There are changes coming soon to WWE SmackDown including an announced run time swap and more.
From a switch in the broadcast schedule to more roster changes to come, there may be some intriguing changes to WWE SmackDown coming in the months ahead.
Here are five changes coming soon to WWE SmackDown.
5. Three-hour run time
While most of the first 25 years of SmackDown featured a two-hour broadcast, things changed in early 2025 as WWE piloted a three-hour broadcast.
While the run would last from January 3 to the 4th of July edition of WWE SmackDown, the show would return to a two-hour presentation thereafter.
According to a report from WrestleVotes, there will be a change back to the three-hour format in the new year.
With 2026 potentially bringing an extra hour of programming each week, certainly there could be more shake-ups felt across the card with a bit more TV time to go around.
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4. Superstar Shake-Up
While there wasn’t an official WWE Draft in 2025, it would make sense to see some serious roster upheaval in the beginning of 2026.
With a number of call-ups on the horizon from WWE NXT, it could be that there are even more new stars coming from outside the Performance Center.
Since numerous TNA Wrestling contracts are wrapping up in 2025, there could be new additions to the roster from outside the company as well.
Flipping some stars from WWE Raw to SmackDown and vice versa would be a solid way to shake-up competition and keep things fresh.
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3. Cody Rhodes is out
With a shake-up of the roster likely coming in 2026, it would make complete sense to see some of the top talent rotated between WWE Raw and SmackDown.
Possibly sending Cody Rhodes and the Undisputed WWE Championship to Raw, the World Heavyweight Champion could be headed to SmackDown instead.
Depending on the plans heading into WrestleMania 42 season, it may become even more clear why a rotation in the top stars on each brand could flip.
With Cody Rhodes potentially occupying a major feud with the likes of Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns on WWE Raw, there may be brand new plans for SmackDown.
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2. Chris Jericho is in
If there were any WWE stars that could absolutely anchor the blue brand on Friday night it could be rumored potential return Chris Jericho.
With Jericho having spent over five years outside the company, he could seamlessly integrate into the storylines on SmackDown.
Able to capture a nostalgic feel without sending the entire show into a vortex, Jericho could join the SmackDown roster and kick-off a number of new feuds or even revisit old ones.
In the future, tangling again with Kevin Owens or perhaps more interestingly — becoming best friends again — there could be a lot of big things ahead on SmackDown centered on Chris Jericho.
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1. Bianca Belair returns
Bianca Belair has been out of action since picking up an injury at WrestleMania 41 that has seen her continue to be unable to compete.
While Belair returned for some storyline segments — including being a special guest referee in an important grudge match between Jade Cargill and Naomi — there have been big developments in her absence.
While Naomi won the WWE Women’s World Championship, she would later vacate it with an announcement that she was stepping away from competition because she was pregnant.
With Jade Cargill going on to capture the WWE Women’s Championship from Tiffany Stratton, it would seem that Belair could be returning to settle old scores in the near future.
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