A familiar scheduling change appears to be on the horizon for WWE SmackDown, as the blue brand is reportedly set to move back to a two-hour format the first week of July.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the final three-hour edition of SmackDown is currently expected to air on June 26, with the show returning to its traditional two-hour runtime beginning the following week (July 3).
The three-hour format has been a topic of debate among fans since it was reintroduced, with many viewers feeling the additional hour often leads to pacing issues and filler content. Based on Meltzer’s report, WWE and its television partners appear to be sticking with a plan that alternates between two-hour and three-hour versions of the show.
Meltzer noted that he had previously been told the arrangement would consist of approximately six months of three-hour programming followed by six months of the standard two-hour format, a pattern that could continue throughout WWE’s current media rights agreement.
“Three hours until the end of the month. June 26 is the last three-hour show,” Meltzer said. “I was told six months on, January to July, and the idea that’s going to be it for the entire five-year thing. Six months on, six months off.”
The veteran wrestling journalist also admitted he initially believed the switch back to two hours might happen sooner. Part of that expectation stemmed from the return of Braun Strowman’s “Everything On The Menu” series, which recently benefited from having SmackDown as its lead-in on USA Network.
Despite the show’s strong ratings performance, USA Network is reportedly keeping Everything On The Menu in the 11 p.m. ET timeslot through the end of June. The series is then expected to move back to 10 p.m. ET in July, coinciding with SmackDown‘s reported return to a two-hour broadcast.
While Meltzer questioned the decision to keep a successful program in the later timeslot for another month, there appears to be confidence that WWE’s audience will continue to provide a strong lead-in for the network’s programming.
For now, fans can expect SmackDown to remain three hours through the remainder of June, with the widely anticipated return to a two-hour format reportedly set to begin after the June 26 episode.
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