10 Reasons Why WWE Needs To Fundamentally Change Everything About The TV Product
5. That Third Hour
Three hours of anything is far too much. Three hours of an unimaginative and repetitive RAW is evidently becoming unbearable for many.
WWE finds itself in another paradox here. The third hour of RAW isn't going away because WWE would lose millions in both advertising and rights fees by reverting to the two hour time slot, but the third hour by its very nature is exhausting and alienates the people those commercials are intended for. There's more chance of WWE turning Roman Reigns heel than scrapping it, so that's out of the question - but what isn't is making better use of it.
Talking Smack and to a lesser extent RAW Talk have developed a cult following by allowing WWE performers to flourish in an unscripted, sports panel-esque environment. The Miz recovered relevance and Baron Corbin found it on the freestyle platform - and the nature of it provides some classic so-bad-it's-good material, even at its worst. Integrating both shows within their bigger siblings is a natural development. They can't be that popular as standalone attractions because all but the most dedicated fans have already witnessed a deluge of content prior to them.
Reverting back to the sporting framework with which wrestling has been so successful in the past is something WWE should strive to do across all facets of its television product...