WWE Friday Night SmackDown will undergo more changes after moving from FOX to the USA Network.
The SmackDown premiere episode last Friday showcased a new visual design with updated colors, graphics, logo, and theme.
The show no longer has to end two minutes before the top of the hour to make way for local news on FOX, allowing for greater flexibility.
As we’ve been reporting here on eWn, Monday Night RAW will revert back to its previous two-hour format, which it hasn’t had since 2012, starting on October 7. As WWE is transitioning from the USA Network to Netflix, a temporary gap exists before the Netflix deal takes effect in January.
WWE reached an agreement with the USA Network to extend RAW’s run on the channel after the original deal was set to expire this month. The USA Network made the decision to switch RAW to a two-hour format.
Once WWE RAW moves to Netflix, it will become a three-hour show again, with the option to change the duration every week.
According to a report from WrestleVotes Radio, WWE SmackDown is expected to follow in RAW’s footsteps and transition to a three-hour format in January 2025.
The report states, “Before we move off of SmackDown, our first real WrestleVotes tidbit here, as we get going on this backstage pass regarding SmackDown, is that we have learned that starting on the January 3 show 2025, Smackdown will indeed shift to three hours. The other big news here is there are rumors that once the show ends, it will be available on Netflix, which we haven’t heard elsewhere. Those are the internal talkings right now is that probably the day after Smackdown will be available on Netflix. But the real nugget here is that starting January 3, that show will be three hours.”