7 Better Uses Of WWE Raw's Awful 3rd Hour
Could the flagship use more NXT showcases?
Wrestling fans are incredibly opinionated, with online clashes an almost hourly occurence.
Some perceive Roman Reigns as entitled and undeserving of his push. Others think he deserves his spot. Some are steadfast in their hatred of John Cena. Others are convinced that he's no longer just the sum total of his five moves of doom.
One thing that is universally agreed upon is that three hours of RAW is excessive in the extreme. Not even the most hardcore of film buffs would sit through a Terrence Malick movie every week - so why should we have to endure something equally interminable?
The third hour is a struggle to get through. Plagued by incessant replays, endless rematches, and risible comedy segments, the only beneficiaries of it are WWE and the USA Network's bottom line - and even those are in danger of being compromised in the long term through audience fatigue and disengagement.
And, with half of the roster set to depart for SmackDown, the symptoms are only going to worsen. Here, we discuss (admittedly fanciful) ways of solving the problem...
7. NXT Showcase
NXT being exclusive to the WWE Network has its advantages, the most obvious of which is to generate and maintain subscriptions. The TakeOver specials alone are, for a not inconsiderable portion of the audience, as much of an incentive not to cancel as the main roster pay-per-views.
That being said, one need not look any further than the muted reactions received by Apollo Crews to determine that the casual audience isn't engaging with the NXT brand to any meaningful degree. Tyler Breeze is also gasping for air on the big shows. His status as a sentimental Full Sail favourite isn't exactly forcing WWE's hand.
By cutting RAW to two hours and inserting NXT into the slot it would vacate, WWE wouldn't have to rely solely on the post-WrestleMania hardcore RAW crowd to generate hype for their developmental promotions, who are floundering almost to a man. Their merely having been on NXT evidently isn't enough to get them over.
Even showcasing NXT wrestlers intermittently on RAW itself, which would probably be preferable from a ratings point of view, would both help their future prospects and avoid the monotony. There's precedent for this, too: Cena's U.S. Open Challenge was at its most exciting and buzz-worthy when Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn stepped up to the plate.
And to enter full fantasy booker mode, the prospect of an NXT Vs. WWE feud, as mouthwatering as it is now, would be even more appetising if they had a legitimate TV presence beforehand.