WWE’s recent expansion of SmackDown to a three-hour format is reportedly coming to an end this summer, concluding what is being described as a trial run that began in January.
WWE plans to scale the blue brand back to its traditional two-hour runtime starting in June. The six-month experiment appears to have run its course, though the company has yet to announce an official date for the change.
Dave Meltzer discussed the reported shift on a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio at F4WOnline.com, indicating that the switch is likely to take place during the first week of June. While nothing has been confirmed, Meltzer stated he was told “months ago” that the change would come “essentially at the end of May.”
Co-host Bryan Alvarez referenced June 6th as a possible target date, to which Meltzer responded, “Yeah, so we got about… I guess a little over a month, right? We’re right at a month of SmackDown’s before they go back to two, which, you know, is going to be better for a lot of reasons.”
The three-hour format has given WWE more room for longer matches and additional storyline development, but it has also received mixed reviews from fans and some within the company. A return to two hours may reflect a desire to tighten the pacing and improve the overall flow of the weekly broadcast.
(H/T: WrestleVotes via Sportskeeda’s Backstage Pass)
