Reports are indicating that many in WWE don’t expect RAW going three-hours to be a permanent thing. While the advertisements bill it as being permanent, many are obviously comparing it to when WCW Nitro went three hours & is considered a main reason for the company’s downfall.
The format of the show is still being developed but the premise is to treat it like a pay-per-view event every Monday night except with interactive features. Reportedly, those in WWE feel that two hours drags by each week and adding a third hour won’t benefit them.
The main reason for the change is rumored that the USA Network has been interested in a third hour for years but WWE has not been interested. USA currently pays WWE about $700,000 weekly for RAW which means the increase equals $5.2 million in new gross revenue for WWE.