The current era of WWE SmackDown on USA Network has changed formats several times, going from two to three hours in length over the past year and a half. The latest change took place on June 29, with the blue brand returning to the two-hour format. However, the show will undergo another new change in January 2027, as previously reported.
We now have a scheduled date for this new change. According to a recent report published by WrestleVotes on Fightful Select, a source from USA Network indicated that the blue brand will return to its three-hour format on January 8. It is worth noting that the date could change until then, although the channel's plan is to bring back the three-hour format at the beginning of January.
The report coincides with what happened earlier this year on the same dates. The second stage of SmackDown with a three-hour format began with the first episode of 2026, aired on January 2. As in the previous stage, this change was criticized by a large sector of fans, who considered three hours to be an excessive length for a weekly show.
The blue brand show has seen its roster refreshed in recent weeks with the arrival of talents such as CM Punk (current Undisputed WWE Champion), Kevin Owens (who returned from a neck injury after almost a year and a half of absence), Blake Monroe, and Tatum Paxley, who have contributed to refreshing the program with new stories and rivalries.
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