Update On WWE Raw Start Time Changing

With college football and the NFL seasons now officially underway, wrestling ratings have begun to take a predictable hit, with "AEW Collision" and "WWE SmackDown" both feeling the effects over the last few weekends. And then there's "WWE Raw," which has gone against Monday Night Football for years, and will be doing so again starting tonight, with many expecting the red brand's viewership to also take a hit. But as previously hinted, steps are being made to make sure WWE avoids Monday Night Football in the near future.

A look at WWE's upcoming schedule for "Raw" shows the red brand's start time being moved up to 7 p.m. EST, starting with next Monday's episode and continuing throughout the rest of the month. The new start time has been confirmed by PWInsider, which also stated that the start time will become the norm throughout the fall, as a November taping in Madison Square Garden will also begin airing at 7 p.m.

Given "Raw's" usual run-time, it will still mean that the show will air against Monday Night Football for some of its duration, though much less than it did when going head to head over the years. This also means that tonight's episode of "Raw" will be the only one to go head to head with Monday Night Football, which will see Seth Rollins' beloved Chicago Bears go up against the Minnesota Vikings.

As for "Raw," the big story appears to be AJ Lee, who will be making her first "Raw" appearance in over ten years. The former WWE Divas Champion made her return to WWE last Friday on "SmackDown," assisting her husband CM Punk in fending off WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. A match between the two couples is expected to take place later this month at WWE Wrestlepalooza.