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Takedown Discussions: Should WWE SmackDown Remain Three Hours Long?

A new report indicates that WWE Smackdown could stay a three hour show, but should it? We discuss the potential and need for the current format to stick around.
Rick Ucchino|
Alexa Bliss on SmackDown
Alexa Bliss on SmackDown | WWE.com

A new report out Thursday claims that WWE SmackDown is going to remain three hours for the foreseeable future. This despite previously announced plans to return to the two hour format this summer.

WWE's recent announcement that WrestleMania 42 was moving out of New Orleans next April is all the proof that anyone needs to see that plans can and will change if it makes sense from a business standpoint.

Does keeping SmackDown at three hours make sense from a business standpoint? Certainly seems to be the case for both WWE and for the USA Network.

Our Zack Heydorn and Rick Ucchino are back for another edition of Takedown Discussions, where they dive into Thursday's report and analyze the pros and cons of keeping the show three hours in length.

Spoiler alert, one of the pros is creating ample enough screen time for the main roster's growing Women's Division. Stephanie Vaquer is reportedly heading to Raw after her she shockingly lost the NXT Women's Championship to Jacy Jayne on Tuesday night, and she's apparently not the only woman from NXT who is on her way up. The guys will get you up to speed on today's episode.

Takedown Discussions with Zack and Rick drops every Friday morning at 9am ET over on The Takedown on SI YouTube Channel. Please subscribe and make sure to turn on those notifications so you don't miss out on all of our exclusive interviews, talk shows and more!

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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