By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE announced that Smackdown will expand to three hours. The change will occur starting with the January 3 show. Read the official announcement at WWE.com.
Powell’s POV: Money, money, and money. That’s the answer to any questions you may have regarding why they are adding a third hour. I stated a couple months ago that my fear was that Raw, Smackdown, and AEW Dynamite would all become three-hour shows in 2025. Only time will tell whether that fear becomes reality.
Yuck
If they insist upon these being 3 hour shows do you think they could tinker with the formula
I’m not saying the first hour needs to be cruiserweights Ala WCW NITRO but they are all smart people maybe they can come up with something fresh (I said FRESH – not RAW underground, well unless they bring back the strippers)
I’m all for wrestling shows starting matches after commercials, because the lock up to suicide dive on the outside formula is beyond tiresome.
hmm.. I think this was less about the money and more about exposure, keep in mind they went to the USA network with the request not the other way around. I’m pretty sure Paul Levesque mentioned both RAW and Smackdown being three hours months ago and it was reported as such even if this is the official statement from tko.
I’m guessing they realize despite the very lucrative deal with netflix that not having raw on an over the air network on Moday nights will create a big whole when it comes to marketing their product(which is why you also bring back SNME), keep in mind when they originally shopped it there was pretty much 0% interest from any of the over the air networks presumably based on the price they were asking among other factors.
As a wrestling fan I’m elated because more is always better in any walk of life no matter what the cirumstances and all those people who thought RAW going to 2 hours would improve their numbers ….well that really didn’t happen, in fact their numbers right now fall within their normal average which is 1.2-1.8 ( which I’ve mentioned before) the audience in general hasn’t increased but sort of like AEW just maintains at certain levels.
Either way I want it to be successful and it will be just based on what they do from a financial standpoint with their sales marketing genius.
I would think it makes sense for the USA network as well. It probably costs less money to get an additional hour of Smackdown than to add another show to its schedule. Not to mention the ratings would surely be higher.
I totally agree for all the reasons you just mentioned