WWE has announced that it is cutting its flagship program Raw from three to two hours after 12 years.

The change will take effect from October 7 until the series moves from the USA Network channel to Netflix in January 2025.

It is not confirmed if the length will change again when the company moves to the streaming platform.

The show, a staple of WWE’s television schedule, has lasted three hours since its 1,000th episode aired in July 2012.

The timing was a long-debated topic in the WWE community. Some fans liked the opportunity to see more talent, but others felt it was a long shot.

WWE Superstar Seth “Freakin” Rollins previously said it was “outrageously long.”

WWE’s contract with the USA Network was reportedly set to expire in October.

Viewers in the UK can also watch the shorter version by tuning in to TNT Sports or the WWE Network.

Wrestling fan Jonathan Elgie says he is happy with the decision to cut it down.

“Sometimes it’s too much of a good thing,” he tells BBC Newsbeat.

“Sometimes it feels like you’re watching three hours of product and this is coming from someone who has been a wrestling fan for most of his life.

“At this point it is necessary to shorten it. There is a lot of filler material in there that doesn’t belong there.”

In 2015, Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, best known by his ring name Triple H, told the Stone Cold Podcast, “If I could change anything, I would prefer it to be two hours long.”

In 2022, Seth Rollins said on the podcast “SI Media With Jimmy Traina” that he felt a three-hour show meant “everything dragged out.”

“You have to fill three hours of television, there’s just nothing you can do. That’s just the way it is.”

“I think two hours is a nice length for a show. And I think it’s easier to give everything a little more meaning.”

However, Jonathan also believes that the lack of time can also have disadvantages.

“Sometimes talent doesn’t come to the fore.

“If it’s a two-hour show, it might take away talent from the show that wouldn’t otherwise be able to showcase their talent,” Jonathan says.

It is not known whether the time on Netflix will be reduced to three hours again, but some reports from the US suggest so.

Jonathan sees the two hours until the end of the year as a kind of test.

“To see how it works.

“Of course they have SmackDown, which lasts two hours. You never feel like you’re watching more than two hours.”

TKO, the company that owns WWE, called the move to Netflix a “major programming change” – the first time it has moved away from traditional television networks since the advent of Raw in the early ’90s.

President Mark Shapiro called the deal “groundbreaking” at the time of its announcement.

“It combines the must-see WWE product with the extraordinary global reach of Netflix.”

And as Raw evolves, Jonathan also wants to see a change in the program.

“I want it to be edgier again.

“I want to see darker content, less X-rated stuff. I’m an adult, so I like that better.”

“I’m not saying the PG stuff isn’t good. I want to see a fancier product.”

BBC Newsbeat asked WWE about the changes and what will happen to the show on Netflix, but they did not respond.

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