What if SmackDown goes to three hours?

In a major deal for WWE, this fall will see SmackDown Live move from the USA Network to FOX. This won’t be the first time that Raw and SmackDown have aired on separate networks, but it is a big deal for the money involved, and the fact that FOX is a major network that will, at least in theory, expose WWE to a larger weekly audience than it has ever had access to before.

Questions abound about whether this might affect the distribution of Superstars, or the brand split altogether. Another question, based on recent rumors and rumblings: might SmackDown transition to being a three-hour show?

In recent years, Raw has run for three hours each week, SmackDown for two. Some argue that SmackDown is better for its length, because three hours is enough time to fill that content becomes uneven, or crowds become exhausted. Nonetheless, more time tends to mean more money offered up to WWE from the network and advertisers, so if the offer is on the table, they certainly could pursue.

This article considers what might happen if SmackDown were to go to three hours.

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#3. More call ups

More major call ups could be in store to deepen SmackDown's ranks.

While there are certainly underutilized talents on both the Raw and SmackDown rosters as it currently stands, we nonetheless know that WWE likes to keep each locker room well stocked with performers to use in a variety of situations, and particularly to plan around having substitutes if anyone gets hurt. With that in mind, if there’s an additional hour of main roster television to cover, we can expect that there would be additional call ups from NXT to help fill out the show.

Of course, given WWE’s track record in working with top talent from NXT on the main roster, it’s up for debate whether this is for the good of the talent themselves.

#2. More recurring talk show segments

We may see more along the lines of Truth TV and The KO Show.

SmackDown presently includes recurring editions of Kevin Owens’ KO Show and R-Truth’s Truth TV, The Miz’s MizTV had been part of the formula as well, though he leaned back from it upon his face turn, and he has now transitioned back to Raw. Nonetheless, we're already looking at a reasonable slate of interview segments for a brand, if SmackDown has an extra hour to fill on a weekly basis, we can reasonably anticipate all three shows getting regular screen time, and perhaps even the addition of another.

These talk show segments help to break up shows and offer underused talents both the opportunity to host and to appear as guests in a more structured promo environment. As such this element of SmackDown expanding could offer some fresh opportunities for talents not getting enough time to talk as it currently stands.

#1. A diluted show

We can expect to see long rest holds and lackluster segments to help SmackDown fill up three hours of programming

Traditionally, Monday Night Raw aired for two hours with only occasional three hour specials, often as not booked around specific gimmicks like bringing back stars from the past, hosting a tournament, or otherwise doing something different to justify the extra time. However, three-hour Raws are now the norm, and most fans don’t seem too pleased about it. Sure, these longer episodes bring in more money for WWE. They also, however, risk over saturating the market too much product at hand.

Perhaps the worst part of three hours Raws is the inevitably diluted quality. Often, there’s a good one to two hours of programming embedded in those three hours, but in watching the whole shows, fans grow frustrated with actively bad or overly long segments. There’s every reason to believe SmackDown would suffer a similar fate if it, too expanded.