Report: WWE SmackDown Moving Back To Two Hours When Everything On The Menu With Braun Strowman Returns To USA Network

WWE

WWE SmackDown will reportedly be moving back to two hours once Everything on the Menu with Braun Strowman returns to the USA Network.

Last October saw Everything on the Menu premiere on the USA Network, with the show airing immediately after SmackDown on Friday nights.

Following the success of the show’s first season, it was confirmed by Strowman that a second season was in production and would be releasing this Summer.

While fans of the show still await a firm premiere date for season two, Dave Meltzer has revealed that the show’s return will impact Strowman’s former employers WWE, as they will be moving SmackDown back to a two hour runtime once Everything on the Menu begins airing again.

During Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer said:

“As soon as the Braun Strowman second season starts they are (moving back to two hours).”

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Friday Night SmackDown’s Ever-Changing Runtime

After spending the majority of its 27 year existence as a two hour broadcast, WWE SmackDown first became a three hour show on the January 3, 2025 episode.

The show would remain three hours until July 4, 2025 when it moved back to two hours, before again reverting back to three for the first SmackDown of 2026 on January 2.

While the dates haven’t been confirmed, this reported change would seemingly mirror 2025’s changes, so there’s every possibility that the show would again return to three hours by the time 2027 comes around.

Two Hours Or Three Hours, What’s Preferable?

While having an extra hour of entertainment each Friday is sure to please many, it seems like the more vocal sections of the WWE audience have a less is more outlook.

SmackDown’s initial move to three hours drew plenty of criticism, with the show often viewed as a slog in comparison to Monday Night Raw on Netflix.

However, most would agree that the show’s quality in 2026 has very much been improved, albeit still far from perfect, as seen by this past Friday’s SmackDown after WrestleMania.

One major positive of having the extra hour of TV time is that it allows more talent to make it onto TV.

In early 2025, SmackDown put a greater emphasis on its tag teams, with the extra hour of its broadcast doing wonders for that division for at that time.

It’s hard to identify one particular title or division that has benefitted to the same extent in 2026, however, we did see the likes of Carmelo Hayes put on near 20 minute matches on a weekly basis whilst holding his United States Title open challenge.

The move to two hours will see longer matches such as those become a thing of the past, as WWE attempt to squeeze everything into around 90 minutes of actual airtime.

As always this change will be a matter of preference, and hopefully, regardless of the runtime, WWE maximise SmackDown’s quality either way.

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• BRAUN STROWMAN
• Everything On The Menu With Braun Strowman
• Smackdown
• wwe

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