WWE Christmas Raw & SmackDown Set For Commercial-Free First Hours

The company's festive programming gets a new sweetener.

by Andy H Murray
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WWE.com

WWE's Christmas and Boxing Day episodes of Raw and SmackDown will both air with a commercial-free first hour, as per an official release from the company themselves.

First announced back in September, WWE's decision to broadcast Raw and SmackDown live on these days (rather than screening a pre-taped show) has been widely panned by fans and critics. The company will also run shows on January 1st and 2nd, offering their vast talent roster little room for time off over the festive season, hence the criticism.

These commercial-free first hours have likely been announced as a sweetener, particularly as the press release's title ("Merry Christmas from USA Network and WWE") presents it as a gift.

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On the plus side, the lack of adverts means that the first part of the shows will be entirely free of disruptions. WWE's habit of breaking up potentially exciting bouts with long commercial breaks is a constant bugbear, but we'll be free of this for an hour on December 25th & 26th. Regardless, this will be of scant consolation to the wrestlers themselves, as they'll still have to spend Christmas Day at work rather than with their families.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.