Partial Source: PWTorch.com
Sources close to the situation report that Spike TV will be watching very carefully to be sure WWE doesn’t pull any stunts on this week’s WWE RAW. Of course, while the network believes it would be inappropriate to mention USA by name, there is no guarantee that WWE won’t attempt to subtly allude to the rival cable network.
While WWE has gone overboard plugging its “homecoming,” the company has not specifically advertised its return to USA during an airing of RAW. Television viewers generally do check listings and remain aware of timeslot and network changes, but without a direct mention in the timeslot, it is hard to be certain that – out of habit – viewers will not tune into Spike TV on October 3.
One school of thought that explains Spike TV’s poor hype for the October 3 Ultimate Fight Night is very strategic in nature. Some believe that had Spike TV gone all-out and hyped the fight card the way it did the August special, WWE viewers would have been even more certain that the October 3 RAW special was not taking place on Spike TV. By giving it a minimal campaign, Spike TV can make MMA fans aware of the event without hammering home the fact that WWE is leaving the network. That is just one school of thought, however, and many believe that the lack of hype was due to poor planning and not said elaborate “scheme.”
