Report: WWE SmackDown moving back to three hours soon
Update —
Our Bryan Alvarez notes that the belief is — like with 2025 — SmackDown will go to three hours for a period of time in 2026 before switching back to two hours again..
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It looks like WWE SmackDown will be moving back to a three-hour format soon.
WrestleVotes reports that, starting with the first episode of 2026, SmackDown will be a three-hour show again on USA Network. The show had aired in a three-hour format for the first half of 2025, beginning at the start of January and then moving back at the end of June.
According to sources, WWE and USA Network have decided to move SmackDown back to three hours, beginning with the January 2nd show from Buffalo, NY.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) November 14, 2025
“According to sources, WWE and USA Network have decided to move SmackDown back to three hours, beginning with the January 2nd show from Buffalo, NY,” WrestleVotes tweeted.
KeyBank Center in Buffalo will be the venue for that Friday, January 2 episode of SmackDown.
During his appearance at the All In business summit back in September, Paul “Triple H” Levesque referred to SmackDown as a show that was two hours for one half of the year and three hours for the other half, though it wasn’t clear if he was just talking about 2025 or not.
“The beautiful thing about us is with the amount of content we do, we’re 52 weeks a year live,” Levesque said. “So when you talk about a content company that puts out entertainment, we are live Monday nights, 2-3 hours depending on the evening on Netflix. Tuesday nights two hours on CW. Friday nights two hours — and half the year is three hours — on USA. Once a month, a three hour-plus PLE. Saturday Night’s Main Event quarterly or more per year. That’s all live, that’s all content that we’re putting out on a regular basis.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.