Posted on 6/18/125 by Colin Vassallo
USA Network’s new series, titled The Rainmaker, will be
making its premiere on Friday, August 15 at 10PM ET,
suggesting that the three-hour format of Smackdown is coming
to an end a week before that.
Smackdown has been three hours since the first episode of
2025 on USA Network, a highly unpopular decision but one
which remained so far. The added extra hour was only
supposed to be temporary and rumors were that it was
expected to go away by the end of May, but obviously that
did not happen.
Multiple TV-focused websites are now reporting that The
Rainmaker will take the Friday 10PM slot and will benefit
from Smackdown as it’s lead-in.
WWE has not announced anything official yet.
However, another report says it could be sooner than that.
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.