WWE SmackDown is scheduled to shift back to a two-hour format this summer, and the change is part of the long-term structure of its deal with USA Network.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the transition is expected to happen either in the final week of June or the first week of July, with early July being the most likely timeframe. The move is not temporary but tied directly to how the current agreement is structured.

“It’ll go either the last week of June or the first week in July, I believe it’s the first week of July. The contract that they have signed now is January until the end of June would be three hours, then the first of July to the end of December would be two hours, so that’s the way the deal is structured right now,” Meltzer said.

He added that this format is expected to remain in place for several years.

“For the foreseeable future, yeah. Probably for the next four years,” Meltzer said.

The schedule outlines a recurring cycle. SmackDown will air as a three-hour show from January through June, then shift to two hours from July through December each year under the current deal.

This format reflects recent scheduling trends. SmackDown expanded to three hours in January 2025, then returned to two hours between July and late December 2025. It moved back to three hours in January 2026 and has remained at that length since. The updated structure now formalizes that pattern.

The timing of the switch is expected to align with the second season of Everything on the Menu featuring Braun Strowman, which is anticipated to premiere in early summer.

SmackDown also continues to stream on Netflix in several international markets.

AdvertisementAdvertisement