A new report has provided an update on the rumours regarding an extra hour being added to WWE SmackDown.
Wrestling fans who find 3-hour episodes of Raw too much to get through were presented with good news earlier in the month as it was announced by commentary that for the rest of the year, the flagship show would revert to two hours as the show enters its brief extension with the USA Network before moving over to Netflix.
However, while some fans celebrated the news, the feeling of goodwill came crashing down just a few days later when a report broke revealing that there are plans in motion to extend SmackDown to 3 hours beginning in 2025. While many were hoping it was an error, a new report seems to indicate this will be the case.
As reported by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it appears that an extra hour being added to the Friday night show looks to be happening at this point in time and that negotiations with the network remain ongoing:
As things stand right now, the Wrestlevotes story about Smackdown going three hours in January is accurate. Those in WWE note nothing is finalized but they are likely waiting to make that announcement. As far as how this works financially, we are just told that negotiations are ongoing with USA
WWE Bringing Back Unique Match
October 4th will see the final edition of the Friday night show air before the Bad Blood Premium Live Event the next night. As has been the case with many go-home shows, the company books big matches to hype up the weekend. Announced ahead of time, a unique stipulation match has been confirmed for the upcoming SmackDown.