Confirmed Date Of When WWE SmackDown Returns To 2 Hours

There is a date for when SmackDown will go back to being 2 hours long.

When SmackDown returned to USA Network in January 2025, it was the start of a new era for the blue brand. The change for SmackDown was that, for the first time since it debuted in 1999, it became a 3-hour show.

The 3-hour edition of SmackDown lasted from January 2025 through June 2025. In July 2025, it went back to two hours for the last six months of the year.

In January 2026, SmackDown became a 3-hour show again. It’s going to be that way every year moving forward as part of the deal that WWE has with USA Network. The first six months of the year will be 3 hours in length, and the final six months of the year will be 2 hours in length.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said the June 26th SmackDown will end the 3-hour version of the show for this year, meaning July 3rd will start the 2-hour editions of SmackDown.

“We’ve got three hours until the end of the month, June 26 is the last three-hour show. 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. 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.” (H/T Wrestlingnewsco)

The Braun Strowman show that was mentioned is called “Everything on the Menu,” and it will air at 11 p.m. ET after SmackDown. In July, it’ll move up an hour to 10 p.m. ET on USA Network, and likely other airings during the week.

WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Doesn’t Mind People Mentioning John Cena Towards Him

Cody Rhodes is the Undisputed WWE Champion on the SmackDown brand. At WrestleMania 42, Rhodes survived as the WWE Champion against a vicious Randy Orton. Post match, the big story after was that Cody’s left eye was completely shut, and he was placed in concussion protocol.

In a recent interview, Cody Rhodes explained why he was determined to appear on television that same week after WrestleMania 42.

“I got up, I walked out, and I tried to make eye contact with as many people as I could and let them know two things—still the champ, still here. And if that’s Randy Orton’s best shot—and Randy Orton was at his best ever—what does that say?

That’s a night where I was lucky to leave with the championship that means the most to our game, but also leave without a concussion, leave without an orbital fracture. And I was able to show people, like you said—it’s going to heal.”

During interviews and promos, Cody Rhodes talks about being QB1 – like the starting quarterback on a football team – in WWE, and how important it is for him to be a consistent leader in WWE.

“It felt very important, because you say QB1—what is QB1? If anything, and maybe the biggest thing I’ve learned, it’s consistency. There’s always a flavor of the month, right? There’s always some hot new thing—and good for it. That’s exciting when the crowd gets behind something new. But all my favorites, all the QB1s before me, were consistent. Week in and week out.

And now there are all these jokes about how I’ve tried to follow the John Cena model. I don’t mind those jokes at all—that’s a hell of a model. Most people run from it because it means work. It means work.”

And if you want to see Cody Rhodes at work, keep watching WWE SmackDown, which is heading back to two hours in July.

Also Read: WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Admits Addiction: “I’m Not Afraid To Tell Anybody”