[michael21]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...shake-ups.html

WWE and TNA have announced radical shake-ups of their flagship TV shows.

Vince McMahon has decided to extend his Raw programme by 60 minutes meaning it will now air for three hours.

The new format will be more interactive and offer fans the chance to decide matches and stipulations each week.

It will all start on July 23 — Raw's 1000th edition. Chairman McMahon said: "WWE is proud to celebrate this historic milestone with our partners at USA Network.

"Our new three-hour Raw represents the next generation in interactive television where our fans won't just watch the show, they will help create it."

While the extra hour will net WWE a healthy new stream of revenue, it will increase demands on Raw's writing and production team for a show which has been patchy at best in 2012.

Wrestling historians have noted the fact that WCW Nitro went from two to three hours in length in January 1998, at a point when they were trouncing WWF Raw in the Monday Night Wars.

By April that year Raw had pulled level as fans tired of the overexposed and increasingly lacklustre WCW show.

There is perhaps a possibility that the three-hour Raw experiment could spell the end for WWE Smackdown.

WWE have recently shifted the taping of minor show NXT to a location near their developmental facility in Florida, whereas it was previously taped prior to Smackdown.

With Smackdown ratings struggling, a roster split which is becoming increasingly blurred and Raw being advertised as a “supershow” involving talent from all brands, removing Smackdown could be an option.

Meanwhile Dixie Carter's TNA promotion have declared Impact Wrestling with be shown live in the US every Thursday night throughout the summer of 2012.

Starting on May 31, Impact will move an hour earlier on Spike TV in the States and will be screened live as opposed to being taped in blocks as is the current structure.

The move to a live broadcast will not affect UK viewers as Impact will still be shown at 9pm on Sunday nights on Challenge TV.

TNA will also remain in their Impact Zone home at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Carter's firm are only advertising the live move as a summer feature, although if the experiment goes well they are likely to maintain it throughout the rest of the year and beyond.

The move to live television and therefore more television tapings is likely to cost TNA more money, so they will looking for the excitement of live TV to give them a boost in their stagnant US TV ratings.

On-screen general manager Hulk Hogan recently tweeted that he felt that TNA going live would "solve 75 per cent of the issues" the company has.

NEW RECRUIT ... Brooke Hogan is joining TNA

TNA also announced on Thursday the signing of Brooke Hogan — daughter of Hulk.

The 24-year-old is being hired as an executive to assist with the Knockouts division.

Carter said: "I have really got to know Brooke by working with her on her music career this past year and a half.

"When we did talk wrestling, I not only loved her passion and knowledge of it, but the fresh, creative ideas she would come up with.

"She is very savvy. I asked if she would consider teaming up with me in this capacity while she also worked on her music and I was thrilled when she said ‘yes.’

"A big personality runs in her genes, obviously, and I know she is going to take an already exciting division of Impact Wrestling to another level."