WWE SmackDown Possibly Moving Back To Two Hour Broadcast

"WWE SmackDown" could reportedly be moving back to two hours due to a new show set to debut on the USA Network later this summer. Veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer noted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday that the blue brand could possibly lose its third hour due to "The Rainmaker" debuting on August 15 at 10 pm EST. He noted the show has nothing to do with AEW's Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada.

Meltzer cited a Variety report about the show, which included the trailer for the series adaptation of John Grisham's legal thriller novel, which was also adapted into a film. Variety noted that episodes of the show will air linearly, or at the same time every week, meaning "SmackDown" could likely be kept at a two-hour run time for the duration of the show. The Variety report did not mention anything about the WWE product or its future, nor did it mention how many episodes "The Rainmaker" will run for.

"SmackDown" moved to three hours following "WWE Raw's" departure from the network to air on Netflix, starting back in January. Reports following WrestleMania 41 expected the blue brand to go back to two hours as of June 6, which obviously was not the case. The most recent report from May, from PWInsider Elite, stated that internally, "SmackDown" was expected to continue for three hours episodes through June, despite initial plans for the show to move back to two hours before then. 

As of this writing, neither WWE or the USA Network have given official word on when and if the timing of "SmackDown" will be changing.