WWE SmackDown set for major change - Reports

WWE's Friday Night SmackDown is reportedly set to undergo a major change in the next few months. The Stamford-based company started 2025 with a three-hour-long episode of the blue brand.

The January 3 edition of SmackDown was historic in more than one way. While it was the promotion's last show ahead of the RAW Netflix premiere, it was also the first time the show went an hour longer than the usual two-hour format. Ahead of WWE's historic Netflix debut, Triple H revealed that the blue brand would run for three hours for a while before reverting to the original two-hour time slot in the future.

Although Triple H did not reveal the details about when WWE plans to make the change, a recent report from Dave Meltzer claims it could happen a few months down the line. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he noted that SmackDown is likely to move to the two-hour format in May or June.

Triple H claims WWE programming will undergo a drastic change in the Netflix Era

A section of fans has scrutinized WWE programming for censoring parts of the shows at times. The Stamford-based company's head of creative addressed the issue during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show last month.

The Game noted that Netflix differs from television in multiple aspects, stating how TV broadcasters impose censorship on the shows. Using The Rock's SmackDown promo ahead of WrestleMania XL, Triple H pointed out how, at times, the audio gets taken out or the screen turns black. However, he claimed it won't happen on Netflix:

"Netflix is a completely different animal. It's a streaming service. How are commercials going to work? How are breaks going to work? What's the length of time? What are the restrictions or not restrictions? Being on Fox, if the crowd chants 'holy sh*t' or something worse, they take the audio. Sometimes, they take the picture and the audio out, and it's a black screen. The Rock comes in, and you can't tell what The Rock to do. He does what he does. We won't have those issues with Netflix. The ability to be live globally and be seen live everywhere is a game-changing moment," he said.

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While Monday Night RAW has found a new home on Netflix, SmackDown and NXT continue to air on the USA Network and CW, respectively, in the United States.