WWE Reportedly Lifts Wrestling Ban During Commercial Breaks

WWE has apparently changed their minds regarding wrestling during commercial breaks.

Starting last month with the June 17th episode of RAW, WWE created a rule where a match can go through a commercial break, however there can't be any wrestling during that break unless it was an inset advertisement where the action can still be seen in a picture-in-picture window. The change was reportedly done because Vince McMahon felt that legitimate sports don't play during breaks, although that is not the case for sports like golf and racing. The new rule led to the company regularly booking 2 out of 3 falls and elimination matches.

WWE apparently dropped that rule this week. On Monday's episode of RAW, the Rey Mysterio vs. Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins and WWE Tag Team Championship matches all featured wrestling during the commercial break. There were also no 2 out of 3 falls matches on last night's show.

It should be noted that there were some positives with the rule. During the short time that it was implemented, the ratings for RAW had increased 3%, which is excluding last week's RAW Reunion. The hour 1 to hour 3 drop has also been less significant, as the drop has only been in the 2-5% range this month (there was even a 4% gain from hour 1 to 3 for the July 15th episode), whereas the drop was in the double digits for most weeks, often over 20%.