Since 2012 when WWE got paid a significant amount of money to add a third hour for every broadcast of Monday Night Raw, fans have criticized the length of the show and how it’s too long.
Triple H has spoken in the past, most notably on Steve Austin’s podcast years ago, about it being more difficult to book a three-hour show every week instead of a one-hour or two-hour program.
Fans have hoped to see the end of the third hour of Raw go away for over a decade, but every time WWE has its media rights for Raw come up, the USA Network, who originally pushed for the extra hour, has kept the hour in place. Most weeks, WWE doesn’t save the biggest match or segment for the main event but rather the top of the third hour, as the second hour is usually the peak hour of the show in the ratings.
Over the years, WWE has tried various things to try to boost the third hour, including an edgier product and Raw Underground.
While speaking at the JPMorgan Global TMT Teleconference on Tuesday, WWE CEO Nick Khan noted that they don’t expect Raw to go away from the three-hour format but are in discussions about what to do with it, including having more adult content.
Nick Khan at JPMorgan TMT now: "Raw is 3 hours. We don't anticipate that changing." They're in discussions about what to do with the 10-11pm hour, whether to make it more "adult".
— Brandon Thurston (@BrandonThurston) May 23, 2023
