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WWE is reportedly adjusting the duration of Friday Night SmackDown once more. The show was recently extended to three hours, but this extended format might be temporary.
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According to Bodyslam.net, citing Ringside News, SmackDown is projected to shorten its broadcast, returning to a two-hour runtime within “a few weeks.”
This adjustment is not entirely unexpected, considering WWE implemented a comparable strategy in 2025. The Bodyslam report highlights Bryan Alvarez’s comment suggesting this might be “an annual temporary thing.”
Three-hour SmackDown episodes are highly advantageous during the lead-up to WrestleMania, enabling WWE to develop more intricate storylines for the grand event. With the arrival of summer, the schedule typically slows down before the SummerSlam season kicks off. Therefore, reverting to a two-hour format appears logical.
As previously mentioned, WWE adopted an identical strategy in 2025. SmackDown ran for three hours until August 2025, when it was scaled back to a two-hour broadcast.
Nevertheless, reports surfaced prior to the new year indicating that WWE intended to expand SmackDown’s runtime to three hours again. This alteration took effect on January 2, 2026, and has remained the ongoing practice for several months.
What is the anticipated timeframe for WWE to modify SmackDown’s runtime?
While no precise date has been disclosed for SmackDown’s runtime alteration, it is anticipated to happen soon, given Bodyslam’s report indicating it will transpire “in a few weeks.”
The current SmackDown roster features prominent talents such as Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Tiffany Stratton, and Jacob Fatu.
Additionally, the roster boasts emerging new talent. Trick Williams recently captured the United States Championship from Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 42. The faction Fatal Influence, comprised of Jacy Jane, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid, has also just made its debut on the main roster.
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