A new report from WrestleVotes has revealed the strategy behind WWE’s decision to move Monday Night Raw to a 7 p.m. ET start time for three weeks in September. The move is a calculated test by WWE and its broadcast partner, Netflix, to see how the program performs against the NFL’s Monday Night Football.
The temporary schedule change will affect the episodes on September 15th, 22nd, and 29th. According to the report, the strategy is designed so that Raw’s main event will conclude “before the crunch time in the NFL action.” This allows fans to watch the conclusion of Raw without having to choose between it and the most critical moments of the football games.
One source cited in the report called the move a “smart one,” especially as ESPN is scheduled to air Monday Night Football doubleheaders on two of those nights, with the first game starting at 7:15 p.m. ET.
This strategic explanation comes after the schedule change first appeared on Netflix around August 24-25, though no official reason was given by either WWE or Netflix at that time.
The September experiment is part of a larger pattern of varied start times for Raw since the show moved to the streaming platform. The August 25th episode from England began at 3 p.m. ET, and the upcoming September 1st broadcast from Paris is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET. Furthermore, a future episode on October 13th from Perth, Australia, will air live at 8 a.m. ET.
Following this three-week test, Raw is expected to return to its traditional 8 p.m. ET time slot for the remainder of October, with the Perth show being the notable exception.