Update on WWE Raw start time change & when it will begin

For nearly the entire month of September, WWE Raw will have an earlier start time.

On Thursday’s WrestleVotes Radio, the recent rumors of a time change were given some more weight as the outlet reported that the September 15th, 22nd and 29th editions of the flagship show will start at 7 PM Eastern.

The reason? The NFL.

WrestleVotes said that according to their sources, both WWE and Netflix want to see how Raw performs against Monday Night Football on the ESPN networks with an earlier start time. With most editions going around 2:30 hours, it will minimize the amount of head-to-head time by an hour.

On the 15th and 29th, there will be doubleheaders of NFL action that Raw will be going head-to-head with as the first game starts at 7 PM Eastern and 7:15 PM Eastern respectively. The single game on the 22nd starts at 8:15 PM Eastern.

This Monday’s Raw will also have an earlier start time for U.S. viewers, but that is because it is taking place in Paris, France, following Sunday’s Clash in Paris PLE. The following week’s Raw on Monday, September 8th will start in its usual 8 PM Eastern timeslot.

It’s unknown if this is expected to be a permanent change or perhaps one that extends throughout the NFL season. Netflix is also an NFL broadcast partner.