WWE Raw has long been considered an icon of sports entertainment, producing over 1600 episodes since 2003 and helping launch many star careers, such as John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H.
In 1993, WWF Superstars debuted on USA Network as their flagship program until 2000 when it switched over to TNN/Spike TV for five years.
It airs on Monday nights
The show airs each Monday evening on USA Network in the US, Hulu and YouTube in other countries that don’t provide livestreaming (but do allow viewing via broadcast).
The show features various on-air personalities such as male and female wrestlers, ring announcers, commentators and on-screen authority figures as well as regular segments hosted by members of its roster.
Early years of WWE television were marked by more of a gimmick-heavy style, with events like Irwin R. Schyster tearing off Tatanka’s headdress and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan conducting interviews as trademark events. Over time, however, their show has evolved more towards storylines and characters; although still incorporating notable gimmicks such as crossing referee arms in an “X” formation to signal disqualifications. Most recently in January 2024 they signed a deal with Netflix which will see their flagship weekly program migrate over there.
It is produced in New York City
Raw is produced in New York City, which is known for its restaurants and cultural institutions. Many of its wrestlers live nearby, so producers try to connect with local audiences by including New York culture into storylines. Furthermore, the production team strives to make shows as engaging and enjoyable as possible for its target audience.
In 2002, WWF unveiled a revamped set for Raw that included a larger TitanTron. As part of these changes, Raw Is War was changed to simply Raw while its second hour became known as the Raw Zone; furthermore, its chyron graphics were updated with a fresh look.
This program airs on USA Network in the US, CBC Television (CKVR-TV in Barrie Ontario and CKMI-TV in Quebec in Canada), Universo Latin America and Netflix UK/Ireland on a tape-delayed basis – previously it had Russian commentary until 2022.
It is filmed in HD
Raw is shot in HD, which can make its large file sizes seem daunting to some users. But with some knowledge and preparation, the RAW files provide maximum flexibility during post-production but require additional work to process.
At its inception, Raw was one of few wrestling shows taped live and broadcast each week, giving WWF the flexibility to produce storylines and angles as they occurred, leading to an exciting and engaging program.
Original Raw Set Features The original Raw set featured red ring-ropes, blue apron and steps with a simple staging area, before being changed in 1997 with “RAW Is War” painted onto the ring and later the TitanTron in 2002; additionally it included Chyron graphics at the bottom. When WWE went HD in 2008 they replaced this version with one using different TitanTrons that featured their network logo in place of RAW on top.
It is a pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is an event streaming system in which viewers pay a subscription fee in order to view certain events broadcast over their television sets at the same time, unlike video on demand systems that let viewers watch shows at their convenience. Popular PPV events include sporting events, movies and pornographic movies.
WWE Pay-Per-View (PPVs) events are special televised events that typically last three hours and feature some of the biggest matches and storylines from across their federation, along with their conclusion. They are heavily promoted during the weeks and months leading up to them by television ads showcasing past PPV events as a preview to what to expect at each one.
DAZN only permits subscribers with an active paid subscription to purchase pay-per-view (PPV) events. If your subscription has been temporarily suspended when trying to buy one, DAZN may prompt you to reinstate it before continuing the purchase. It does not accept payment through mobile carrier bills; rather it requires using either a credit or debit card linked with your DAZN account in order to complete your PPV purchase.