WWE SmackDown has returned to a three-hour runtime to open 2026, and the decision has already divided opinion across fans and analysts. The blue brand spent the back half of 2025 running two hours, and WWE has yet to confirm whether the expanded length is permanent.
One person firmly against the move is WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff. Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, the former WCW President said the shift immediately reminded him of his own experience overseeing a three-hour Monday Nitro in the late 1990s, a stretch he considers damaging in hindsight.
“I tell you what’s not going to be fun is three hours,” Bischoff said. “My god. Why? Does anybody know why? Long-term, you don’t want to bore your audience to death.”
Bischoff argued that extending the programme works against basic storytelling principles.
“You said it, leave them wanting more. It’s hard to leave people wanting more when you’ve planted them like a f*****g tree on the couch for three hours.”
While he acknowledged the business realities behind the decision, referencing Turner executives who once pushed Nitro from two hours to three, Bischoff said the expanded runtime comes at a creative cost.
“I get the revenue part. I was forced into that… but creatively it kills you,” he said.
WWE has not issued an official comment on SmackDown’s runtime going forward.
How Long Has WWE SmackDown Been On The Air?
WWE SmackDown has been on the air for close to 27 years, having started on August 26, 1999, and in the following years has become WWE’s number two show. And in the early 2020s, with the move to USA Network, it regularly surpassed the company’s flagship show, Raw, in terms of viewership numbers.
WWE has tried to introduce different shows to its schedule in the past, including a revival of ECW in the mid-2000s, but none have had the same success as SmackDown.
