WWE Concerned With SmackDown's Quality, Wondering Why Talent Isn't Being Used (WWE News)
There are worries internally at WWE over SmackDown's recent three hour shows.
Fightful chief Sean Ross Sapp discussed internal concerns about the way WWE is handling SmackDown during an episode of the website's YouTube show 'The Hump'; his comments will be interesting to those wondering about how the Friday night's recent output has been viewed behind the scenes lately.
According to Sapp, "A lot of people have brought it up" backstage, and the general quality of SmackDown shows has been a repeat talking point amongst sources. More specifically, some are "wondering why more talent isn’t being used" considering the brand currently matches flagship show Raw's 3 hour run time weekly.
SmackDown went 3 hours starting with the 3 January 2025 edition. That was cited as a minor worry amongst some fans on social media at the time, but it's interesting to learn that WWE themselves are aware of wildly erratic quality on their Friday night broadcasts. The fact that some workers are continually posted missing despite the longer format is surprising.
SmackDown Will Eventually Revert To 2-Hour Format
SmackDown won't be 3 hours long forever though.
WWE boss Triple H told Pat McAfee in January that it's only a matter of time before the weekly "switches back to 2 [hours]". Hunter didn't put a definitive time frame on that, but WrestleVotes previously flagged up July as a possible return to the classic format of old. That means fans are in for at least another 3 months of these longer shows before things change again.
Bianca Belair and Naomi received huge plaudits for their dual performances during an emotional in-ring segment several weeks ago, and there have been other highlights in terms of actual matches. However, internally, several within WWE seem keenly aware that SmackDown doesn't make the best use of its roster.
Whether or not that changes going forwards is another story altogether. The promotion is currently racing towards WrestleMania 41 in late-April, so there's a lot going on creatively speaking. It'd be a slight shock if anything changed dramatically in the short term then.