Not everyone in WWE is on board with the recent change that has taken place on SmackDown.
At the start of the year, it was announced that the Friday night show would be extended to 3 hours for the foreseeable future. The reported reason for the change was that the USA Network did not have a strong show to put in the 10 pm slot on Friday nights so made the offer to have SmackDown extend by an hour. The move also follows the USA Network losing NXT and Raw to the CW and Netflix respectively, making SmackDown the only WWE show on the channel for at least the next 5 years.
Despite the extra hour being able to give matches more time and more opportunities for the undercard talent to get on the show, many fans have been negative about the move and how the show’s quality has suffered as a result. Common complaints have been that the extra hour is not filled with exciting content and that the format is not working and are looking forward to the return of the 2-hour show returning in June 2025. According to a new report, many within the company feel the same way.
Discussing SmackDown on Sportskeeda’s Backstage Pass podcast, WrestleVotes noted that several sources in the company have aired their frustrations over the 3-hour show:
“We are told several within the company strongly dislike the three-hour SmackDown format, as those sources feel like the quality of the show has dipped in the last two months. Prior to the expansion, there was optimism and belief that some underutilized talent would be able to shine, considering the extra hour. However, that has not come to fruition as of yet. SmackDown is still scheduled to return to two hours come this June.”
Major Star Returning To SmackDown Soon
Another common complaint about the change is that there is a distinct lack of star power on the Friday night show given that Netflix wants the top stars of the company on Raw. However, following a lengthy hiatus, Randy Orton is expected to be back in WWE imminently, likely returning to SmackDown given his rivalry with Kevin Owens.
H/t to Wrestling News.co
Featured image: WWE
