When WWE SmackDown Will Switch Back To Two Hours Revealed

WWE Friday Night SmackDown will soon switch back to being a two-hour show and the exact date for the change has been revealed.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has reported the final three-hour episode of SmackDown will take place on Friday, June 26. This ultimately means the first two-hour SmackDown of 2026 will be on July 3, which is set to be a taped show due to the Fourth of July holiday in the United States. The episode will be filmed following a live Raw taping on Monday, June 29 at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

The expectation for months has been that SmackDown will switch back to two hours and the changing runtime is reportedly set to be an annual occurrence as part of SmackDown's TV deal with USA Network in the United States. The deal means SmackDown will be three hours for the first half of the year and two hours from July 1 until the end of the year, something which began in 2025.

SmackDown has aired on USA Network since September 2024 as part of a five-year deal worth $1.4 billion. SmackDown being three hours has received a mixed reception from fans, although 2026's three-hour episodes have not been as critically lambasted as 2025's three-hour SmackDowns.