WWE SmackDown To Move Back To Two Hour Episodes After June 26 Broadcast

Published: 2 hours ago by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: 2 hours ago by Dave Adamson

Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.

WWE

The three-hour era of WWE SmackDown comes to an end for the time being, following the June 26 episode of the Friday night show.

It was previously reported that WWE SmackDown would shift to two hours in length, with a return to three hours in January of next year.

While the previous report noted that the initial switch would take place “this summer”, the date for the change has now seemingly been confirmed.

According to Dave Meltzer, speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, June 26 marks the last three-hour SmackDown of the current run, explaining:

“Three hours until the end of this month, June 26 is the last three-hour show.

“The contract is six months on (three-hour shows), six months off, so through June 26.”

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This would mean that the first show back on the two-hour format would be the July 3 show, with the location for this event yet to be announced at the time of writing.

WWE SmackDown previously had a two-hour run between July 4 and December 27 last year, with the extra hour being added at the start of this year.

WWE SmackDown has aired on USA Network since September 13 2024, and on Netflix in a number of international territories.

But, What About The Wrestling?

Two hours or three hours, whatever the length, WWE SmackDown will continue with its combination of wrestling and storyline setups, with plenty of focus on the next PLE and other happenings.

An hour less will no doubt make SmackDown a leaner product, although last week’s episode had around an hour’s worth of actual wrestling on a three-hour show being the “go home” edition ahead of Clash in Italy. A similar amount of time was dedicated to in-ring action on the May 23 episode, according to its listing on Cagematch.

Despite the entertainment nature of shows such as SmackDown, there’s still a need to actually have a portion of in-ring action, even with a PLE approaching. Two hours could give a better balance for viewers between the wrestling and the dramatic side of proceedings, whereas, objectively, it could be argued that the current split puts the action at a disadvantage.

June 26 not only marks the last three-hour show of the current run, but is also the go-home edition before Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With the King and Queen of the Ring Tournament playing out ahead of the upcoming PLE, and the aftermath of Clash in Italy no doubt shaping SmackDown’s future, particularly between Jade Cargill and Charlotte Flair, there’s a plentiful supply of story yet to be told.

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