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WWE SmackDown Returning To Two Hour Format Later This Month

Posted By: Ben Kerin on Jun 01, 2026
WWE SmackDown Returning To Two Hour Format Later This Month

WWE SmackDown will return to its traditional two-hour format at the end of June, bringing an end to the temporary three-hour expansion that has been in place since the start of 2026.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that the June 26 edition of SmackDown will be the final three-hour broadcast before the show shifts back to a two-hour timeslot. According to Meltzer, the arrangement was always designed as part of a rotating agreement that would see the extra hour implemented for six months before reverting.

Meltzer explained that SmackDown currently airs from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET, with WWE's new companion series, Everything On The Menu With Braun Strowman, following immediately afterward at 11 p.m. ET. Once SmackDown returns to two hours, the Friday night schedule will change, with SmackDown airing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET and the Strowman series moving into the 10 p.m. slot.

"We’ve got three hours until the end of the month, June 26 is the last three-hour show," Meltzer said. "Originally, I was told six months, January through July, and the idea was that would be it for the whole five-year deal: six months on, six months off. But then they announced the Braun Strowman show. They previewed it last week, and even though the first episode has already aired, the official start is this coming Friday. So I figured, okay, it’ll be at 10, but it’s going to be at 11 for this first month."

He continued, "Why debut a new series at 11? It’s fine, honestly. It’s got a SmackDown lead-in, it’s the hottest show on the whole station, so it’s in the most advantageous slot either way. It would obviously do better at 10 than 11, but the contract is six months on, six months off. So through June 26, the three hours is tough."

SmackDown moved to USA Network in 2024 as part of WWE’s major media rights agreement. Meanwhile, Everything On The Menu With Braun Strowman recently received a preview episode, with its official launch scheduled for this Friday.


If you reference any quotes from this piece, please attribute them to the original source, and kindly credit WrestlingNewsSource.com (h/t) for the transcription.



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