After all the speculation, the time has come, and 2 hours of WWE SmackDown is now back starting in June of 2026. The trend of Friday Night Fight Night started back at the beginning of 2025, around the Netflix debut of WWE Raw. Most saw this as a tactic for WWE to get more airtime on the Road to WrestleMania, helping build up programs for the “Showcase of the Immortals,” as well as the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber.
While that is indeed true, it was also a demand from the USA Network to add that extra hour to the premier Friday night of WWE.
2 Hours of WWE SmackDown Returns
Since 2025, the WWE Universe has been accustomed to seeing WWE Friday Night SmackDown take on an extra hour to accommodate the build-up to the “Granddaddy of them All.” A similar trend happened in 2026, wherein we saw 3 hours of SmackDown for the first six months of the year, only for the Blue Brand to return to its original running time of 2 hours.
Fans are divided over the extra hour, with many saying it’s overkill, considering that WWE shows are more promos than matches, inserting more fillers to otherwise very rudimentary shows. But for those not a fan of the three-hour format, WWE has finally announced that SmackDown is back to 2 hours, beginning on July 3rd, 2026, post-Night of Champions 2026 show, after opening 2026 with 60 more minutes.
This report comes on the heels of news outlets reporting that SmackDown will return to 2 hours beginning in the summer months. On top of that, this trend of SmackDown flip-flopping runtimes may be here to stay for the foreseeable future, as its home station, The USA Network, has no programs usually lined up to ring in the first half of the year.
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Now that “Everything on the Menu,” which is a food-centered show hosted by former WWE star and Universal Champion Braun Strowman, has premiered on June 5th, 2026, the USA Network may not need the extra hour for the rest of 2026.
Friday nights are back to 2 hours, and it’s going to be around for a little while.
