WWE SmackDown might be returning to two hours, after all.
Over the years, WWE has undergone several changes to its programming time slots. Earlier this year, SmackDown officially moved to three hours. Last October, the blue brand returned to USA Network, part of a five-year deal between WWE and NBCUniversal. When the show became three hours in 2025, it was touted as temporary. Six months into the year, WWE SmackDown remains three hours. That appears to be changing very soon, however, and it’s likely to happen later this summer.
Is wwe SmackDown Really Moving Back to two Hours?
USA Network unveiled a new legal series, The Rainmaker, airing Friday nights starting this August in the 10 p.m. time slot. The series stars Milo Callaghan, Mad Men‘s John Slattery, Once Upon a Time‘s Lana Parrilla, P.J. Byrne, Dan Fogler, Wade Briggs, and Robyn Cara.
This means that the series will be cutting into WWE SmackDown‘s third hour. WWE has not yet made a formal announcement about changes to WWE SmackDown‘s programming. As the show will air linearly every week, it will remain in the 10 p.m. slot for the forseeable future. The Rainmaker was greenlit for 10 one-hour long episodes. It’s unclear if WWE SmackDown could return to three hours in its off-season.
Moving back to two hours could change a lot of things about WWE SmackDown‘s week-to-week operations. With an extra hour, there’s more leeway for storylines to flesh out on screen and for additional matches to take place. Despite being up against the NBA Finals last week, WWE SmackDown averaged over 1.4 million viewers on USA, with appearances from Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena, multiple King and Queen of the Ring first round matches, the return of ‘The Viper’ Randy Orton, and more.
VICE will provide updates on this story if they become available.
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