WWE Raw: Here’s All The ‘Stranger Things’ References You Missed

WWE has been hyping this Monday Night Raw collaboration with Stranger Things for weeks. The final season of the Netflix Original Series dropped on Netflix in November with the finale dropping on New Years Eve. It’s become quite a pop culture phenomenon over the last decade but this season was boasted as the biggest season yet. While there weren’t any #ConformityGate clues, it was a cool tribute to the party.

Vecna’s Clock

One of the running themes throughout the show tonight was the cool visual and audio effects. We’ll talk more in depth about those later, but the eerie sounds of Vecna’s Clock ringing through the Barclays Center gave me instant PTSD.

Custom Title Cards

Each segment/match on the show had a custom title card similar to the Stranger Things episodic intro that features the episode title, or “chapter.”

• Chapter 2: He Who Remains (Gunther)
• Chapter 3: It’s Not Just Her Saying It (Becky Lynch vs. Maxxine Dupri)
• Chapter 4: To Kiss a Devil (Stephanie Vaquer)
• Chapter 5: Hellfires Collide (Liv Morgan vs. Lyra Valkyria)
• Chapter 6: The Best vs. The Badass (CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker)

Giant Demogorgon

A ginormous Demogorgon was placed backstage where Raw GM Adam Pearce and several Superstars interacted with it. The Demogorgon has been a huge centerpiece of the series, including season 5 when Karen “Wine ‘Em Down” Wheeler attacked it with a broken wine bottle. An icon, if you ask me.

Ahoy, WWE Universe!

The stage was decked out with props, including a Scoops Ahoy ice cream truck. I’m not surprised — Season 3 shot the show to new heights, gaining an entirely new audience. Unfortunately, the truck did not come equipped with Steve Harrington and Robin, but it was still a nice trip down memory lane. It was mostly shown during the WWE Raw intro and entrances.

The Gate

For those brave enough to enter The Gate into the Upside Down, it was opened at the Barclays Center. Of course if you’ve seen the final season then you’re aware of what happens but I won’t be spoiling that for you today. I will say, I’m bummed we didn’t get anything directly Vecna/Mindflayer related. They are the big bad after all.

WSQK: The squawk!

Another one of Steve and Robin’s many attempts at staying employed during the end of the world: The Squawk. The van which was heavily featured in the first part of this season was also part of the stage. The inside was exactly how it looks in the show, but it didn’t have the telemetry tracker, but considering that was later affixed to Steve’s Beamer which was sucked into The Abyss….

There was also a large neon sign advertising The Squawk above the giant Demogorgon. Pretty neat!

Custom WWE Title Belt

If you’re a sucker for a custom title belt, look no further. WWE showed off a Stranger Things themed belt features tendrils straight out of the Upside Down. Elle Duncan, the host of Skyscraper Live, showed the belt off on Raw. It also has custom side plates — one says “Raw on Netflix” while the other is just the standard Netflix logo.

The Duffer Brothers have confirmed they’re working on Stranger Things-adjacent projects but there is one last adventure for the beloved crew. On January 12th, get a behind-the-scenes look at Stranger Things Season 5 with a documentary that covers it all.

Stay tuned to VICE for news on WWE.

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