If you were hoping that WWE SmackDown’s extended three-hour runtime was just a phase—like frosted tips or the anonymous GM laptop—bad news: it’s hanging around longer than expected. And depending on who you ask, it’s either a gift of more wrestling or a weekly endurance test in blue lighting.
Despite earlier reports suggesting that the show would revert back to two hours by the end of May, PWInsider Elite now claims the USA Network is listing multiple three-hour blocks for SmackDown through early June. In other words, pack snacks and schedule your bathroom breaks.
For those who enjoy a healthy serving of action with a side of storyline, that extra hour might sound great. But let’s be honest: the last 60 minutes often feel like someone asked ChatGPT to write an episode based on old Main Event footage and a broken stopwatch.
“More wrestling on Fridays!” fans cheered.
“More Chase U backstage segments!” reality responded.
Since its move to the USA Network, SmackDown has experienced declining viewership, with this past Friday pulling a record low of 1.29 million viewers and a 0.36 rating in the 18-49 demo—numbers that scream “please bring back the Tribal Chief” in binary.
To be fair, it’s not all doom and gloom. If you enjoy 45-minute promo trains, repeated backstage camera checks, and midcarders wrestling in dimly lit segments while commentary forgets who’s in the ring, this era of SmackDown is a cinematic experience.
Still, many fans are yearning for the two-hour format to return, mostly because it’s hard to emotionally invest in a show that feels like a four-act play written by a booking committee using mad libs.
In summary:
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SmackDown will remain three hours through early June.
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Viewership is down, patience is thin, and someone really needs to unplug the third hour.
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Hope remains alive that two hours = tighter show, better pacing, fewer “Here’s what happened 15 minutes ago” segments.