SmackDown recupera la duración extendida tras un 2025 repleto de cambios

WWE Friday Night SmackDown will return to the three-hour format in January 2026, as confirmed by several media outlets in recent weeks. According to Wrestling Observer, the decision does not come from WWE, but directly from USA Network, which has requested to extend the program in order to strengthen its weekly audiences.

The network aims to maintain the extended duration "as long as it deems necessary," which implies that the three-hour format could be extended for much of 2026 if the numbers perform as expected.

SmackDown had been reduced to two hours in early 2025 to make room for the premieres of The Rainmaker and Everything On The Menu with Braun Strowman. Although both productions achieved acceptable results, neither came close to the solid performance that SmackDown offers even in slower weeks.

The return of the extended format could slightly impact the show's average viewership, but WWE and the network believe that the impact will be minimal as it premieres outside of the American football season, a time of year when TV competition tends to decline.

With this decision, SmackDown will close out a 2025 full of adjustments: it started the year with a three-hour format, was cut to two hours in the summer, and, starting in January, will once again occupy a longer time slot to maximize its strong performance in prime time.