“SmackDown is not drawing” - Ex-WWE employee explains reason for major change to the show (Exclusive)

WWE SmackDown is reportedly set to return to its original run time of two hours. The blue brand had always been a two-hour show but was extended to three hours following RAW's move to Netflix. The plan always was to bring SmackDown back to two hours, and that is reported to come into effect from the July 4 episode.

Former WWE head writer Vince Russo felt that this was an indication of the blue brand not doing too well on television. Fans had started to grow frustrated with SmackDown's run time, as many felt that keeping the show to two hours was ideal, and the extra hour seemed stretched.

Addressing the move on the latest episode of BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Russo said that the show isn't drawing numbers. He claimed that if SmackDown had been doing well, then USA Network would've kept the show for that extra hour.

"We're hearing again that Smackdown's going to two hours bro. You think if SmackDown was drawing a third hour that USA Network would not continue doing three hours bro. They're going down to two hours because Smackdown is not drawing that's why they're going back down in two hours bro," Russo said. [From 35:07 onwards]

While WWE's shows might not have been doing too well lately, the most recent episode of SmackDown has had many positive reactions. The episode was well loved by the fans, particularly the main event courtesy of John Cena's pipebomb.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Sanchari Bhattacharya