscriber Engagement: The event is designed to attract Stranger Things fans to sample live WWE content on the platform, and vice-versa, encouraging broader exploration of Netflix’s diverse library.
- Extend the Final Season Buzz: The January 5 date keeps Stranger Things in the cultural conversation for an additional week following its monumental series finale.
- Celebrate a Partnership Milestone: Highlighting the one-year anniversary of Raw on Netflix serves to reinforce the value of this streaming deal to both companies and their shared audience.
The crossover is among Netflix’s most ambitious attempts at synergy, following other high-profile moves for the Stranger Things finale, such as limited theatrical screenings of the final episode. As both a celebration and a promotional powerhouse, the January 5 episode of Monday Night Raw is poised to be one of the most talked-about events in early 2026.
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