The WWE Reportedly Is Making Two Major Changes To PLE's, And I'm On Board With Both Of Them
The WWE has entered a new era, and with that comes inevitable change. It's already known that one major shift will happen when Monday Night Raw moves to Netflix and, now, two more details about that future have reportedly come to light. And both have to do with PLEs (Premium Live Events). While change can be painful for some, I'm completely on board with both of these should they come to pass and feel good about the company going forward.
As the brand is hotter than ever, it looks like top brass is making efforts to shake up how PLEs will operate in the future. As The Rock potentially dominates more screen time upon his return, and Cody Rhodes defends his title, it looks like the company is interested in switching up the times at which both will do so.
The WWE Allegedly Wants PLE's To Start Earlier
The first big headline about PLE changes comes from PWInsider.com and, per that reporting, a 7:00 p.m. ET start time is being considered for most events going forward. This would mainly apply to domestic PLEs, as the early start times of international events like the 2024 Elimination Chamber in Perth couldn't really be helped.
The reasoning behind the reported change isn't clear, but I could see the justification being linked to families with kids who want to catch the action earlier. It would be awesome if this meant PLEs would run for an extra hour, but I'd wager they'll still have the same start time should this go through. It's a shame, really, because I think with the added strength of the women's roster Paul Heyman touted to CinemaBlend, an extra hour could really be used to highlight them. In any case, I'll never complain about being able to dive into the fun earlier, especially if the other alleged change happens as well.
UFC's Dana White Mentioned The WWE Returning To Sunday PLEs
UFC president Dana White is part of the WWE via their parent company TKO Group Holdings, and he let slip some details of how the wrestling company may change going forward following the conclusion of UFC: St. Louis. When receiving a question about how UFC and his other fighting organization, Power Slap, which had its premiere delayed due to controversy, White talked about how the WWE will factor into that:
We already have those dates set up right now. Yeah, where Power Slap goes Friday, and UFC goes Saturday. And then, you're going to see Friday Power Slap, Saturday UFC, and Sunday WWE. You'll start seeing that stuff too.
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The WWE has heavily leaned into Saturday PLEs for the most part as of late, but Sundays were the hallmark night for them in the past. It sounds like upcoming WWE events, or at least the ones where UFC is in town at the same time, would be moved to Sundays. Dana White didn't have any specifics to offer beyond that, though it is worth noting that there would be some instances in which this is impossible. WrestleMania, for example, has been a two-night event, so I wouldn't expect it to change.
That said, I think I'd be OK with seeing some WWE PLE's returning to Sundays. Saturdays can be a busy time for people and, while I don't mind one night a month being home early watching wrestling with my Peacock Premium subscription, Sundays would be better most times. Of course, not as much for my child, who would have school in the morning outside of the summer months, but that's what replays are for. Ultimately, I'm for this idea and eager to see what other changes may take effect.
Monday Night Raw airs on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. This new era is off to a great start, and it'll likely just change more as the months go on. Hopefully, should this all happen, it'll all be positive.
