WWE Monday Night RAW to Stay on USA Network Through 2010

In a press release, WWE reveals that they have a reach contract extension with NBC Universal that will keep the WWE on USA Network through 2010.

The announcement came just days before the WWE Monday Night RAW's 15th Anniversary show on Monday. Nine of those fifth-teen years were spent on the USA Network. The other years were spent on Spike from 2000-2005 when WWE and USA Network decided to severed their ties. WWE and USA Network reunited in 2005, however, after WWE and Spike severed their own ties.

Some the years on USA Network were spent fighting in what will eventually be known as the Monday Night Wars. World Wrestling Entertainment (known as World Wrestling Federation at that time) with WWE Monday Night RAW was directly competing with newly established WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and their show, Monday Nitro for ratings on Monday nights during the mid-1990s.

Consequently, wrestling was also at its most popular state during that time. The Monday Night Wars bought many household names including Bill Goldberg and NWO (New World Order) from WCW and D-Generation X, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock from WWE. A lot of rauchiness and controverises also came for that era as WCW and WWE both pulled out all their tricks in order to get ratings.

The Monday Night Wars ended, ironically, when WWE announced that they have bought out WCW during Monday Nitro on March 26, 2001. With the additional purchase of ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) in 2003, WWE stands alone in the wrestling world in terms of popularity.

WWE Monday Night RAW initially utilized the full roster of wrestlers from WWE. With the brand spilt with other weekly WWE shows in Smackdown and ECW, however, WWE wrestlers now work exclusively for either the ECW, RAW or Smackdown brands. Therefore, only a limited amount of wrestlers were used on WWE Monday Night RAW today.