Abstract
1) WWE SmackDown reportedly returns to a few hours beginning Jan. 2 in Buffalo, per WrestleVotes.
2) Wrestling Observer stories the three-hour transfer could also be momentary in 2026, conflicting with WrestleVotes.
3) The extension goals to spice up low rankings, use extra expertise and follows artistic workforce modifications.
It seems that WWE SmackDown goes to be longer than its present two hours. In response to WrestleVotes, the blue model goes again to a few hours!
WWE SmackDown Reportedly Going Three Hours
Sources reportedly advised the outlet that the choice to maneuver SmackDown again to a few hours was from each WWE and USA Community. When does it begin? The January 2, 2025, episode. The present is ready to happen on the KeyBank Heart in Buffalo, New York.
Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez has a conflicting report concerning the state of affairs. In response to his report, SmackDown will go to a few hours for under a time frame in 2026 after which return to the standard two hours. The identical factor occurred to the blue model from January till the top of June. So Alvarez may very well be proper concerning the transfer being solely momentary, however WWE is at all times unpredictable. Simply have a look at how loopy this week’s (November 14) episode was. Drew McIntyre is now working with The Imaginative and prescient, and Zack Ryder made his return to WWE as LA Knight’s thriller opponent.
SmackDown Has Been Dealing With Low Rankings
Might a change of runtime be the reply to SmackDown’s low rankings? Possibly. The Friday night time present, not too way back, noticed its lowest rankings, with beneath a million views. It was the October 31 episode. The episode noticed 933,000 viewers. This was the least-watched episode that wasn’t delayed or placed on one other channel. What occurred on the present? Drew would as soon as once more assault Cody Rhodes, Tama Tonga and JC Mateo defeated Motor Metropolis Machine Weapons, and Alexa Bliss confronted Nia Jax. It wasn’t precisely a memorable episode.
It did not assist that not solely was it Halloween, however the World Collection was happening on the similar time. It principally took over the viewership that night time, which isn’t too stunning. The Los Angeles Dodgers would win the 2025 World Collection, beating the Toronto Blue Jays.
As famous again in October, WWE was altering its artistic workforce to enhance the product. It’s no secret that followers haven’t been precisely thrilled with the product. WWE Corridor of Famer Highway Dogg was mentioned to have been stored as the pinnacle of artistic. So what had been the modifications? New additions to the artistic workforce.
So total, it’s wanting like, for a while, followers will probably be getting three hours of SmackDown ultimately. The one plus is that it would imply extra expertise is used than the identical three folks.
