WWE Raw shifting to two-hours for rest of the year will be an interesting test

Professional wrestling and sports entertainment are heading for a major shift. The September 30 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw is the last episode of the show that will be three hours long. At It will be interesting to see if this is a development that will impact WWE’s time on Netflix once it shifts to that platform in 2025. But it is an opportunity for some intriguing changes to how the show is presented when it hits a new network.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the plan is for WWE Raw to be three hours once again on Netflix. Will that be three hours without commercials? Or will things be different with how Netflix delivers commercials within its platform? These are all viable questions as WWE and the fans who support the promotion follow the company to a new platform. And it is also an opportunity to do something different.

What if WWE took this time to measure how well fans took the two-hour iteration of Monday Night Raw? If the response is positive, as fans have long wanted, shifting the show back for some episodes would entice fans to watch a more compact and almost meaningful show. Two hours seems to be the perfect amount of time for a strong professional wrestling show and WWE would benefit from making that change long-term.

Then on the flipside of the coin, WWE can market the three-hour editions of WWE Raw as a “special” that almost demands watching. Think of those shows being presented as a PLE with important matches up and down the card. This would give fans another reason to watch and boost the overall perception of those episodes as well.

Since Vince McMahon was removed from the equation, WWE has attempted to do several different things with the presentation of its product. Many have been viewed with positive reactions. Shifting the shows from three to two hours would be another step that would help the overall presentation of the weekly product. Is it a possibility as 2024 ends and the promotion moves to Netflix? Potentially, and here’s to hoping that change is permanent.