Last week, SmackDown returned to the USA Network after five years on FOX with a star-studded show featuring top names of today as well as Hall of Famers. With Raw set to depart USA for Netflix in a matter of months and NXT’s imminent move to The CW, SmackDown will soon be the only WWE show on the network and could see a major change.
SmackDown will become a three-hour show when Raw moves to Netflix in January 2025, with the first three-hour show coming on January 3, Wrestle Votes reports. This will ensure that the USA Network has a three-hour weekly wrestling show, a role Monday Night Raw has filled since the brand’s 1,000th episode in July 2012.
This news comes one week after Dave Meltzer reported that WWE would have “an easier path to move Smackdown to three hours if they wanted to” now that the brand was back on the USA Network. Last week’s show saw its own share of changes, including a new logo and theme song provided by Megan Thee Stallion and RM of BTS.
While SmackDown could soon be a three-hour show, Monday Night Raw will soon be going back to a two-hour format. The red brand will drop an hour starting with its October 7, episode ahead of Raw wrapping up its time on cable that December.
The three-hour runtime has been a point of contention among fans for years, with many claiming that the show’s quality has suffered due to its length.
Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest on SmackDown as the blue brand continues to find its role as part of the USA Network.
