WWE Raw Should Lose The Third Hour

reigns and heyman
Source: WWE

WWE makes a lot of money through its television rights deal. A LOT of money. According to former WWE Champion and unlikely financial guru JBL, the company makes more money through its TV deals than anything else. More than the WWE Network, more than live events, and more than their Times Square restaurant… oh, wait.

Those TV deals will soon be coming up for renewal with a negotiation period this Spring and a likely new deal being confirmed some time around May. The front runner when talks begin is currently thought to be FOX, with Dave Meltzer claiming that if this does indeed happen, Raw will return to a two hour format.

If all of this does happen, it could really help reinvigorate Raw.

While TV revenue makes up the bulk of WWE’s profit, live events revenue isn’t too far behind. It may seem sensible to give the fans more for their money, but the general consensus is that the third hour is burning out the live crowd. Consider how much more focused on high quality, in-ring action Raw is today than it was even five years ago. With wrestlers such as Seth Rollins, Finn Bálor, Cesaro and Sheamus headlining most shows, you can pretty much guarantee some amazing matches.

While this is great to see, it almost feels like they are giving us too much. There are only so many times a live crowd can react strongly before the reaction starts to waver. So if you expect them to react to the matches in hour one and hour two, good luck getting the same noise level during hour three.

cesaro
Source: WWE

Two hours has always seemed like the sweet spot. Enough time to tell compelling stories that the crowd are invested in, but not so long that you lose them. I think this is one of the main reasons that the live crowd try to “hijack” the show. They get bored. They can’t keep their focus on the action any more so they chant for departed wrestlers or kick around a beach ball. Two hours could really help alleviate some of this behaviour.

This, in turn, translates better to the audience watching at home. Do you want to watch a show where the crowd reacts all night or the one where they sit on their hands or get bored and make their own entertainment? A hot, vocal crowd can paper over any number of cracks. It makes the mediocre more enjoyable and elevates the good to great. If the live crowd is into it, that’s an extra hook to get the television audience to stick around. Also, this can help improve live show attendance. If it looks like the crowd are having fun, wouldn’t you want to go along to be a part of it all?

Three hours just feels like a huge commitment of time to invest into Raw. Even the most avid WWE fan must realise before every episode that there is going to be a portion of the show that either isn’t for them or is just disappointing in general. With so much choice available to the consumer, it becomes harder to commit three hours to a show that you may only enjoy 90 minutes of (or in some cases considerably less!).

For whatever reason, for whatever mental barrier we place on these things, two hours seems much more reasonable. Two hours is a movie or a couple of episodes of the latest Netflix series. If you don’t like the movie, no big deal, you move on. Two hours of Raw, in my opinion, gives potential viewers more of a reason to tune in – to give it a chance. It may also entice back older or former fans who just can’t get over the three hour barrier.

rollins and cena
Source: WWE

Raw returning to a two hour format isn’t going to make the writing any better or magically get the wrestlers any more over than they are. What it can do though is focus the mind. Giving the writers and wrestlers less time to work with can help them realise what is important and what is just filler. Which beats of the storyline need to be told. Which actions in the match need to be seen and emphasised.

Again, this in turn helps keep the live crowd and the TV audience invested. It focuses their mind as much as the talents. Also, with less TV time available, every opportunity becomes that much more important, with everybody putting their best foot forward to avoid simply being written out of the show.

A return to two hours of Raw is long overdue. The third hour has been criticised since its introduction. Vince McMahon himself stated during his XFL relaunch press conference that “Sometimes watching a 3-3.5 hour game is laborious.” Yes, WWE may lose out short term due to a loss of potential ad revenue during the missing hour. If we look long term, however, this can be supplemented through potential increased live show revenue streams and potential increased ratings due to the shorter, more enticing show.

wwe crowd
Source: WWE

It would mean turning their back on guaranteed income, but WWE has a track record of doing this. The WWE Network destroyed their PPV revenue but they saw the long term good they were doing.

I really hope Raw returns to two hours. Watching three hours a week currently feels like a chore. I want to watch. I still enjoy the product for the most part, but I want it to feel fun again. I want it to feel like it flew by in an instant rather than being dragged to its death. Raw used to be the most exciting show on television and losing the third hour could make it feel like that again.

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