Blue brand expected to return to two hours this July
Summary
– WWE SmackDown’s three-hour format is expected to end after the June 26 episode
– The show is currently planned to return to its two-hour format starting in July
– Everything on the Menu will reportedly shift into the 10 p.m. slot after its first four weeks
WWE SmackDown’s extended Friday night schedule now appears to have a finish line.
Dave Meltzer reported through the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that SmackDown is expected to remain a three-hour broadcast through June 26. After that episode, the blue brand is reportedly set to move back to its traditional two-hour format beginning in July.
The plan follows WWE’s current yearly setup for the show. SmackDown is expected to run three hours from January through the end of June, then return to two hours for the second half of 2026.
Questions about the schedule arose after Bodyslam.net reported that SmackDown would drop the three-hour format within a few weeks. Meltzer’s report added a more specific date for the end of the current run.
There was also confusion over the debut of Everything on the Menu on June 5. Some believed the new program would immediately take SmackDown’s 10 p.m. hour, but it will reportedly air at 11 p.m. during its first four weeks before moving to 10 p.m. in July.
Bryan Alvarez had previously noted that the three-hour format did not appear to be permanent. He said the setup sounded like an annual temporary move, similar to past scheduling patterns.
For now, WWE fans still have several more weeks of three-hour SmackDown. Once June 26 passes, the current expectation is that the show will return to two hours for the rest of the year.
