Latest update on WWE SmackDown moving back to three-hour format in 2026

SmackDown will return to the three-hour format in 2026.

Along with the Raw Netflix debut in January 2025, WWE also transitioned the weekly Friday Night SmackDown into a three-hour show. The first show from the Blue brand of 2025 was three hours long, marking the transition from a two-hour show.

However, the change was temporary as the Blue brand reverted to its original two-hour format in June, and currently the program length is two hours every Friday. According to a report from WrestleVotes, SmackDown is heading back to a three-hour format beginning in early 2026.

The outlet via X (Twitter) shared the update that WWE and USA Network have agreed to expand the SmackDown to the three-hour format again, beginning with the January 2, 2026, episode at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

Bryan Alvarez, during Wrestling Observer Live, shed more light on the plans to move the Blue brand to the three-hour format.

SmackDown’s move to three hours is not expected to be permanent

Alvarez said that many within the company expect the longer runtime to last only briefly next year before WWE quietly shifts SmackDown back to its two-hour format. The same happened this year as mentioned before.

“I can tell you that there’s a feeling within WWE that this is going to be very similar to what happened this year, which is in 2026 it’s gonna move to three hours. It’ll probably be that way for six-seven months and then it’ll go back to two hours again for the remainder of the year.”

Alvarez suggested that SmackDown’s current format may be tied to its lead-in to the Braun Strowman show, which is doing exceptionally well, outperforming even NXT and AEW Dynamite.

“I think this has something to do, right now they’ve got two hours and the two hours is followed by the Braun Strowman show. The Braun Strowman show is doing frickin’ great. Number one because Braun Strowman is involved and he’s a big name to wrestling fans, and also apparently it’s a really good show, and it goes right after SmackDown.

So the Braun Strowman show is beating like NXT and Dynamite, that’s how well the Braun Strowman show is doing. So I think the Braun Strowman show goes through the end of the year.“

He noted that the Strowman show is expected to run through the end of the year. After it concludes, SmackDown could shift back to three hours until the network secures another WWE-related program to follow it, at which point the show would likely return to its two-hour runtime.

“So when the show ends, I guess they’re going to move SmackDown back to three hours again and then they’re going to find some other show involving a WWE talent that they can then put on maybe halfway through 2026. And then the show would go back to two hours and away we go.”

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