Update on WWE SmackDown moving back to two hours
WWE SmackDown might only have a handful of three-hour episodes left before it goes back to a two-hour show.
SmackDown moved to its current three-hour format on USA Network at the start of 2025, but Paul “Triple H” Levesque said the move was only temporary and it would shift back to two hours in the coming months. While there has been no official announcement yet, it’s been expected that June will be when SmackDown becomes a two-hour show again.
Dave Meltzer gave an update on the situation in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, writing that the date for the switch isn’t set in stone but will be finalized soon:
There has been talk that SmackDown goes back to two hours on 6/6, but that is not a hard date. It was expected at the end of May would be the move back. Company sources say the date isn’t etched in stone but they expected it will be finalized this week.
After airing on Fox since 2019, SmackDown returned to USA Network last September in a new five-year TV deal between WWE and NBC Universal. USA Network got SmackDown back but lost Raw to Netflix and NXT to The CW as WWE secured new media rights deals.
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.