In a press release announcing that Netflix will become the home of WWE Raw beginning in 2025, one word was noticeably absent: Monday.
While WWE’s flagship show has undergone multiple changes in its 31 years — including different television stations and lengths — the night it airs on has remained constant. Naturally, the lack of a commitment to Monday nights in Tuesday’s announcement raised the eyebrows of wrestling fans, as it seemingly indicates at least the possibility of Raw moving nights.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, WWE president Nick Khan was asked whether Raw would remain on Monday nights when it moves to Netflix. And while the former sports media agent said that’s currently the plan, as is often the case in the world of professional wrestling, that’s subject to change.
“At this moment in time, it remains Monday Night Raw,” Khan said. “But keep in mind, we’ve got 10 and a half months until this deal’s up and running.”
Why would Raw move from the night it’s been associated with for more than three decades? The biggest reason is the competition that currently exists on Mondays, particularly in the form of Monday Night Football.
“We’re looking at what you’re looking at and what everyone else is looking at. You have the proliferation of gambling with Monday Night Football. You have an enhanced Disney package, better games,” Khan said. “You’ve got the ManningCast. You’ve got this year it was on ABC and ESPN, Monday Night Football. You’ve got last season, the playoff game that they got I believe was Tom Brady at the Cowboys. You also have the college national championship, football and hoops, on Mondays. So there’s a lot of Mondays where there’s stiff competition.”
WWE President Nick Khan says it's possible 'WWE Raw' might not be on Mondays when it moves to Netflix next year. pic.twitter.com/al36BBslc1
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 23, 2024
Of course, Raw going against Monday Night Football is nothing new. And while the weekly wrestling show’s ratings go down each fall, they’ve remained strong enough for WWE to receive a 10-year, $5 billion deal from Netflix. Even against tough competition in recent weeks, Raw has held its own, providing Khan with optimism that remaining on Mondays remains a viable option.
“Even against Alabama-Michigan and the Washington-Texas game a few weeks ago, Monday Night Raw did a .6 in the 18-49 demo, which is a massive rating against big competition,” the WWE president said. “If we stay on Mondays, it will work. If we move it to a different day, we think it will work too.”
From a ratings standpoint, moving from Monday night would certainly make sense — although it’s worth noting that in moving to Netflix, Raw may not be measured like a traditional television show, both with linear to streaming ratings changes and with subscribers mattering more than ratings. There also isn’t an obvious night for Raw to move to, especially with WWE having two other weekly live programs in SmackDown and NXT, and rival AEW’s flagship show, Dynamite, currently airing on Wednesdays.
As Khan alluded to, WWE and Netflix will continue to monitor the shifting TV landscape before ultimately coming to a final decision on when Raw will air on the streaming service. But while remaining on Monday night is the likeliest option — if only by default — Khan’s comments on Tuesday are noteworthy nonetheless.
