If you're sitting on your couch wondering what time is WWE Raw on tonight, you aren't alone. Honestly, ever since the massive shift to Netflix at the start of 2025, the old "set it and forget it" habit of flipping to USA Network has been a hard one to break. It’s Saturday, January 17, 2026, and while Raw doesn’t actually air on Saturdays, the Road to Royal Rumble is heating up so fast that people are already checking their clocks for Monday.
Basically, the standard start time for WWE Raw tonight—or rather, this coming Monday—is 8:00 PM Eastern Time (ET).
But it’s not just a simple time slot anymore. Because Netflix is a global beast, the "live" aspect depends entirely on where you're standing on the map. If you're in Los Angeles, you're looking at 5:00 PM. If you're in London, you're likely brewed a second pot of coffee for a 1:00 AM Tuesday start.
The New Reality of Monday Night Raw
The days of cable cord-cutting being an "option" for wrestling fans are over. It's Netflix or nothing now.
Last week, we saw some weirdness with the schedule because the show was coming to us from Düsseldorf, Germany. When WWE travels internationally, the "live" start time can get wonky. For the upcoming January 19 episode, the crew is heading to The SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Because of the time difference, there’s often a lot of chatter about whether the show will be tape-delayed or live. For US viewers on Netflix, the stream usually remains anchored to that 8:00 PM ET slot. However, if you're trying to avoid spoilers from the live crowd in Belfast, you'll want to stay off Twitter (or X, whatever we're calling it today) starting around 2:30 PM ET when the doors open across the pond.
Global Start Times for the January 19 Episode
- United States: 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT (Monday)
- Canada: 8:00 PM ET (Monday)
- United Kingdom/Ireland: 1:00 AM GMT (Tuesday)
- India: 6:30 AM IST (Tuesday)
- Australia: 11:00 AM AEST (Tuesday)
It's kinda wild to think we're a full year into the Netflix era. Remember the $5 billion price tag? It felt insane then, and it still feels a bit surreal now. But the "flexible" runtime has been a game-changer. Gone are the days of the hard "overrun" where the show cut off exactly at 11:00 PM. Now, if CM Punk and Finn Bálor need an extra five minutes to tell a story in the main event, Netflix just lets the stream run.
What’s Actually Happening on the Show?
The January 19, 2026, episode isn't just another filler show. We are deep in the "Road to Royal Rumble" territory. The stakes are legitimately high.
CM Punk is currently the World Heavyweight Champion, and he's slated to face Belfast’s own Finn Bálor. You know the crowd is going to be unglued for that one. Seeing Bálor in Ireland as a main eventer is one of those full-circle moments that makes wrestling actually feel important.
Then you’ve got the Women's Intercontinental Championship. Becky Lynch (another hometown hero for this tour) is looking to defend her title against Maxxine Dupri. It’s a classic vet vs. upstart story that has played out better than most people expected.
Why the "Time" Question is Tricky
Sometimes people ask "what time is WWE Raw on tonight" because they’re looking for the replay. That’s the beauty of the current setup. Unlike the old Hulu days where you had to wait until the next morning to see a condensed version, the full three-hour-ish broadcast is available on Netflix almost immediately after the live stream ends.
If you miss the 8:00 PM start, you can just start the stream from the beginning while it’s still airing. It’s a small thing, but it’s a massive upgrade from the cable era.
Things to Watch Out For
There have been rumors—purely speculative but persistent—that we might see a return of a major legend before the Rumble. With the show being in Belfast, the atmosphere is going to be different than a standard show in Des Moines or Chicago. International crowds tend to be louder, more rhythmic, and much more likely to hijack a segment if they aren't feeling it.
Also, keep an eye on the technical side. Netflix has mostly smoothed out the buffering issues that plagued some of the early 2025 broadcasts, but with a massive global audience tuning into the same live stream, it’s always smart to make sure your app is updated.
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To make sure you don't miss the opening bell on Monday, January 19:
- Open your Netflix app around 7:55 PM ET.
- Look for the "Live" badge on the home screen or search "WWE Raw."
- If you’re outside the US, double-check your local Tuesday morning listings, as the "Monday Night" branding is a bit of a misnomer for the Eastern Hemisphere.
The transition to streaming has changed the way we consume the product, but the core question of when to tune in remains the most important part of the weekly ritual.
Now that you've got the timing down for the Belfast show, you should verify your Netflix subscription is active and that your streaming device supports live events, as some older smart TVs still struggle with the live-bitrate requirements.