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WWE Rumors: Talent Frustrated With Raw Runtime; Charlotte Flair Character Tweaks?

Would WWE Monday Night Raw moving to three hours be welcomed news for members of the locker room?

Rick Ucchino

Could we see a darker version of Charlotte upon her return to WWE?
Could we see a darker version of Charlotte upon her return to WWE? / WWE.com

With less than two weeks until the big Raw on Netflix premiere on January 6th, it's still unclear just how long the show will be once it moves over to the streaming giant.

WWE's flagship show was three hours for a majority of its run on the USA Network, but dropped down to two hours as part of a brief media rights extension that began in October.

SmackDown will be moving to three hours starting on January 3rd, according to WWE's own website, but the company still has not made an official declaration about the length of Raw. Which could simply be because they don't have to have a set time frame. The transition from linear television to streaming allows WWE to run Raw as long as the company deems necessary on a given week.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, meantime, has heard the following when it comes to the show's runtime:

"While everyone expects this, it was confirmed [to Meltzer] by someone who is a key player in WWE that Raw will be three hours come January, to go along with SmackDown being three hours.”

While adding the third hour back into the mix might be met by some outside scrutiny, it sounds as though it'd be welcomed news to at least some members of the active roster.

During a recent Q&A with Fightful Select subscribers, Sean Ross Sapp said there have been a number of people "jockeying to get on Raw" due to the move to Netflix, regardless of its runtime, but also noted that some talent have been frustrated by the current two hour format.

As one can imagine, its been a bit difficult to get consistent TV time the last few months. Especially with a roster that was built for a three hour program. Ross Sapp added that talent he spoke with ahead of the the most recent taping in Boston still had not been informed how long Raw would be come January 6.

It's still unclear when and where we'll see Charlotte Flair again in WWE, but she's due back in the ring at any time.

The Queen has missed all of 2024 after suffering a significant knee injury last December, but has been ramping up training in preparation for her return.

Both Flair and Becky Lynch are expected to be back in the mix in WWE ahead of WrestleMania 41, perhaps as soon as the Raw on Netflix premiere episode. After previous reports that Lynch is expected to undergo a character shift, the same is now being mentioned for Flair.

On the latest episode of the Backstage Pass Podcast, WrestleVotes noted that Charlotte's presentation will be tweaked a bit, with Seth Rollins being used as a comparison.

“I know her presentation will be different. It’ll be more towards the Queen type of gimmick... maybe like a dark queen, okay, maybe like a little Seth Rollins-esque flare in her attire. She’ll just be turned up a little volume wise.”

It's always important to note that rumors are just rumors. Nothing is a thing until it plays out on television.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino has been covering professional wrestling since 2019, but his broadcast career has spanned over 15 years. He can be heard every weekday morning on 700WLW radio in Cincinnati, OH. You can also read his work over on SI's Cincinnati Reds Talk. Follow Rick on X and Instagram: @RickUcchino

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