Two-Hour Collision + Battle of the Belts vs. A Very Special Three-Hour Collision
By Scott Keith on 23rd October 2023
So I think two hours is perfect for a weekly wrestling show on TV. But what do you do if you run a company and The Network backs a dump truck full of money up to your house for a third hour of content?
I like Tony K's solution of a normal Two Hour Dynamite or Collision with an added third hour of a Fight For the Fallen or Battle of the Belts. It allows them to structure a normal show, then have the appearance of giving the fans a bonus hour of 'rassling.
And I don't think it will affect the ratings one bit. People who are going to hang around for BotB will be watching whether it is called a third hour of Collision or something else.
I always thought that's how WWE should structure their three hour Raws — a first hour with different graphics and announcers, with more random in-ring action plus hype for the “upcoming” Raw. I think it would make for less of a slog for the viewers. Would
doing that really hurt the first hour's ratings that much?
Probably not but they can’t put that toothpaste back in the tube. Unless they do move the show to streaming as rumoured. Then you can do whatever you want. And hey, I’ve long said that if Raw went back to two hours I’d review it again.
AEW really needs to be 90 minutes on Saturday though. 2 hours padded out with “this guy IN ACTION” squashes feels too long.