WWE Confirms Three-Hour SmackDown

WWE has officially announced that Friday Night SmackDown will now run for three hours on the USA Network, starting January 3rd 2025.

WWE has officially announced that Friday Night SmackDown will become a three-hour show starting January 3rd 2025. pic.twitter.com/VfxwQBTSuA

— WrestleSeek (@Wrestleseek) December 21, 2024

This news confirms earlier rumors reported by WrestleVotes, which hinted at the change. While WWE remained quiet about the possibility, today’s announcement makes it official. The move follows a similar decision made years ago when WWE extended Raw to three hours, reportedly at the request of the USA Network. With Raw set to move to Netflix on January 6, it’s likely that USA pushed for SmackDown to fill the gap.

The additional hour of SmackDown brings several exciting opportunities. It gives WWE more time to highlight underutilized talent, introduce new storylines, and experiment with innovative match formats. Fans can expect a more diverse range of matches and segments, with room to elevate both the men’s and women’s divisions.

With WWE recently introducing the Women’s mid-card Championship. These moves reflect WWE’s commitment to giving the women’s division more focus, and the extra hour could further this progress. Fans will undoubtedly be eager to see how this change shapes the blue brand moving forward.