Articles by Andrew Ravens

Entertainment

WWE is Reportedly Making Major Change to SmackDown

WWE SmackDown is reportedly set to become a three-hour program once again, beginning in 2026. According to a report from WrestleVotes, the change is scheduled to take effect early in the new year. “According to sources, WWE and USA Network have decided to move SmackDown back to three hours, beginning with the January 2nd show from Buffalo, NY,“ the tweet read. On January 2, 2026, WWE is scheduled to be at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. This move marks a quick return to the expanded format for the blue brand. SmackDown was temporarily a three-hour show from January 3, 2025, through June 2025. That change was reportedly a temporary measure to increase advertising revenue for its broadcast partner, USA Network. This was done to compensate for Monday Night Raw moving from USA Network to Netflix in January 2025. The show returned to its traditional two-hour format on July 4, 2025, but it appears that change was short-lived. The decision to revert to two hours was reportedly to make room for a new USA Network drama series titled The Rainmaker, which was slated to take over the 10 PM time slot. More news: WWE Superstar Announces Retirement Match However, reports in May 2025 from Newsweek indicated that USA Network was happy with the performance of the three-hour show and had scrapped plans to return to two hours, though the show did ultimately revert in July. According to sources, WWE and USA Network have decided to move SmackDown back to three hours, beginning with the January 2nd show from Buffalo, NY.— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) November 14, 2025 The initial three-hour run in 2025 was met with mixed reactions from fans. While some enjoyed the extra opportunities for mid-card talent, others found the show too long and overloaded with commercials. This change also comes after Monday Night Raw reverted to a two-hour format (with flexible timing) for its Netflix debut, after airing for three hours since 2012. This latest move suggests the USA Network is once again satisfied with the three-hour format’s performance from a ratings and advertising perspective. WWE’s new programming landscape began in late 2024 when SmackDown moved from FOX back to USA Network. With Raw now established on Netflix, SmackDown will become the network’s sole three-hour weekly wrestling program, mirroring the flagship status Raw held on USA for over a decade. More WWE News: Released WWE Superstar Retires From Pro Wrestling Released WWE Star Breaks Silence On Departure Released WWE Star Wants To Join AEW For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.

Sports

Major WWE Star is Returning for John Cena’s Retirement Tournament

The bracket is nearly complete as opening-round matches for “The Last Time is Now” Tournament are underway. The 16-man tournament will feature competitors all vying to earn the honor of being John Cena’s final opponent. “Raw” General Manager Adam Pearce pulled four more names out of his tumbler Monday night at the TD Garden in Boston. Former World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER will be returning from injury next Monday night inside of Madison Square Garden to take on “NXT’s” Je’Von Evans. Meanwhile, Solo Sikoa will battle an opponent that Pearce did not spoil. The leader of the MFT’s will have to wait to find out his opponent until next week. Those two announcements came on the heels of the first two opening round matches. Both matches saw Rusev and Sheamus advance to the semi-finals by defeating Damian Priest and Shinsuke Nakamura, respectively. The final four competitors of the tournament are expected to be unveiled this Friday on “SmackDown”. John Cena said that Monday night’s show from his hometown was going to be a special one, and he delivered on that promise. He captured the Men’s Intercontinental Championship from “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio in an impromptu match to begin the evening’s festivities. This is the first time in his career that Cena has held the Men’s IC Title. With his victory Monday night, he officially became a WWE Grand Slam Champion with just three dates remaining before his retirement. He’s one of fewer than two dozen men ever to accomplish that feat. More news: WWE Superstar Announces Retirement Match NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 23: John Cena enters the ring at the WWE SummerSlam 2015 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by JP Yim/Getty Images) With an extremely limited number of appearances left on his farewell tour, it’s very possible that the winner of “The Last Time is Now” Tournament will also earn an opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship. Cena’s final match will take place at “Saturday Night’s Main Event” coming up on December 13 from the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.. Prior to his match with “Dirty” Dom, John made a notable announcement about that show. In the spirit of wanting to leave the business in a better position than where he found it, Cena wants to showcase the future of WWE on the night his career comes to a close. He will be hosting a series of exhibition matches between main roster Superstars and the upcoming stars of “NXT”. No competitors have been announced for those matches as of this writing. Cena’s new Intercontinental Championship win complicates his schedule for “Survivor Series: WarGames” on November 29th. While his “Raw” allies CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Jey Uso are slated for the Men’s “WarGames” match against The Vision, Cena is now advertised to defend his title at the event. This means the winner of “The Last Time Is Now” tournament may not be the only person who gets a chance to face Cena before his retirement. His “Survivor Series” opponent has not yet been named. More WWE News: Released WWE Superstar Retires From Pro Wrestling Released WWE Star Breaks Silence On Departure Released WWE Star Wants To Join AEW For more on WWE, head to Newsweek Sports.