The Structure Of 3hrs Of Raw

[Robstar]

I'm not a fan of this intensive ratings breakdown. I mean, you just know that if they are breaking it down into hourly segments to do readings for reactions, then they are also breaking those hours down into 15 minute segments an dissecting that too.

I don't know about anyone else, but to this viewer this has served to make the show horribly disjointed. I seem to recall back in the day (just prior to AE and onwards) the shows would get a slow buildup to a big ending. They still like their big endings (sometimes) but I feel like the ratio and timing of high spots and low points are ill-considered. It's like the show has been planned out by an efficiency expert with no regard to flow.

Take the Khali & co/3MB segment. Wouldn't that have been better at 2nd or 3rd slot on the card, first hour? I just don't see the sense - I understand it though, why they do it. They want every hour to rate as high as possible, so they approach each hour as individual. I understand that they fear if there's too many boring bits in the first hour, people might turn off and not switch back. Fine. Then maybe you are being a bit greedy at wanting to go 3 hours then, if you don't have enough worthwhile content to fill it.

[MachoManFan]

They seem to have divided the show into 3 one hour shows. Cole has even said something along the lines of "main eventing the first hour of Raw" and that seems to be how they do it. A main event after an hour and then back to under card before a mani event at hour two then back to under card then a promo to finish. Breaking it up in that manner won't encourage viewers to stick around if they've only put Raw on for a while while they wait for something else to start.
On the subject of ratings, there was no NFL this week and there was also a big ratings jump, which some are attributing to The Rock. I'll be interested to see how rating play out between now and 'Mania now there's no Monday night football to compete with.

[HCollins-TNA1]

Building the show as it go on.......
Most of the time Raw or Smackdown or any Wrestling show open with a promo, most likely a fall out of the week before or PPV...
Which usually what build the show..... then they add to it promoting a match for later in the show and the Main Event of the show... The fact is they normally throw in fillers or misc promo which either hurt or help the show depending what they show...

Myself hour 1 - promo, mid-card match, promo or interview another mid card match..
hour 2- promote what to come, diva match, promo, mid card match, promo and promote the last hour...
hour 3 - main event type match, promo, another main event match most likely closing promo or cliff hanger scene....

Wrestling is like any TV show or movie got to build it and gain the audience....