WWE Raw will usher in a new era of its programming within a couple of weeks as the show moves to Netflix for the first leaving the USA Network after more than two decades. The departure will also mark the show’s revert-back to three hours, the original format intact from 2012 onward.
There have long been speculations regarding WWE Raw’s format, as the official confirmation has yet to arrive. In his weekly update on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer confirmed that the WWE’s flagship show on Netflix will also have a runtime of three hours when it premieres on January 6.
“While everyone expects this, it was confirmed by someone who is a key player in WWE that Raw will be three hours come January to go along with SmackDown being three hours,” Meltzer declared in his update.
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Starting from July 2012 on the occasion of its 1000th episode, WWE Raw has always been running for three hours until October 7, when it reverted back to a two-hour format. The change occurred as the show stayed on USA Network despite the platform’s TV deal with the network coming to an end in the fall. The show continued via a brief extension between the two parties in May.
Some major shifts have been spotted in WWE’s television deals in recent times, which has seen NXT moving to The CW, and SmackDown to USA in October. The final shift will occur via WWE Raw’s arrival on Netflix in a move where a live professional wrestling event will take place, live for the first time on a global OTT platform that’s outside traditional cable television.
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WWE Raw January 6 Netflix debut episode match card
The historic WWE Raw premiere episode on Netflix is scheduled for Monday, January 6 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California that would be no less than a premium live event. The currently confirmed match card for the weekly TV show goes as follows,
– CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins (Main Event Match)
– Roman Reigns vs. Solo Sikoa in a Tribal Combat Match with the Ula Fala on the line
– Liv Morgan (c) vs. Rhea Ripley for the Women’s World Championship
– Logan Paul to join the Raw roster on Netflix
