Corey Graves discloses open 'secret' about why Theory headlined RAW and not Bobby Lashley vs AJ Styles

Fans were surprised when Monday Night RAW on August 15th was headlined by Theory vs Dolph Ziggler and not the United States title match between Bobby Lashley and AJ Styles. Corey Graves has now revealed the secret behind how WWE structures the show.

RAW this past week was met with a lot of praise - primarily for the Kevin Owens-Drew McIntyre segment and impromptu match. The US title match was expected to headline the show, but it was placed at the end of the second hour while Theory vs Dolph Ziggler would go on last.

On the latest episode of After The Bell, Corey Graves talked about an open secret in the way WWE structures their shows. He said that going back to the 'Countdown to Cody' days, the company has ensured that the 10'o clock (ET) hour is when they put in the biggest matches and segments. This is likely the reason why the US Title match was in the above-mentioned time slot:

"There's a lot of research that goes into how we build these shows and how we lay them out. I don't think I'm giving away any trade secrets that around the 10'0 clock hour, and it's happened for the last several weeks, not just this past week - going back to the Countdown to Cody, it was put in the 10'o clock hour. Because that's the meat of our viewership. That is when it's the strongest, and that's when people look for the biggest bang possible so we've been trying to deliver that rather than trying to string them along for that third hour." (8:00-8:31)

He went on to say that fans can expect more high-profile matches and segments to go down in that slot:

"Monday night was no exception. We ended with Theory and [Dolph] Ziggler - with a three-segment pay-per-view match-up. So you're still going to get that additional main event but as far as attracting the largest amount of eyes possible, 10'o clock seems to be the sweet spot. So you're going to see, to the best of my knowledge, more high-profile things going down from 9:50 to 10:10 window because that's when you have the most eyes on your product. Of course, you want to give everybody something to hang around. You want them to say, 'well, I'm not tuning out now'. But there's a reason that it's been going down, and it's awesome." (8:32-9:10)

Here is a clip from the episode, which centered around the returning Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux

Is Theory still being primed for a top spot without Vince McMahon?

Some fans wondered whether Theory would still be pushed at the same rate now that Vince McMahon is gone. McMahon's admiration for the 25-year-old was no secret, and it translated into an on-screen storyline where he was getting opportunities. It was a direct result of his relationship with the former WWE Chairman and CEO.

Roman Reigns' line to Theory saying "your daddy's gone" was an indication to many that a major change was coming. However, there have been no rumors indicating that WWE is canceling or slowing down the push of the young superstar.

Would you like to see Theory become the Undisputed Universal Champion soon?

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