The new logo for WWE RAW made its subtle debut at last weekend’s Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight and already fans aren’t happy. Promoting the wrestling show’s Netflix debut in 2025, the logo is seemingly a homage to past designs, but it’s not quite the knockout that fans anticipated, leading to some rather scathing reviews.
While the best logos often have an element of heritage woven into their design, the new RAW logo demonstrates how combining too many concepts can lead to a messy, overcomplicated design. While I’m all for rejecting minimalism where appropriate, the new RAW logo is a prime example of an overambitious design that’s more clunky than clever.
(Image credit: WWE RAW)
Looking back at past designs, the new logo appears to take its main inspiration from the 2006 logo. With framing details on the ‘R’ and ‘W’, the grungy design had a more industrial, textured appeal that gave it an appropriate dose of character. The new logo also appears to mimic the shape of the Netflix logo to reference the brand collaboration, yet the strong graphic style of lettering leaves it feeling bulky and over-engineered.
Redditors on the r/graphic_design subreddit were quick to voice their opinions. Many felt that the design read incorrectly as “BAW”, with one user suggesting “The R looks ugly because they didn’t choose to adjust the A.” Another added “Given the historically boxy and pointy nature of the history of RAW logos I’m not huge on the bottom curve but I get why they would want to go with it as a fresh coat of paint and a cute idea of branding synergy. I think If they would have started with the 90s logo and worked from there you could also better incorporate the WWE logo into the top banner too, as the original logo did.”
It’s not the first instance that we’ve seen a brand try to get too clever with its redesign – comic publisher IWD’s new logo was seemingly too clever for its own good, with fans criticising its legibility. For now, the new WWE RAW logo hasn’t been officially confirmed, so there’s still a chance it could be subject to some design tweaks if fans get their way. For more logo news, check out why nobody uses these colours in logo design.
