WWE Friday Night SmackDown is about to experience more changes than just moving from FOX to the USA Network.
Last week’s premiere saw it have a new look with the colors and graphics. They had an overrun since SmackDown doesn’t have to get off the air two minutes before the top of the air, ahead of local news broadcasts on FOX anymore, and has a little more flexibility than usual.
WWWE Raw will return to being a two-hour show, which hasn’t been since 2012, starting on October 7th. The show is in a gap between the move from USA Network to Netflix, as the Netflix deal doesn’t kick in until January. WWE made a deal with USA to keep Raw on the channel after the original deal was supposed to expire this month.
The USA Network made the call for the move to a two-hour format. When Raw goes to Netflix. It will once again be a three-hour show. According to WrestleVotes Radio, SmackDown will be moving to three hours.
“Before we move off of SmackDown, our first real WrestleVotes tidbit here, as we get going on this backstage pass regarding SmackDown, is that we have learned that starting on the January 3 show 2025, Smackdown will indeed shift to three hours. The other big news here is there are rumors that once the show ends, it will be available on Netflix, which we haven’t heard elsewhere. Those are the internal talkings right now is that probably the day after Smackdown will be available on Netflix. But the real nugget here is that starting January 3, that show will be three hours.”
It was added the plan is for SmackDown to move to two hours in June 2025. WWE has yet to confirm the news.
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