WWE: A year in perspective

This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW was number 1052nd, which means it has been exactly a year since the 1000th episode of RAW, when RAW went from two hours to three.

So after exactly a year, has the increase in the time slot helped RAW and the WWE? On hindsight, it looked as if it would be a good idea, which would benefit the talent as well as help the show in maintaining a certain pace, without rushing too much.

So after a year, has it been a success? Or did the cons outweigh the pros? In this article, I take a look at the good and the bad coming out of RAW being extended for one more hour.

Pros:

Talents get more TV time:

Tyson Kidd

There are over 150 talents signed with the WWE, and two hours gave very less time for most of them to be seen on TV, or to get any air time.

Since the three hour RAW started, there have been more characters on RAW, as factions like The Shield and Wyatt Family have been introduced. Other than that, you have guys such as CM Punk and Paul Heyman getting decent amount of time to show their potential to the fullest, and create magic on – screen.

For any sort of entertainment, chemistry is important, and WWE has benefited from shifting to three hours as the characters get more time to play out the feud.

Exposure for mid card talent:

Instead of Antonio Cesaro appearing once in three weeks, you have him making appearances on RAW every week, which not only helps his character, but gives him an opportunity to display his skills to the WWE Universe and the fans worldwide on a constant basis.

People like Christian and Dean Ambrose get more opportunities of proving themselves, and with the extended hour, the in-ring segments and promos have also gotten better in the WWE.

Improvement of Divas division:

Not so long ago, the divas division in the WWE was pathetic. You had 30 second matches between two models who couldn’t throw a believable punch, and the fans wanted the division to either get better or to be entirely removed.

With the third hour, the divas get more time to showcase their talent, and the results speak volumes. The AJ-Kaitlyn feud has been the best divas feud in years, and they get about 10 minutes to showcase their in-ring skills on a constant basis, which can only be good for the division and for business in general.