Fan-Pleasing Change Coming To WWE SmackDown

A significant change is being made to SmackDown after all.

Back in December, it was announced that WWE SmackDown would be moving to a three-hour format in January following Raw’s departure from the USA Network to Netflix.

At the time, it was believed that the change would be temporary, with the show reverting to its traditional two-hour run time in early summer. However, it was recently reported that SmackDown would be keeping the third hour “for the foreseeable future.”

The report claimed that USA was happy with viewing figures for the additional hour of programming, and saw no reason to drop it.

WWE SmackDown To Lose Third Hour

Despite this, it’s now been revealed that SmackDown will return to being two hours from July 4. The news was first picked up by PWInsider and has since essentially been confirmed by the launch of a new show on the USA Network.

On August 15, the network will premiere a new legal drama, “The Rainmaker,” and crucially, the show will air at 10 pm. This means that SmackDown will run from 8 until 10, instead of until 11 as it does currently.

Meanwhile, it’s been confirmed that the July 4 edition of WWE SmackDown will be taped in advance. The show will instead be taped on June 30, following Monday Night Raw at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.