Raw Moves Up an Hour in September — WWE Testing Head-Start vs. Monday Night Football
WWE is shifting Monday Night Raw to an earlier bell time for three consecutive weeks in September—part of a strategic test to get out in front of Monday Night Football.
What’s changing
- New start time: 7 p.m. ET (one hour earlier than usual)
- Dates: Sept. 15, Sept. 22, Sept. 29
- Local adjustments: Live event doors/bell times are moving up too (e.g., Sept. 29 in Raleigh, NC is listed for a 6:30 p.m. local start).
- Back to normal: Raw is slated to return to its traditional 8 p.m. ET slot in October.
Why the move
While neither WWE nor Netflix has issued a formal explanation, this is explicitly a test to get a head start on MNF. Historically, the NFL’s return dents Raw’s audience; the Netflix era offers freedom to counter-program and experiment with timing.
A flexible 2025 schedule
This isn’t Raw’s first time tweak on Netflix:
- Aug. 25 (Birmingham, England): 3 p.m. ET
- Sept. 1 (Paris, France): 2 p.m. ET
- Oct. 13 (Perth, Australia): 8 a.m. ET
The streaming move has made start times more adaptable to global venues and major sports calendar pressure points.
The bigger picture: the Netflix deal
Raw’s shift is happening under WWE’s 10-year, $5 billion pact with Netflix. The agreement makes Netflix the U.S. home for Raw and the international home for all WWE programming—including SmackDown, NXT, and all Premium Live Events. September’s schedule tweak looks like another data point as WWE and Netflix search for the optimal weekly time slot.
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Internally, this reads like a controlled A/B test: can Raw capture casuals and second-screeners before MNF kicks off, then keep them through the first quarter? Expect close monitoring of minute-by-minute viewership, churn, and completion rates on Netflix. If the numbers pop—even modestly—don’t be shocked if select fall Mondays get the 7 p.m. ET treatment again.
