WWE is set for a massive overhaul as Monday Night RAW officially moves from the USA Network to Netflix starting in January 2025. Meanwhile, Friday Night SmackDown has already transitioned to the USA Network from FOX.
According to WrestleVotes, USA Network will extend SmackDown's airtime by an additional hour after RAW moves to Netflix, making it a three-hour show. Historically, SmackDown has always been two hours, so this is a significant development.
Monday Night RAW, on the other hand, will temporarily shift from its current three-hour format to a two-hour show starting on October 7, 2024, until the end of the year. Once it transitions to Netflix, RAW will be expected to revert to its three-hour programming.
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WWE Hall of Famer and former General Manager of Monday Night RAW, Eric Bischoff, shared his thoughts on the recent announcement that the red brand will transition to a two-hour format starting October 7, 2024.
Speaking on a recent episode of his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff commented that the two-hour version of RAW will feel significantly shorter after years of the show running for three hours. He noted that this change will benefit the talent, production, and audience.
Bischoff believes storylines will gain more momentum with a condensed format, as the current three-hour runtime often dilutes the show's content.
"That two hours is going to feel like seven minutes," he said. "After having had to sit through three hours of 'Monday Night Raw' for how many years now? ...you're going to watch 'Raw' and those first two hours are going to go by so fast, you're going to feel like, 'What the hell? Where's the rest of the show?' That's a good thing. It's good for talent. It's good for production. It's great for the audience. I think stories will be able to pick up more momentum, because so much is diluted in three hours," Bischoff said. [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
It will be interesting to see if WWE makes any roster changes ahead of 2025, especially with the major overhauls planned for RAW and SmackDown.
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