WWE SmackDown is set to return to a three-hour format.
WrestleVotes reports that, beginning with the January 2nd, 2026 episode, SmackDown will onc again be a three-hour show on USA Network. The show previously ran for three hours during the first half of 2025, from January through June.
“According to sources, WWE and USA Network have decided to move smackdown back to three hours, beginning with the January 2nd show from Buffalo, NY,” WrestleVotes tweeted.
The January 2nd episode of SmackDown will be held at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
During his appearance at the All in business summit in September,Paul “Triple H” Levesque described smackdown as a show that alternates between two and three-hour broadcasts throughout the year. It wasn’t initially clear if he was specifically referencing 2025.
“The beautiful thing about us is with the amount of content we do, we’re 52 weeks a year live,” Levesque said. “So when you talk about a content company that puts out entertainment, we are live Monday nights, 2-3 hours depending on the evening on Netflix. Tuesday nights two hours on CW. Friday nights two hours – and half the year is three hours – on USA. Once a month,a three hour-plus PLE. Saturday Night’s Main Event quarterly or more per year.That’s all live, that’s all content that we’re putting out on a regular basis.”