WWE SmackDown’s three-hour format is sticking around a little longer, but not forever.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that SmackDown will remain a three-hour show through June 26. After that, the blue brand is expected to return to two hours starting in July.
That lines up with the current plan for SmackDown’s yearly schedule. WWE is expected to run the show for three hours from January through the end of June, then shift it back to two hours from July through the end of the year.
The change has been the subject of recent talk after Bodyslam.net noted that SmackDown was expected to leave the three-hour format “in a few weeks.” Meltzer’s update now gives a firmer date for when that run is expected to wrap.
There was also some confusion about WWE’s programming schedule because Everything on the Menu debuts on June 5. The belief was that the show would take SmackDown’s 10 to 11 p.m. slot right away, but that is not the case. Instead, Everything on the Menu will air at 11 p.m. for its first four weeks before moving to 10 p.m. in July.
Bryan Alvarez previously said on The Bryan and Vinny Show that the three-hour format did not seem permanent. He pointed out that SmackDown followed a similar pattern before, running three hours for the first half of the year before going back to two.
“This was the first three-hour SmackDown, and they had a comment on the show—and I didn’t write it down—but the way they said it made me think that this is an annual temporary thing.”
Alvarez also said he heard earlier this year that WWE may follow the same setup again.
“I was told, when the announcement was made that they were going back to three hours in January, that it probably was going to be the same thing this year—where it would be a three-hour show for the first half or whatever.”
Bodyslam.net later added that sources indicated SmackDown would soon return to two hours.
“Sources indicate to Bodyslam that SmackDown will be leaving the 3 hour format and going back to 2 hours in a few weeks.”
For now, fans still have a few more weeks of three-hour SmackDown. After June 26, the current plan is for the show to return to its usual two-hour format for the rest of 2026.
What do you think about WWE keeping SmackDown at three hours through June 26 before moving it back to two hours? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
