Major Update On How Long WWE SmackDown Will Remain A Three-Hour Show

The show has been running for three hours since it moved to USA in September.

Cody Rhodes has been absent from Smackdown since WrestleMania. / WWE.com

WWE is never afraid to shy away from adding more content to its calendar, and it did so in a significant way when it moved SmackDown to a three-hour format last September.

The company underwent a myriad of changes from the fall into the winter, including moving Monday Night Raw to Netflix, and SmackDown from Fox to USA. While Raw actually became a shorter program, SmackDown was extended by an hour, effectively taking the place of Raw on USA.

The move did not come without controversy, however. Many fans have been vocal about the shift in the show's tone and perceived quality, while it was even reported that many internally were not in support of the change to a three-hour format.

A new report, however, doesn't give indication that a change is imminent.

Mike Johnson noted on his PWInsider Elite platform that the USA Network has SmackDown listed internally as running as a three-hour program through early June, despite many believing a change would be made before then. This comes on the heels of the show doing its lowest TV viewership of the year, pulling 1.29 million viewers with a 0.36 key demo.

Notably, Cody Rhodes, who had been the brand's top star dating back nearly two years, has been absent from SmackDown since losing the WWE Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania. It is unclear when he will be back in action, though there are several major plans allegedly lined up for him throughout the summer.

John Cena is the new WWE Champion / WWE.com

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