WWE welcomes 2025 in a huge way. In addition to WWE Monday Night Raw calling Netflix its new home starting January 6th, 2025, Friday’s show, WWE SmackDown, will expand its run time to 3 hours on its first episode of the new year.
For some portion of the WWE Universe, they’re rejoicing. As for others, the new three-hour format leaves a lot to be desired. With that in mind, let’s discuss why another for WWE SmackDown could be good and why it potentially won’t be.
Three-Hour SmackDown: Yay or Nay?
The Bad
Let’s get the bad out of the way as soon as possible. Some people do not want another hour of WWE programming. Why? When WWE Raw went the same route, many complained that the program dragged on a little bit too much, especially in the last hour, when fan viewership significantly dropped off.
While Raw eventually carved out a game plan for the three-hour runtime, this was when the professional wrestling landscape was different. WWE is no longer the only game in town, with AEW, TNA Wrestling, GCW, and many other promotions garnering significant attention.
So, if you’re a fan of one, two, or all of these promotions, as a fan, another hour of TV could be too much to handle, eventually leading to burnout. Apart from that, specifically in the months after WrestleMania and SummerSlam, WWE typically has a lull period where not much is going on.
As such, an extra hour could prove difficult for WWE’s creative team to make interesting for fans. If WWE SmackDown went three hours just for the first half of 2025, then that would be perfectly fine. They can ride the wave of momentum up to ‘Mania and a little bit more time after that.
But if SmackDown’s permanent move to three hours is indeed the case, it could spell disaster for the brand, which most consider the cream of the crop of WWE programming for the last half-decade.
The Good
For the better part of five years, The Bloodline has dominated the main event scene of SmackDown. In one way, shape, or form, one of WWE’s greatest factions has been involved on the card from top to bottom.
It’s not a bad thing, of course, considering this has been one of the most successful long-running storylines in modern wrestling ever. However, it does have its downsides.
With promos lasting as long as 20-30 minutes and the last match or segment typically reserved for the group, the rest of the card has not gotten the shine it deserves.
With the WWE tag team scene getting hotter and hotter by the minute, the WWE Women’s title picture still as interesting as ever, and the brand establishing a secondary title for the women’s division in the form of the Women’s United States Championship, an extra hour will definitely come in handy to get everyone in the limelight.
Not only that, but when January hits, WWE considers it the “Road to WrestleMania.” During this time, the promotion builds up storylines, effectively setting up the matches that will be showcased on the “Granddaddy of them All.”
A third hour will ensure that every character and storyline is fleshed out, making the eventual matches more compelling. In addition to the mid-card talent, the lower mid-card superstars will also have an opportunity to establish themselves, creating chances for hungry superstars waiting for this exact thing to happen.
Whether you like it or you don’t, through the good and bad, WWE SmackDown will go three hours on the USA Network starting January 3rd, 2025.
How do you feel about WWE SmackDown going three hours in 2025?
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