Is WWE SmackDown extending to three hours tonight?

Published at :January 3, 2025 at 4:03 PM

Modified at :January 3, 2025 at 4:07 PM

Tonight’s episode of the Blue brand will emanate from the Footprint Center

Yes, tonight’s episode of SmackDown will be a three-hour show, marking the Blue brand’s transition to a three-hour format, with this upcoming episode being the first of its kind.

The first episode of Friday Night SmackDown in 2025 will air live from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. This is also the first show of the Stamford-based promotion this year as they prepare for the highly-anticipated debut of RAW on Netflix.

On last week’s episode of the Blue brand, Michael Cole from the commentary booth announced that the Blue brand would move to a three-hour format starting on January 03. This marks a shift for the Blue brand as the extended hour can be utilized in many ways.

The promotion can use the extra hour to dive deeper into storylines and feuds, newcomers will also get more chances to showcase their talent. Matches on the Blue brand would also get extra time with fewer ads making the watching experience more seamless.

#WWESmackDown expands to 3 hours starting next week.#WWE pic.twitter.com/kMOixWaqTh
— KN Wrestling (@knwrestling) December 28, 2024

Two matches have been scheduled for the first episode of 2025, as Nia Jax will defend the WWE Women’s title against Naomi and United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura will face Andrade in a non-title match.

Where & how to watch WWE SmackDown tonight in the UK?

WWE programming is experiencing significant modifications as the corporation switches from cable television to the streaming behemoth Netflix. The organization plans to webcast all weekly shows in several countries throughout the world, including the United Kingdom. However, the Netflix era begins on January 6th.

The sports entertainment conglomerate presently has no agreement in place for its shows to air before January 6th. This means that fans in the United Kingdom will have to watch the January 3rd broadcast of Friday Night SmackDown on YouTube. SmackDown will premiere on Netflix in the United Kingdom on January 10th.

The most recent NXT episode was also aired on the company’s YouTube site. New Year’s Evil will mark NXT’s Netflix debut in the United Kingdom.

The WWE archive is already on Netflix. However, the live weekly episodic broadcasts will not begin until after Monday Night RAW’s launch on January 6th.

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