Raw To Air Live On Christmas

[Khalifa]

The thing is that other sports make it an occasion and specifically schedule it work that way. This is only happening because its a monday this year, next year smackdown superstars will cop it and then it'll be 4+ years before it happens again depending how leap years fall (i cant be fucked figuring it out properly). Its a bit of a non-issue.

Wow. Yeah I'm an idiot. Forgot it'll only be for one year. Does change a bit but at the same time still don't know how it will benefit WWE but I guess it won't hurt in trying.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Seems shitty and pointless. Pro wrestling is not family programming like basketball or Elf. The ratings are likely going to be pretty bad. I'm not sure how much of a gate they will generate and I imagine this is pretty bad for morale.

Assuming this is true, it's also tough to hear that Vince is getting pushed to do something like this by USA. They must hold a lot of leverage right now. I guess we will see in the next contract negotiations.

 

[sikkbones]

This demand by the network is probably to counter Christmas programming on the network.

You know that the archives that part of the year will be Christmas themed.

 

[Sean Valjean]

Considering the WWE crew (which includes not only the superstars, but the production crew and various workers as well) are on the road 300+ days a year, I doubt this news is sitting well with everyone. I'm sure there are some that don't mind, but it must be nice to be a Smackdown employee right now.

On one hand, I'd like to think this show will have some serious effort put into it. If you're going to miss your family on the biggest holiday of the year, may as well justify it with the best show ever. On the other, live or not, ratings probably won't be hot, nullifying the need for such effort. My solution: a three hour campy Christmas party. Finn painted up as the Grinch, Reigns awkwardly stumbling through a rendition of Jingle Bells, and Brawn screaming to Santa that HE'S NOT FINISHED reciting his Christmas list.

Do we know what city this show will be held in? If it's not a hardcore wrestling town, I'll be curious to see how the attendance fares. Hopefully it's not another one of these:

 

[Navi]

If they do it for a year or two then it's not so bad but if it's until further notice then the question should actually be will this actually benefit them. As people have said before there is so many other things going on just in the sport world, let alone other Christmas shows. That's not even counting the people that do what I assume most peope do and leave the house for Chrissy. So really what's the point in having it on Chrissy? Holiday shows already get shit on, as soon as NFL comes out WWE stop trying and then of course any other event that's on at the same time as Raw they usually give up on that as well. Now there is a special day that is a combination of all 3 and you want people to work that day, when they never have had to before or maybe even imagined it could happen? I just don't see where the benefit is.

Well considering we have 7 days in a week and Christmas only falls on one of them each year, it's pretty unlikely that this would be a yearly thing. Actually it won't be until the year 2023 that Christmas falls on a Monday again.

But as someone else said it is a lot of silliness really. Viewership will probably be down as people will be spending that day with family and friends, so they won't be watching. The WWE could have taped a show and it would get the same amount of viewers. I know I won't be watching just because it's a live show, family is more important.

Hopefully though they as JH said will take this opportunity to make it a really good show for those that do watch and more importantly attend. If you are a wrestling fan and you live in the city they are performing in, it's a great Christmas gift.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

From what I've cathered, this wasn't a wwe decision but a USA network decision so they don't really have a choice in the matter.

Sadly this isn't the first time that USA as made a decision like that. The fact that raw is three hours every week and smackdown is live is also a USA decision that wwe were forced to do. It sad not only for the raw crew but also for the smackdown crew who does have christmas and the day after christmas off. While they will make more money from the live gate because they will sell out those shows. The ratings won't change because the show is live instead of tape like it always been.

Sadly this is a decision that wwe we're forced to take which is sad for the performer and crew but that's what happen when your a publicly traded company.