In 2025, RAW will move to Netflix and SmackDown, which currently airs on FOX, will take the Monday night show's place on USA (on a Friday, of course).
Outside of the U.S., Netflix will be home to RAW, SmackDown, NXT (which is making the leap to The CW this fall) and every WWE PLE. That's going to massively increase WWE's viewership numbers on a global level, giving the company an opportunity to reach a bigger audience than ever before.
Talking on The Pat McAfee Show, WWE Chief Content Offer Paul "Triple H" Levesque, addressed the impact WWE's 10-year Netflix deal will have on RAW.
"In the fall, as the shows shift around, and then once we get to Netflix, Netflix is a completely different animal. It’s a streaming service. How are commercials going to work? How are breaks going to work? What’s the length of time? What are the restrictions or not restrictions? Being on Fox, if the crowd chants ‘Holy shit’ or something worse, they take the audio [out]. Sometimes, they take the picture and the audio out, and it’s a black screen."
"The Rock comes in, and you can’t tell what The Rock to do. He does what he does. We won’t have those issues with Netflix. The ability to be live globally and be seen live everywhere is a game-changing moment. In many ways, that’s sort of where the world is heading - streaming services. The NFL is sticking its toe in the water. NBA, every sport. It’s why this Netflix deal, for us, is so game-changing, and everyone is going to be watching us in January, especially other sports. From the business side, they’re going to be watching to see what we do, what we do differently, and how it’s received."
We'd bet on RAW becoming a two-hour show again as a solid three hours of pro wrestling every Monday night with no breaks may be a little off-putting for the casual and new fans WWE is hoping to attract.
As for the lack of censorship, while we don't expect F-Bombs on a weekly basis, this added level of creative freedom will greatly benefit the show.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Triple H was asked about when Roman Reigns is likely to make his WWE return. However, he quickly pivoted and shifted his answer's focus to the new Tribal Chief, Solo Sikoa, and the recent debut of Jacob Fatu.
"When you talk about Tribal Chief, you're talking about Roman Reigns, no matter who lays claim to that now. You see the Bloodline carrying on. You see Solo putting himself out there as the Tribal Chief. You see Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa coming in, and you see those guys starting to run wild. Then, the game changer happens - Jacob Fatu coming in. He's a game-changer."
"You very clearly see that shift of 'We're running the show now. This is the new Tribal Chief. This is the new Head of the Table.' That's only going to last so long before there is a return. Let's hope that Heyman's nerves can take it. He looks like he's on his very last nerve. It's an exciting time. That is ramping up big, and they're starting to go after Cody Rhodes and the WWE title.”
You can watch the full interview with Triple H in the player below.