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Wrestling fans are excited for "WWE Raw's" return to two-hours for the remainder of the year, starting after Bad Blood, before the red brand moves to Netflix at the beginning of 2025. "Raw's" three-hour runtime has been in place for over a decade, including when former WCW executive Eric Bischoff was hired and appeared on-screen as the show's general manager from 2002 to 2005. Bischoff recently addressed the change to the show on an episode of "83 Weeks." He agreed that three hours of "Raw" is one too many, and said the two-hour show is "going to be fun to watch" because of the format and pacing, which he thinks is going to change a lot.
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"That two hours is going to feel like seven minutes," he said. "After having had to sit through three hours of 'Monday Night Raw' for how many years now? ...you're going to watch 'Raw' and those first two hours are going to go by so fast, you're going to feel like, 'What the hell? Where's the rest of the show?' That's a good thing. It's good for talent. It's good for production. It's great for the audience. I think stories will be able to pick up more momentum, because so much is diluted in three hours."
Bischoff mentioned that "Raw" needs to be filled with "A" stories, like main events, to "B" stories, and even "C" storylines, but with its current three hours, he still thinks there is a lot of time left, and any storyline would become diluted. He said with the change, it's going to allow WWE's creative time to "gas up and tighten up" their stories, becoming even more disciplined.
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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "83 Weeks" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.