WWE Raw cuts down to 2 hours as Netflix move looms
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Scotland’s Drew McIntyre is one of the big stars of the WWE
WWE has announced it is shortening its flagship Raw programme from three hours to two hours after 12 years.
The change will come into force from 7 October until the show moves from the USA Network channel to Netflix in January 2025.
It’s not confirmed whether the length will change again once the company moves to the streaming platform.
The show, a staple of the WWE’s TV schedule, has been three hours long since its thousandth episode aired in July 2012.
The time has long been debated among the WWE community, with some fans liking the option of being able to see more talent, but others feeling it dragged.
WWE Superstar Seth “Freakin” Rollins has previously said it was “obnoxiously long”.
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Wrestler Uncle Howdy beating Chad Gable during Raw
WWE’s deal with the USA Network was reportedly meant to expire in October.
Viewers in the UK will also see the shorter version when watching on TNT Sports or the WWE Network.
Wrestling fan Jonathan Elgie says he’s happy they’ve taken the decision to cut it down.
“Sometimes there is too much of a good thing,” he tells 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.”
In 2015 chief content officer Paul Levesque, best known by his ring name Triple H, told the Stone Cold podcast that if “I could change anything, I’d love it to be 2 hours”.
In 2022, Seth Rollins told the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast that he felt a three hour show meant “everything gets stretched out”.
“You’ve got to fill three hours of television, there’s just nothing to be done. That’s just how it is.
“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.”
Jonathan Elgie
WWE fan Jonathan Elgie at WrestleMania – WWE’s headline show
But Jonathan also thinks there can be a downside to less time.
“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,” Jonathan says.
It is unknown whether it will shift back to three hours on Netflix but some reports in the US suggest it will.
Jonathan feels the two hours until the end of the year can act as a trial.
“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.”
TKO, the company which owns WWE, has described the move to Netflix as “a major programming shift” – leaving traditional TV stations for the first time since Raw became a thing in the early 90s.
The president, Mark Shapiro, described the deal as “transformative” at the time it was announced.
“It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach.”
And as Raw moves, Jonathan also wants to see a shift in the programme.
“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.”
BBC Newsbeat has asked WWE about the changes and what will happen to the show on Netflix, but they did not give an answer.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.
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