Since January 3, 2025, WWE is performing the functions of SmackDown as part of a three -hour television show. Although many fans were surprised with this change, it was known that the real reason was that USA Network asked for an additional hour to compensate a little to lose the television transmission rights of Raw for its great agreement with Netflix.
However, things did not go as well as expected. All because both fans and people within WWE They consider that the quality of the show has lowered greatly. And it has only generated more tiredness in the fighters and the production team.
► WWE I could continue doing SmackDown A 3 -hour show
Well, at the time, it was reported that since Friday, June 6, 2025, SmackDown was going to return to its usual duration of two hours of television programming.
However, Mike Johnson de Pro Wrestling Insider He recently pointed out that this will not happen. SmackDown will not be two hours, at least, on the first Friday of June 2025. This was his report:
«SmackDown could continue with three hours during the first weeks of June 2025, despite previous reports indicating that WWE had plans of Back to the two -hour format from June 6.
«Internal listings of the USA Network channel still have friday night SmackDown scheduled with their extended time during those weeks of June, which has generated new doubts about whether WWE and the chain are reconsidering the date of return to the traditional format.
«The third hour was added earlier this year when SmackDown was transmitted again by USA Network, with the Initial intention to test the new format temporarily.
«However, internally, that plan has not been precisely well received. As reported above, several people within WWE's production and creative equipment consider that the three -hour format has affected the program's pace, has generated filling content and caused creative wear.
«Instead of using the additional time to boost emerging talent, the extra time has been saturated with segments without urgency, which has generated comparisons with Monday Night Raw, which ha Received similar criticism since it happened to last three hours in 2012.
«It is still about to be seen if the extension will remain in the long term or if WWE will decide to cancel it once the season of WrestleMania. For now, the blue brand seems to be trapped in extra inputs ».
