Pretty much each and every single week, the third hour of RAW plummets in terms of ratings. There are a number of reasons, but hour three (which was added back in 2012) is not something the vast majority of viewers seem to want, hence why SmackDown Live - which runs for two hours - has scored consistently better reviews since the brand split last July.
There are a number of reasons why this is unlikely to change and most of it is related to revenue generated from commercials but during a lengthy interview with Lilian Garcia on her Making Their Way To The Ring podcast, on-screen General Manager Mick Foley admitted that there are a number of reasons why the three-hour show is problematic and ultimately puts RAW at a disadvantage.
"Even though SmackDown has been kind of like the Internet darling, I believe that if they had three hours instead of two, they would find out that it’s tough to be a darling when you’ve got that massive three-hour anchor around your neck. It’s really difficult, and it makes it tough for people to watch an entire show, especially when you realize that a good portion of the audience is going to bed before the end of the show.
Sometimes we try to look into the reasons why the third hour doesn’t perform as well as the first two, and I’m like ‘well that’s because people go to bed!’ There are a lot of kids. A lot of our audience… especially, other people have brought up the difficulty in trying to compete in other shows that are not restricted by the PG format. No one else at 10:30 p.m. is a PG show. I won’t say that across the board, but most other programs aren’t trying to compete within those confines.
I love, for example, Full Frontal with Sam Bee. I just love her show. And they’re allowed to curse on that show! And that’s basic cable. We don’t curse. We can’t even say a-s-s anymore unless you’re The Rock or Steve [Austin] returning."
It's an interesting point and one which may have at least some validity. However, it's also worth noting that RAW has been seriously lacking in terms of creative, and months of Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho matches have not made for particularly compelling viewing. SmackDown Live also has a much stronger tag team and women's division.
The interview is well worth a watch, especially as Foley also touches on his role as GM nearing its end so he can finally have hip surgery and the time Vince McMahon chewed out the massive BraunStrowman because he referred to a title match as a "title shot." Do you agree with these comments about RAW? Let us know in the usual place.