Last January, it was announced that WWE Friday Night SmackDown was going to become a three-hour-long program temporarily on USA Network. The announcement came after a seismic shift in WWE programming, as they left FOX in September and simultaneously premiered Monday Night Raw on Netflix the same month.
The three-hour format was applied for the first half of 2025. SmackDown returned to its usual two-hour format for the second half of the year. But with a new year comes new changes, with a big announcement shaking things up in a huge way.
It was recently announced that the Blue brand was going back to the three-hour format to start off 2026. Naturally, many fans are skeptical amidst controversy over the brand’s booking and popularity. However, there are some reasons to hold out some hope that this change could actually help the brand.
Many Call Ups to Raw and SmackDown are on the Horizon
Only six wrestlers were called up to the main roster last year: Axiom, Giulia, Lash Legend, Nathan Frazer, Roxanne Perez, and Stephanie Vaquer. That being said, there’s now an overabundance of NXT talent ready for the main roster. Je’Von Evans has been appearing on Raw frequently. Oba Femi vignettes have been airing for weeks now.
Trick Williams is looking for a brand. Ethan Page, Jacy Jayne, Jordynne Grace, and Ricky Saints are knocking on that door as well. Expanding SmackDown from two to three hours gives space for call-ups to naturally debut without fear of doing nothing.
Keeping the show two hours, but calling up many wrestlers likely would mean releases for wrestlers not being used. An expanded show would help NXT call-ups have a chance to properly debut while ensuring that they won’t directly take other wrestlers’ spots on the show.
Things Will Be Easier Heading into WrestleMania
Having a three-hour SmackDown doesn’t just benefit the NXT call-ups and the wrestlers likely in danger of being cut. The change also helps the wrestlers who are on every week in active storylines. WrestleMania is in less than four months. With the PLE being two nights long, a lot of preparation is in order to get things right.
Every WrestleMania has around 14 to 15 matches, usually split down the middle as it pertains to Raw and SmackDown. Seven storylines, along with other non-Mania events, crammed into two hours doesn’t work logistically.
Things would get shortened, matches wouldn’t be highlighted every week, and it would turn into a mess. Giving SmackDown another hour of runtime allows those storylines to breathe. WWE can’t afford sloppy storytelling heading into the biggest event of the year, which is why a blue brand expansion is necessary for timing purposes.
Extending SmackDown Could Be a Good Thing for Everyone
Last year, there was a lot of concern as to whether SmackDown would be better or worse with three-hour shows. The Bloodline saga was still going on, and the transfer window produced no call-ups at all. It seemed like the blue brand’s runtime was extended for nothing. However, this year could be a different story. There has been intense criticism of SmackDown, so they have to improve the show in order to get fans back watching.
Speculation has been brewing about NXT call-ups. Sticking a few on SmackDown will ensure that there will be fresh feuds and storylines ready to be told. There has been a lot of action in the Women’s Tag Team division recently. Carmelo Hayes just became the United States Champion. There are a lot of reasons as to why a three-hour SmackDown can actually work this time around.
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