Backstage Note On When WWE Smackdown Will Return To Three Hours

It’s still a ways away, but WWE has reportedly set a target date for when WWE Smackdown will make its annual move back to three hours. WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select reports that the current plan is that WWE Smackdown will, as is tradition the last couple of years, move back to three hours in January.

WWE began its habit of WWE Smackdown doing three hours in the front half of the year and two hours in the back half in 2025. It went to three hours on January 2nd this year, then returned to two hours on July 3rd.

WrestleVotes notes that the current target date is January 8th, but that isn’t set in stone. The expectation is that the move back to three hours is planned at this point though, as part of the annual programming schedule for USA Network.