Overview
- Newsweek cites a WrestleVotes report saying the three-hour format would resume with the Jan. 2, 2026 episode at Buffalo’s KeyBank Center.
- Neither WWE nor USA Network has issued an official confirmation of the reported change.
- SmackDown previously expanded to three hours from January through June 2025 before reverting to two hours on July 4 to accommodate USA’s drama The Rainmaker in the 10 p.m. slot.
- The earlier expansion was reported as a way to bolster USA Network’s ad inventory after Monday Night Raw moved to Netflix in January 2025.
- If implemented, SmackDown would become USA Network’s only three-hour weekly wrestling program, a role Raw previously filled on the channel.