With the odd exception, like when Roman Reigns winning the WWE World Title from Sheamus at the very end of the show, the third and final hour of Raw has been akin to the graveyard shift, with the ratings for the third hour being consistently lower than the preceding two hours. The reason for this is very simple: peoples attention spans just arent that long. Feature films generally last around two hours. A monthly pay-per-view style special lasting three hours is one thing, but a weekly episodic TV show is totally different. Imagine what the ratings would be like for EastEnders or Coronation Street would be like if it was shown solely in one weekly block of back-to-back episodes. NXT have shown that underexposure is far better than overexposure when it comes to getting fans to care about a product and about individuals. The problem, of course, lies in the fact that this would bring about commercial problems. If they reduced the length of Raw from three hours to two, the WWE would be losing one-third of their advertising revenue, and with Coca Cola finally coming on board as a sponsor after decades of trying, its unlikely that they will make this move. Even though it makes sense creatively and artistically, the WWE is ultimately a business who have their shareholders to answer to.
Dean Ayass is a well known name to British wrestling fans. A commentator, manager, booker and ring announcer who has been involved in the business since 1993, Dean's insight into the business is second to none.
