A full year of global dominance in the world of entertainment and TKO’s WWE is hotter than ever! Record breaking attendance and streams has become the norm for WWE as pro wrestling seems to be the hottest it’s been in a long while, maybe even ever. In a recent interview, John Cena described how WWE was publicly traded at $11 in 2012 with it’s current value being over $100 and as much as he credits The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, for that, it is a team effort in which all the men and women in the WWE organization deserve high praise.
Within this last dominate year, WWE has managed to sell Monday Night Raw’s media rights to Netflix for a well-deserved $5 billion over a 10-year period! The company’s highly successful former developmental system, now 3rd brand, NXT, will be moving over to the CW Network, where they plan to focus more on the sporting aspect of the network. A show that many feel is the A show for WWE, although not the flagship, is Friday Night Smackdown, which will be moving over to the USA Network September 13th.
While RAW has been a 3-hour program since 2012, the show will reformat to a 2 hour show in October through the end of 2024, with its USA Network finale in December. The question arises- Should WWE SmackDown move to a 3-hour format with its transition to USA?
A complex, yet easily answered response could ruffle some WWE Universe feathers because the answer is yes, but also no. An extra hour of programming allows WWE creative to insert longer matches/segments, more matches/segments, and overall, more opportunity to introduce new Superstars; however, in recent memory it’s been used as “filler” and ultimately useless content. Now, some may disagree, and that’s encouraged! This piece is more of a debate than a question and answer.
Smackdown’s current format of 2 hours helps the show flow smoothly and more efficiently, but also creates the issue of running out of time. When WWE Legends like The Rock appear and take 20 minutes for a segment, sometimes this leads to other creative being scrapped or pushed to another episode. A 2-hour show creates a sense of urgency for WWE Superstars to stay on schedule with their work.
According to a recent report, WWE plans to reduce its live event schedule in 2025, cutting over 50 shows. Many could believe that this makes WWE a more exclusive product, more must-see! Could this effect the trajectory of WWE’s TV content? Less room for storyline growth? Or, does it allow for the company to invest in stronger and higher rated stories? I’ll leave you to decide for yourself. I’m here to play devil’s advocate. Either way, WWE is hotter than it’s ever been and it’s a significant time in history to be a pro wrestling fan!
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