WWE: Why a RAW Pre-Show Could Be Bad for Business

During the recent second quarter conference call, Vince McMahon stated they are considering a live one-hour show before RAW.

We don't have any information on what sort of show this could be, however there are still numerous concerns I have about the idea.

Firstly, the quality of the show has to be up to the standard of RAW, otherwise it would be a waste. We've seen what happens when the WWE doesn't follow through on ideas. Shows like NXT, Superstars, and the late days of ECW lacked effort overall.

The last thing the WWE needs is another useless show they don't seem to care about.

Perhaps it will be a Heat-like show. It could be used to further story lines and be an effective lead-in for RAW. 

Problem is, it makes every Monday night a three hour block of wrestling. A few months ago, we had a run of three three-hour RAWs in the space of four to five weeks. It became too much at times. 

The three-hour RAWs were tiresome, and it proved that three hour wrestling shows should be used sparingly, most effectively as pay-per-views. 

A similar experiment has been tried before. In January 1998, WCW Nitro expanded to a three hour format. It wasn't long after that WCW began showing the same storylines, become boring and predictable. This was arguably the start of WCW's downfall.

With three hours of programming on Monday's, not to mention SmackDown, NXT and Superstars, WWE programming may become watered down and predictable (more so). 

We love wrestling, but three hours every Monday may be too much. Of course, it all depends on what "Vinny Mac" has up his sleeve. This lead-in for RAW could prove to entertaining if handled properly, and only if WWE are in for the long haul.