NEWS: Tired of 3 Hour RAWs? Just Wait!!!

NEWS: WWE's staple show RAW went to a three hour format back in 2012. Like most endeavors the WWE pursues, the decision was nearly entirely about money. After WWE's 1000th episode of RAW, the USA Network gave the WWE more time for more content. More content means more advertising money for the WWE, so they jumped at the opportunity. Since then, the reaction to the three hour format has been a mixed bag. Some fans like the extra hour of wrestling and feels it gives more time to wrestlers that may not ordinary be on the show, like the Cruiserweight Division. Other fans feel it allows the show to be inundated with too much filler and with all the other content the WWE offers with the WWE Network, wrestling overkill. Declining ratings indicate that most fans fall into the latter category. Wrestling fans are simply burned out with all the weekly content they are offered. Gone are the days with only 4 pay-per-views per year and two hours of weekly wrestling on television each and every week. WWE now offers television shows, one hour of NXT every week, one hour of 205 Live every week, two hours of SmackDown every week, and oftentimes two pay-per-views per month, all in addition to three hours of RAW each and every Monday night. This doesn't even include other viewable wrestling content from Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Ring of Honor. For most fans three hours of Monday wrestling is an exercise in redundancy and boredom. Many have simply checked out altogether. Noticing the declining Monday ratings, some in WWE's front office believe it's time for a change and have begun mapping out a return to the two hour RAW format. While the change is currently seen as likely imminent, it won't happen until at least 2019 when the WWE's deal with the USA Network is up. Despite declining ratings and viewership, RAW's extra hour is a big factor in bringing the USA Network and the WWE an extra $150 million annually. While that is a lot of money for the WWE to take off the table, it will mean a huge ratings bump for the WWE and give the company leverage in future RAW negotiations.

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