10 Real Reasons Why Wrestling Fans Never Get What They Want

3. Th Return Of A Two-Hour Monday Night Raw

AEW Double Or Nothing Set
WWE.com

Money. It's as simple as that.

TV rights fees are financial oxygen to both AEW and WWE - big-time wrestling simply does not exist without advertising - and three hours allows WWE to get more of it. It's brutally tedious capitalist mathematics and can be reduced as such. It does not matter that even diehard WWE fans would prefer a more breezy, lean watch on Monday nights. WWE does not care about the boring nothing filler nor even the flattened atmosphere.

If anything - and this is chilling - they'd happily promote a four-hour Raw over a return to two hours if they could get away with it. WWE CEO Nick Khan actually said this out loud. He might know that this would sink row to even more lifeless depths, but he doesn't give a f*ck. His job is to ultimately maximise the returns of shareholders; least among his concerns is a millennial lifer who would rather like to see Johnny Gargano get a push but who isn't going away if that does not happen.

Even when Raw was haemorrhaging viewers, a return to two hours was inconceivable - fewer people watched more adverts for longer than in 2011, and remember what matters to WWE more - and now that the show is hot again, it is impossible.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!