Picture: Bronn Breakker (bottom) and CM Punk (top) competed in the Monday Night Raw main event for the World Heavyweight Championship – WWE/Netflix
It’s officially been a year since Monday Night RAW made its debut on Netflix. As part of the anniversary celebrations, RAW collaborated with Stranger Things, but subscribers were less than impressed. Let’s find out why.
First, some background. It’s been a year since Monday Night Raw made its official debut on Netflix, where it will call home for at least the next nine years. As for Stranger Things, which just wrapped its fifth and final season, it has been Netflix’s flagship series for the past decade and has had a monumental impact on pop culture.
WWE x STRANGER THINGS
A STRANGER edition of Monday Night RAW is LIVE tonight only on Netflix. 8PM ET | 5PM PT. pic.twitter.com/h4bUVdIQxk
— Netflix (@netflix) January 5, 2026
In the first year on Netflix, RAW had not seen a collaboration of this scale with any other Netflix Original series. With the finale of Stranger Things barely a week old, it’s clear that Netflix and the WWE are trying to strike while the iron is hot and take advantage of Stranger Things‘ popularity.
Sadly, calling it a “collaboration” is quite the stretch. The past week’s episode of Monday Night RAW on Netflix was nothing more than a regular episode of the program with a Stranger Things aesthetic.
🚨The official stage for tonight’s Stranger Things monday night RAW #WWERaw
🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/qxK30W3zW0
— Anything WWE (@AnythingWWE) January 5, 2026
Considering the occasion and the effort WWE had already gone to, changing the ring’s theme, the props on the entrance stage, and adding the roots of the Upside Down all across the ring’s barricades, it’s incredible how much of the show actually lacked anything “Stranger Things.”
Across the four matches and multiple promos, not a single WWE superstar wore any themed gear for the occasion. In fact, the closest thing we got to seeing a single WWE superstar in a themed costume for the collab was commentator Corey Graves, who was rocking a Hellfire t-shirt.
Corey Graves is rockin’ a Hell Fire Club tee! Eddie Munson would have approved of Corey Graves in a Hellfire Club. #WWERaw #StrangerThings5 pic.twitter.com/WPPlWw15Pb
— Justin J. Lopez (@stellar_jl319) January 6, 2026
While fans may often find these collaborations cringe-inducing, there wasn’t a single match with a Stranger Things theme. It would have been the perfect occasion for an “Upside Down Battle Royale” or a “Hellfire Club Street Fight,” which could have fed into the 80s and Dungeons & Dragons nostalgia that Stranger Things is loved for. In fact, they could have had a gimmick where a giant 20-sided die on screen (obviously rigged) could determine random rule changes throughout a match. Let’s say a “1” on the dice is rolled, and the outcome is Demon Balor making an appearance, adorned in Demogorgon makeup. It’s dumb fun, but fun nevertheless, and it would have popped the audience.
Aside from the lack of themed gear and matches, not a single Stranger Things cast member was present. Over the past year, Netflix has had no trouble getting its cast members from original shows to attend Monday Night RAW. Still, it seems especially overlooked that on this night, of all nights, no Stranger Things cast members were booked.
Overall, for a “Stranger Things” collab, the WWE could have gone a lot further than just a slight aesthetic change and a few props.
What did you think of the WWE’s RAW and Stranger Things collab? Let us know in the comments below!
