WWE Friday Night SmackDown is scheduled to return to a three-hour format starting in January 2026, as reported by PWMania.com.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the USA Network requires SmackDown to be three hours long to improve the network’s average weekly ratings.
The report mentions that this decision is intended to maintain the three-hour format as long as USA desires it. The shift to a two-hour format was initially made to enhance the ratings of the new series, The Rainmaker, by using it as a lead-in during its first season.
The network also introduced Everything On The Menu with Braun Strowman, which performed reasonably well, but not as strongly as SmackDown did during its three-hour run.
The report further indicates that while SmackDown’s ratings might drop with the return to three hours, the show is expected to benefit from the absence of tough competition once football season ends.
WWE SmackDown had previously shortened its runtime to 2 hours in July 2025, after initially adopting a 3-hour format in January 2025.
