Report: WWE SmackDown returning to two hours beginning July 4

The July 4 holiday will be extra special this year for those who feel WWE SmackDown is currently too long.

PWInsider is reporting the show will return to a two-hour format beginning with the July 4 episode, which will be pre-taped on May 30 following WWE Raw in Pittsburgh.

Earlier this month, Variety announced a new show “The Rainmaker” (presumably unaffiliated with Kazuchika Okada) is set to premiere on the USA Network August 15 at 10 p.m. Eastern, indicating SmackDown would return to a two-hour format at least by then.

Variety reported "The Rainmaker" (having nothing to do with Okada) debuts on USA on 8/15 at 10 p.m. That would indicate Smackdown goes back to two hours that night.

— Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) June 17, 2025

On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer told Bryan Alvarez that WWE likely isn’t receiving additional revenue for the third hour of SmackDown, as it would have been mentioned on TKO investor calls.

“I guess the way they signed the contract, they must have given USA the option because if they were making more money on the deal, it absolutely would have been said at the investors call and we would have seen it,” Meltzer said.