Ladies and gentlemen, let’s talk about last night’s “WWE Raw,” where the action may have been taped, but the drama was as fresh as a bakery at sunrise. Turns out, when you pre-tape, you can shuffle the deck like a Vegas blackjack dealer—and WWE did just that.
Here’s the scoop: the November 18 episode opened with a bang—a surprise return from Rhea Ripley, cementing her spot in the women’s WarGames match for Survivor Series. Big moment, folks. Huge. But guess what? That segment was filmed last during the live taping. That’s right, the queen of Judgment Day was essentially fashionably late but edited in as right on time. Brilliant.
Meanwhile, the show’s closer—the heavyweight clash between Bronson Reed and Seth Rollins, complete with Solo Sikoa sprinkling some Samoan chaos—was actually the first match filmed. Imagine being in the audience and watching the main event while still waiting for the show to “start.” WWE knows how to keep people guessing, and it’s absolutely tremendous.
And let’s not forget the post-production magic. Fightful Select reports WWE spiced things up with commentary tweaks and audio enhancements. Translation: Corey Graves got a second take to deliver those razor-sharp one-liners, and crowd reactions were likely “adjusted.” Folks, this is like editing a reality show—what you see isn’t always what you get, but it’s entertainment gold.
As we head into the holidays, WWE has three more marathon taping sessions lined up to ensure the superstars get some quality family time. While we can’t explain why SmackDown on November 22 gets a pre-taped buddy on November 29 (maybe someone’s turkey needs extra time to defrost?), the December tapings are all about spreading that festive cheer. Even WWE heels deserve Christmas.
So remember, when you’re watching the action unfold over the next few weeks, just know—it’s not just wrestling. It’s wrestling with the magic of editing. Bravo, WWE.