After spending the last several months of 2025 with a run time of two hours, “WWE SmackDown” has gone back to 3 hours long to kick off 2026. While it’s unclear whether the change will probably be everlasting or will switch back to 2 hours down the road, it is a move that has proved to be polarizing with the wrestling fanbase and pundits, a few of whom feel three hours is just too long for a wrestling show.
One person who agrees with that’s Eric Bischoff, a person who himself once helmed “WCW Monday Nitro” when the show ran for 3 hours in 1998 and 1999. While discussing the Road to WrestleMania on the newest “83 Weeks,” Bischoff remarked at how much fun things may very well be leading into WWE’s show before revealing his cynicism towards WWE and USA Network making “SmackDown” a 3 hour show once more.
“I let you know what’s not going to be fun is three hours,” Bischoff said. “My god. Why? Does anybody know why…Long-term, you do not need to bore your audience to death…And also you said it, leave them wanting more. It’s hard to go away people wanting more once you’ve planted them like a f*****g tree on the couch for 3 hours. And you desire to leave them wanting more?
“It’s a bit of difficult folks. Not a long-term strategy I’d log out on. I get the revenue part, I used to be forced into that. Brad Siegel, Ted Turner. ‘Two hours? Now we’re doing three hours.’ ‘I don’t desire to do three hours.’ ‘Doesn’t matter, do three hours, since the revenue can support it.’ But man, creatively it kills you.”
When you use any of the quotes in this text, please credit “83 Weeks” and supply a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription