WWE SmackDown’s July 4th Plans Still Up in the Air as Three-Hour Rumors Swirl

The future of WWE SmackDown’s run time continues to be one big mystery—and now, there’s even more confusion around the upcoming July 4th episode.

During the June 23rd episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer broke down the current situation with WWE’s blue brand—and the short answer is, even talent and staff don’t seem to know what’s happening.

The conversation came up while the two were reviewing a Raw segment that saw The New Day booked for a Tag Title match next week. That quickly led to the topic of WWE’s taping schedule—and how the July 1st Raw will air two hours early to accommodate a SmackDown taping immediately afterward. Alvarez wasted no time bringing up the ongoing question about SmackDown’s length for the July 4th show.

“Yep, which apparently is going to be a three-hour SmackDown.”

Advertising

Advertising

Meltzer explained that he’s been asking behind the scenes, but no one seems to have a clear answer.

“Yeah, I’ve asked about that. I still haven’t gotten—I have asked so many times about what they’re doing, and it’s very clear to me that it’s—”

Alvarez cut in with what Meltzer was already thinking. “I don’t think they know.” Meltzer agreed, adding that while it’s been confirmed SmackDown will officially move to three hours permanently starting August 15th, the situation leading up to that—especially for July—is still a mess.

“That’s exactly—that’s exactly what I was going to say. I mean, we know on August 15th they’re going three hours. We know that. Between now and August? I mean, like, I don’t think that anything is finalized because we hear different stories every day. You know, like, is it three? Is it two? What’s going to happen in the month of July? I guess we’ll find out July 4th.”

Alvarez noted that fans and reporters should have answers sooner, given that the July 4th SmackDown is being taped on Monday.

“As far as July 4th, I mean, we’ll hear before that, I think. I mean, they’re taping it next Monday. So we’ll know if they’re taping, you know, two hours or three hours on Monday for that week.”

Meltzer wrapped the topic by admitting nobody really knows if this will be a temporary change or if SmackDown will unofficially slide into three-hour territory even before August.

“But I don’t know if it’s going to be permanent, you know, until August 15th or not, still.”

So for now, the only thing that’s clear is… nothing’s clear. WWE staff, talent, and fans are all waiting to see if SmackDown’s July 4th show will stretch to three hours—or stay put at two—before the permanent change kicks in later this summer.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.