13. The Move To Three Hours - Raw 1,000, July 23rd, 2012
Three hour Raw shows started happening more regularly from 2006 onwards, and it always proved a solid attraction for viewers. It was like a semi-special feel, often with unique gimmicks like Smackdown wrestlers featuring. It worked fine as an occasional way of booking. But WWE took it that much further in 2012, by making Raw permanently three hours. This was an important milestone in WWE history, and one that has been endlessly debated ever since. On the one hand, WWE have more advertising and increased exposure. But the drawback is the three hours are hard to fill, often leading to boring episodes. Viewers declined and criticism of the product increased. Still, an extra hour of Raw is worth a lot more to USA, and the three hour move is likely considered a success. It was a change that dramatically impacted the business, but it wasn't the only reason the July 23 2012 episode was one of the most important episodes in history just. It was the night of Raw 1,000, celebrating the milestone thousandth episode. The show clocked over six million viewers, making it the most watched WWE show for a decade. Memorably, CM Punk turned heel on The Rock.