Report: Strong Dislike Within WWE For Three-Hour SmackDown

Friday Night SmackDown being switched to a three-hour format has not been a popular decision within WWE, it has been revealed.

WrestleVotes has reported on WrestleVotes Radio that several within WWE strongly dislike SmackDown being a three-hour show and they believe it has led to a decline in quality on the Friday night show.

"We are told several within the company strongly dislike the three-hour SmackDown format as those sources feel like the quality of the show has dipped in the last two months. Prior to the expansion, there was optimism and belief that some underutilised talent would be able to shine considering the extra hour, however, that has not come to fruition as of yet. SmackDown is still scheduled to return to two hours come this June," WrestleVotes said.

SmackDown switched from two hours to three hours at the beginning of 2025. The shows have been widely panned since then due to the increased runtime, especially when compared to Monday Night Raw which is often finished after two and a half hours on Netflix.

SmackDown will only be a three-hour show until June. It will then switch back to being a two-hour series on USA Network in the United States and Netflix in the United Kingdom.

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