WWE Raw: Why They May Be Able to Pull off the Switch to Three-Hour Show

Before Monday Night Raw switched to its current three-hour format, the consensus seemed to be that the WWE’s latest risk would end up being a massive failure. 

Fans, myself included, said things like this: “All this means is more filler. Get ready to see 10 more backstage segments per show.” 

Or this: “There’s no way the WWE can genuinely expect us to watch three hours of Raw every week. We just don’t have the attention span for that.” 

Almost two months into the WWE’s three-hour Raw experiment, some fans are still saying the same things, and admittedly, I think that Raw’s transition to a180-minute show has been far from perfect. 

There are still far too many commercials (poorly timed ones, I might add) and replays, the Divas are still an afterthought, and some guys who should consistently get on TV still don’t. 

But no one ever expected Raw’s switch to a three-hour format to go perfectly smoothly, and while the cons of the decision are obviously still there, the pros are starting to show themselves as well. 

The biggest plus of Raw’s new three-hour format is what was perhaps the WWE’s biggest problem when Raw was just two hours: a focus on the mid-card. 

Prior to Raw 1000 on July 23, Raw was consistently comprised of main event and World title feuds, which, in turn, gave very little exposure and TV time to the WWE’s mid-carders who so desperately need it. 

But now, just look at what the WWE has been able to do with the mid-card in less than two months with the additional hour of programming every Monday night. 

We’ve seen a number of mid-card rivalries spring up, stemming largely from both the tag team division and Intercontinental/US title scenes, which—though still not great—have gotten much more of a spotlight over the past two months. 

Rivalries like Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz have sprouted up in large part because Raw’s additional hour has given the WWE more time to allocate for these feuds, which has resulted in mid-card rivalries that actually mean something. 

The same can be said for the tag team division, which has gotten significantly more exposure since Raw expanded to three hours. 

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth, the Prime Time Players, Kane and Daniel Bryan and even Epico and Primo have had much bigger presences on Raw over the last couple of months, as has the tag team division as a whole. 

Why is that happening? Well, for multiple reasons, but it’s hard to think that Raw’s new three-hour format isn’t playing a big role here. 

One of the things we asked for prior to the switch was for the WWE to use its extra hour to give more exposure to the company’s mid-carders, and I think that’s exactly what’s happening. 

No, it hasn’t even been close to perfect. But plenty of superstars—Rhodes, Sin Cara,  etc.—are getting TV time that they likely wouldn’t have gotten under Raw’s old two-hour format. 

Even some of the WWE’s rising mid-carders are doing the same. Names like Antonio Cesaro, Damien Sandow and Ryback are finding themselves getting more and more TV time every week, which has resulted in the fans becoming more familiar with those stars and said stars getting more over. 

While it’s far too early to consider Raw’s move to three hours either a success or a failure, being optimistic about the future of the show doesn’t hurt anybody. After all, the WWE is making the strides that we wanted them to make. 

The mid-card may not be booked incredibly well, but it matters more now than it has at any point in recent history. Feuds are being given time to develop, and often overlooked superstars are being given the opportunity to succeed. 

If Raw’s move to three hours accomplishes nothing else, improving the mid-card is reason enough for it to remain 180-plus minutes every week.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter!