WWE SmackDown to Expand to Three Hours in 2026

WWE's Friday Night SmackDown is set to expand back to a three-hour format starting in early 2026, according to a report from wrestling insider WrestleVotes. The change will begin with the January 2 episode, broadcast live from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, as part of an agreement between WWE and the USA Network.

The decision marks a swift reversal from the show's recent two-hour runtime, which took effect on July 4, 2025. Sources cited by WrestleVotes indicated that WWE and USA Network have finalized plans to extend the program, aiming to provide more content on the blue brand. As of November 14, 2025, neither WWE nor the USA Network has issued an official confirmation, but the report suggests the shift is imminent.

This upcoming expansion echoes a temporary three-hour run earlier in the year. SmackDown lengthened to three hours from January 3, 2025, through June 2025, a move introduced to bolster advertising revenue for USA Network after Monday Night Raw transitioned from the network to Netflix in January 2025. Raw, which had aired in a three-hour format since 2012, adopted a flexible two-hour structure for its Netflix debut, leaving USA Network seeking ways to...