WWE has announced a temporary change to the start time of its flagship show, Monday Night Raw, moving it from the traditional 8 p.m. Eastern Time slot to 7 p.m. ET for three consecutive weeks starting September 15, 2025. This adjustment aims to strategically avoid direct competition with the NFL’s Monday Night Football, which historically draws a large audience and impacts Raw’s viewership numbers.
Why Is WWE Moving Raw to 7 p.m.?
The move comes as a collaborative decision between WWE and its U.S. broadcast partner, Netflix, which acquired Raw’s U.S. rights earlier this year. With WWE Raw streaming on Netflix instead of traditional cable, there is greater scheduling flexibility. Sources indicate the earlier start is an experimental approach to see whether Raw can better retain or grow its audience when it kicks off an hour ahead of the football games.
According to insiders familiar with the decision, this is a tactical attempt to avoid overlapping with the NFL’s biggest moments. Two of the three Monday night episodes September 15 and 29 feature NFL doubleheaders starting at or just after 7 p.m. ET, while the September 22 game begins at 8:15 p.m. ET. Starting Raw at 7 p.m. means that the show’s climax and main event segments will conclude before the most intense NFL action begins, reducing simultaneous viewing conflicts for fans.
A WWE insider explained, “This is a smart scheduling experiment. By giving Raw a head start, WWE and Netflix hope to capture viewers earlier and limit the audience that flips back and forth between football and wrestling late in the evening.”
Details of the Three-Week Time Experiment
- Dates affected: September 15, 22, and 29, 2025
- New start time: 7 p.m. ET (usually 8 p.m. ET)
- Reason: To test viewership performance ahead of Monday Night Football broadcast clashes
- Post-experiment: WWE will evaluate the ratings data to decide whether to extend the earlier time slot throughout the NFL season, which runs through January.
Netflix, as WWE’s new broadcast home in the U.S., reportedly prioritizes maximum viewer engagement rather than strict adherence to traditional TV time slots. This change exemplifies the streaming platform’s data-driven approach to content scheduling.
The Impact of Monday Night Football on WWE Raw Ratings
Historically, WWE programming has faced viewership challenges during the NFL season due to overlapping schedules with Monday Night Football, one of the most watched sports broadcasts in the U.S. This ongoing competition has often resulted in dips in Raw’s live audience numbers.
By strategically slipping Raw’s start time ahead of football’s kickoff, WWE aims to minimize these declines and perhaps even capture an audience segment that tunes in early before fully committing to Monday night’s NFL games.
A Netflix representative shared, “Our partnership with WWE allows us to explore scheduling that benefits the fans and ultimately our subscribers. Given the NFL’s dominance on Monday nights, this three-week adjustment is an important test case for both brands.”
How Will This Affect WWE Raw Fans?
For viewers, the change means they will need to tune in an hour earlier for the affected weeks if they want to catch Raw live. Since episodes generally run for approximately two and a half hours, fans can expect the show to conclude around 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. ET, just in time before the peak NFL action unfolds.
This schedule reduces overlap with football, potentially leading to less distraction and higher engagement with WWE’s storylines, matches, and promos during Monday night.
Is This the Start of a Permanent Schedule Shift?
At this time, WWE and Netflix have only committed to this three-week time experiment. If the data shows improved viewership and subscriber retention, it could lead to a more prolonged or even permanent change in Raw’s start time during the NFL season.
Past iterations of WWE Raw followed a strict 8 p.m. ET start on USA Network and later Netflix. This flexibility may open a new chapter in how WWE adapts to broadcast competition, shifting traditional wrestling viewing habits.