WWE has confirmed that WWE SmackDown will expand to three hours in 2025.
On December 20, WWE highlighted WWE RAW’s premiere on Netflix on January 6 on their official website. In the post, the company highlighted how fans can watch WWE’s shows and premium live events. WWE confirmed that SmackDown would expand to three hours, starting with the January 3 episode of the show:
“SmackDown continues to air on USA Network every Friday night at 8/7 C in the U.S.,” WWE wrote. “At the start of 2025, SmackDown will expand to three hours starting with the Jan. 3 episode from Phoenix, Arizona.”
WWE has yet to confirm whether RAW will return to three hours, but the move is widely expected. RAW currently airs in a two-hour format on USA Network, a stipulation of its short-term agreement to remain on the network until it moves to Netflix on January 6.
CM Punk believes WWE is at another major turning point
CM Punk appeared at WWE’s RAW on Netflix kickoff event at WWE Headquarters on Wednesday. There, Michael Cole asked for his thoughts on RAW moving to Netflix in January. Punk says WWE is poised to make a huge splash on Netflix, sees history repeating itself in a major way.
“I think historically, if you look at the landscape of professional wrestling, when it was territories and they’re packing stadiums like Shea Stadium and all that other stuff,” CM Punk explained. “Nobody ever thought, ‘This is going to be on cable television.’ And then we did it. We just had a successful Saturday Night’s Main Event, we sold out Nassau Coliseum. I look at that as a similar turning point, right?
“Network television, so many of these — look at all of these hardcore fans here. These hardcore fans are the lifeblood of the business,” he continued. “What being on network television in the ‘80s, being on Saturday Night’s Main Event did to make new hardcore fans and attract new people to WWE, I look at Netflix as the same thing. We already have a global reach, this amplifies it — beyond what I think a lot of people are able to grasp — again. We kinda know how it’s going to go, but I think it’s going to be even bigger than any of us dreamed.”
CM Punk also got into a shoving match with Seth Rollins at the conclusion of the event. The two will now face off in singles action on the RAW on Netflix premiere.
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