Former WWE Writer Freddie Prinze Jr. Discusses Backstage Support For Two-Hour Raw

For fans accustomed to three hours of wrestling every Monday night, "WWE Raw's" new two-hour format may take some time getting used to. It was announced in September that WWE's flagship program would trim its final hour in the three months leading to its Netflix jump. Former WWE creative writer Freddie Prinze Jr. said the switch to two hours was something that Paul "Triple H" Levesque was in favor of, even during his wrestling days.

"This is something that Triple H wanted for a very long time," Prinze said on his "Wrestling with Freddie" podcast. "He wanted it, or mentioned it, when I was there, so at least that long. 2007 was the first time I heard him say Raw would be better if it was two hours."

Despite receiving favor behind the scenes, the decision to return to a two-hour format for the October 7 episode has attracted some criticism. Former WWE Superstar Tommy Dreamer admitted the episode felt weird. Furthermore, it's been noted that WWE experienced some hurdles, given it was the first two-hour "Raw" in over a decade. The way 10-woman tag team match was named as a specific point of contention.

Whether "Raw" remains two hours with its January Netflix debut is still up in the air. It's widely believed that the program will shift back to three hours, or at least close to it, with perhaps some slight variation based on the number of commercials. 

The company's other signature show, "WWE SmackDown," currently adheres to a two-hour format on Friday nights; however, there have been recent talks about "SmackDown" adding a third hour as well. A third hour of "SmackDown" would directly compete with "AEW Rampage," which may have inspired Warner Brothers Discovery's decision to seemingly not extend that the program once AEW's new TV deal kicks in.