WWE Confirms Significant SmackDown Change
An announcement made during WWE SmackDown confirms that change is on the way.
For the first time, WWE SmackDown became a weekly three-hour show this year, airing on USA Network in the US and on Netflix internationally.
That first three-hour episode of SmackDown saw Tiffany Stratton cash in Money in the Bank on the WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax, who was Stratton’s friend. Stratton left with the WWE Women’s Title that she has held for nearly six months.
The idea behind the three-hour SmackDown was to allocate more television time for more wrestlers, especially on the road to WrestleMania. However, many fans felt like three hours was too long for SmackDown, which had been a two-hour show for over 25 years.
It was reported that the July 4th episode of SmackDown, which is being taped on Monday since it’s a holiday in the US, will see the blue brand return to the two-hour format.
During the WWE SmackDown broadcast from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the commentary team of Michael Cole and Wade Barrett confirmed the news that SmackDown will be a two-hour show moving forward, starting with the July 4th episode.
On social media, USA Network confirmed the news as well.
Starting next week, SmackDown will be 2 hours on USA Network! #SmackDownpic.twitter.com/FQkEjmkzkh
— USA Network (@USANetwork) June 28, 2025
SmackDown achieves good ratings for USA Network and is considered the network’s biggest show, which is why USA likely wanted it to be three hours long, but it’s reverting to two hours, at least for now.
WWE Presents Night Of Champions From Saudi Arabia
The next WWE PLE is Night of Champions on Saturday, June 28th. Here’s the lineup.
* Undisputed WWE Championship: John Cena (c) vs. CM Punk
* King of the Ring Tournament Finals: Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes
* Queen of the Ring Tournament Finals: Asuka vs. Jade Cargill
* Street Fight: Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez
* United States Championship: Jacob Fatu (c) vs. Solo Sikoa
* Sami Zayn vs. Karrion Kross
You can watch WWE Night of Champions when it streams live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, June 28, at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT on Peacock in the United States and on Netflix everywhere else.