Update On Tonight's WWE Raw Broadcast Details
As the dust from the Royal Rumble, a $5 billion, 10-year deal with Netflix, and Vince McMahon's resignation following a lawsuit accusing him of sex trafficking, continues to settle, WWE is looking to keep the show going. It all starts tonight on "WWE Raw," where the promotion will look to follow up the Rumble by pulling out a few tricks to keep fans watching the show.
On X earlier this afternoon, WWE posted a video of "Raw" general manager Adam Pearce announcing that the first hour of tonight's episode would be commercial-free. In addition, Pearce also revealed that tonight's "Raw" would feature appearances from Bayley and Cody Rhodes, who both emerged from the Women's and Men's Royal Rumble matches this past Saturday.
.@ScrapDaddyAP announces that the FIRST HOUR of #WWERaw will be commercial-free AND both @itsBayleyWWE & @CodyRhodes will be in the house TONIGHT!
📺 8/7c on @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/BWbvobc0IY
— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2024
WWE is no stranger to commercial-free, or limited commercial, hours, having used the practice semi-regularly since August 2022, after Triple H took over as head of creative from McMahon following the latter's initial retirement. "Raw's" commercial-free first hour comes on the heels of AEW picking up the idea over the past several weeks, airing main event matches such as Hook vs. Samoa Joe and Adam Copeland vs. Minoru Suzuki without commercial interruptions on the past two "AEW Dynamite" episodes.
Rhodes arguably took some drama out of his "Raw" appearance after his Rumble win this Saturday, when he declared he would be challenging Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, in a rematch from WrestleMania 39. Plenty of drama still surrounds who Bayley will pick to wrestle at WrestleMania 40, however, with her choices being WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley, or WWE Women's Champion Iyo Sky, who is Bayley's stablemate in Damage CTRL.