The WWE is in WrestleMania season, and in a week where we've gotten everything from a massive title change to CM Punk's plans for retirement, a shakeup is coming to Monday Night Raw. It's good news for those who enjoy watching live with a Netflix subscription, as a report indicates big changes are coming to the show.
Coming up with three hours of television on Monday night is more important than ever during WrestleMania season. The WWE wants to make sure fans are locked in and watching to play out storylines for the big two-night event and PLEs along the way, and an update on commercials suggests it'll be easier to commit.
WWE Is Reportedly Making Changes To Commercials
As someone who has regularly tuned in for Monday Night Raw live, the commercial breaks have been a big issue for not just me, but many other fans as well. Over the past year, we've seen twelve commercial breaks during one show, which equals one commercial break every fifteen minutes of programming.
That number is dropping, according to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select. Per a new report, the WWE will reduce the overall ad breaks on Raw by two. That gives us a total of ten commercial breaks, which doesn't sound like a huge change, but it's something.
It's important to note that there were no details about whether the WWE would make two of its ten ad breaks longer to compensate for lost time, or when audiences would notice fewer ads. It was said, however, that these changes were implemented in the latest Monday Night Raw on January 12, so that should be an indicator for how it'll progress for the time being.
I'm Down For Less Commercials, Or Less In-Show Advertising In General
Whether it's the Stranger Things crossover episode, Logan Paul's Prime display next to the commentary table, or the various ads lining the ring mat, walls, and everything else, there are a ton of products being promoted on the WWE.
I know that isn't going to stop anytime soon, and that come WrestleMania 42, there's a chance we'll see wrestlers in advertiser-themed ring gear, dedicated advertiser fan sections, and all the like. It's a lot, and I understand it's a company and TKO wants to make as much money as it can off its investment. That said, it feels to me like almost everything in the WWE is about the ads nowadays, and removing a couple of ads may be a start to scaling that back.
As a longtime wrestling fan, it does put a sour taste in my mouth, especially as ticket prices for WWE live events continue to rise. Wrestlenomics reported ticket prices have nearly doubled since the TKO merger in 2023. I fear families are being priced out of what was once affordable fun for all ages, and that it may be a while before I take my child to a new WWE live event.
Catch Monday Night Raw on Netflix on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET as the 2026 TV schedule continues. It's never a dull moment when WrestleMania is coming up, but we still have a long way to go until the big night!
