WWE changes course again on SmackDown’s 3-hour runtime appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Another change is being made by WWE regarding Friday Night SmackDown’s runtime, which was just lately upped to a few hours. However, that is probably not the case for lengthy.
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Bodyslam.web (by way of Ringside News) experiences that SmackDown is expected to drop the three-hour format and revert to being a two-hour present “in a few weeks.”
This shouldn’t come as a lot of a shock, as WWE adopted an identical plan in 2025. In Bodyslam’s report, they observe how Bryan Alvarez famous that it might be “an annual temporary thing.”
Having three-hour episodes of SmackDown is tremendously useful for the construct to WrestleMania. They enable WWE to flesh out extra storylines because the Showcase of the Immortals approaches. As the summer time begins, it’s a slower time till the construct to SummerSlam begins later within the season. Going again to two-hour episodes is smart.
As famous, an identical strategy was taken in 2025. SmackDown was three hours till a change was made in August 2025, shifting it again to 2 hours.
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However, earlier than the beginning of the brand new yr, it was reported that WWE would as soon as again bump SmackDown’s runtime to a few hours. This change was carried out on Jan. 2, 2026, and has been the established order for just a few months since.
When will WWE change the SmackDown runtime?
A selected date wasn’t introduced for the SmackDown runtime change. However, it ought to be anticipated within the close to future since Bodyslam’s report acknowledged it’d happen “in a few weeks.”
Currently, the SmackDown roster consists of prime stars like Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Tiffany Stratton, and Jacob Fatu.
There are additionally youthful up-and-coming stars on the roster. Trick Williams simply gained the United States Championship at WrestleMania 42 from Sami Zayn. Fatal Influence, a faction that includes the likes of Jacy Jane, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid, was simply referred to as as much as the primary roster as effectively.
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