Netflix has quietly made another change to WWE RAW this week, and this one happened during one of the biggest entrances of the night. After previously censoring blood, profanity and even promo lines, the streaming platform has now altered part of Roman Reigns’ entrance from the September 14 edition of RAW.
Footage comparing the live broadcast with Netflix’s replay shows the difference. During Roman’s walk to the ring for his main event match against Penta, a fan standing along the entrance aisle could clearly be seen flipping Reigns off as he passed by.
Replay viewers never saw that moment. Instead of sticking with the original camera angle, Netflix cuts to a high overhead shot just before the fan comes into frame. The top-down angle then stays on screen for more than 30 seconds, completely removing the fan—and the middle-finger gesture—from the broadcast.
The edit is just the latest in a growing list of changes Netflix has made to WWE programming. Earlier this year, the platform blurred blood during multiple backstage attacks on RAW, including the assaults involving Royce Keys, OTM, The Usos and later Solo Sikoa. Jacob Fatu’s “Motherf***er!” outburst during the show’s opening segment was also shortened and censored before airing.
Netflix has also shown it’s willing to edit dialogue. During the September 4 episode of SmackDown, Paige’s line to Nikki Bella—”You just slept with it”—after referencing John Cena’s “Hustle, Loyalty and Respect” slogan was removed from the broadcast, despite fans inside the arena hearing the full promo live. Becky Lynch previously had a Dominik Mysterio-related insult edited out of a RAW replay as well.
This edit didn’t involve blood or profanity. Instead, Netflix simply swapped camera angles. It wasn’t a major storyline moment, and it didn’t change the match. Still, it’s another little difference that fans caught almost immediately once the replay dropped.
What do you think of Netflix continuing to edit WWE shows after they air live? Should the replays stay untouched, or are changes like this understandable? Let us know in the comments.
