- WWE's Raw programme shortened to 2 hours from October 7
- Change comes ahead of show's move to Netflix in January 2025
- Fans welcome move, citing reduced "filler" content, but worry about talent showcase
WWE has announced a significant change to its flagship show, Raw, reducing its runtime from three hours to two hours. This adjustment will take effect from October 7 and will continue until the show transitions from the USA Network to Netflix in January 2025.
The decision ends a 12-year run of Raw being a three-hour program, a format that began after its thousandth episode aired in July 2012. The length of the show has been a topic of debate within the WWE community, with some fans appreciating the extended airtime to feature more talent, while others have found the duration excessive. WWE Superstar Seth “Freakin” Rollins has previously described the three-hour format as “obnoxiously long.”
The change aligns with WWE’s reported plan to conclude its deal with the USA Network in October. The shorter format will also be reflected for UK viewers watching on TNT Sports or the WWE Network.
Jonathan Elgie, a wrestling fan, expressed support for the reduction. “Sometimes there is too much of a good thing,” Elgie told BBC Newsbeat. “Sometimes it feels like you’re watching the product for three hours and this is coming from someone who’s been a wrestling fan almost my whole life. It’s necessary at this point to shorten it down. There’s a lot of filler in there that doesn’t need to be in there.”
The shift to a two-hour format has been a point of contention among WWE figures. In 2015, WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, known as Triple H, expressed a preference for a shorter show. “If I could change anything, I’d love it to be 2 hours,” he told the Stone Cold podcast. Similarly, Seth Rollins echoed this sentiment in 2022, stating on the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast, “You’ve got to fill three hours of television, there’s just nothing to be done. So I think two hours is a beautiful number for a show. And I think it’s easier to make everything mean a little bit more.”
However, Elgie also noted potential drawbacks to the shorter format. “Sometimes talent won’t get to showcase. If there’s a two-hour show, there might be talent pulled from the show that otherwise wouldn’t be able to show their skills,” he said.
The future of Raw’s length on Netflix remains uncertain, though some US reports suggest it may return to three hours. Elgie views the two-hour format as a potential trial period. “To see how it works. Obviously, they have Smackdown which is two hours. That never feels like you’re watching for any longer than two hours,” he noted.
The move to Netflix marks a major shift for WWE, leaving traditional TV networks for the first time since Raw’s inception in the early 1990s. TKO, WWE’s parent company, has described the transition as “transformative.” Mark Shapiro, President of TKO, highlighted the significance of the deal, stating, “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach.”
As Raw approaches its new chapter, Elgie hopes for additional changes. “I want to see it get edgier again. I want to see that darker content—the less PG stuff. I’m an adult so that appeals to me more. Not saying the PG stuff isn’t good. I want to see an edgier product,” he added.
BBC Newsbeat has reached out to WWE for further details on the changes and the future format of Raw on Netflix, but the company has yet to provide a response.
