WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.
WWE Friday Night SmackDown will undergo more changes after moving from FOX to the USA Network.
The SmackDown premiere episode last Friday showcased a new visual design with updated colors, graphics, logo, and theme.
The show no longer has to end two minutes before the top of the hour to make way for local news on FOX, allowing for greater flexibility.
As we’ve been reporting here on WNB, Monday Night RAW will revert back to its previous two-hour format, which it hasn’t had since 2012, starting on October 7. As WWE is transitioning from the USA Network to Netflix, a temporary gap exists before the Netflix deal takes effect in January.
WWE reached an agreement with the USA Network to extend RAW’s run on the channel after the original deal was set to expire this month. The USA Network made the decision to switch RAW to a two-hour format.
Once WWE RAW moves to Netflix, it will become a three-hour show again, with the option to change the duration every week.
According to a report from WrestleVotes Radio, WWE SmackDown is expected to follow in RAW’s footsteps and transition to a three-hour format in January 2025.
The report states, “Before we move off of SmackDown, our first real WrestleVotes tidbit here, as we get going on this backstage pass regarding SmackDown, is that we have learned that starting on the January 3 show 2025, Smackdown will indeed shift to three hours. The other big news here is there are rumors that once the show ends, it will be available on Netflix, which we haven’t heard elsewhere. Those are the internal talkings right now is that probably the day after Smackdown will be available on Netflix. But the real nugget here is that starting January 3, that show will be three hours.”
Source: eWn
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown is the premiere episode live on the USA Network, from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will be the final live broadcast on FOX. The show returns to the USA Network beginning next Friday. SmackDown will take place from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Fallout from Bash in Berlin
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will go head-to-head with a special Friday night (live) episode of AEW Collision on TNT.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX, will air for the first time ever from the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany. It’s the final stop before tomorrow’s Bash In Berlin 2024 pay-per-view event.
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX and emanate from the Capital One Center in Washington, DC.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will air live on FOX from the KIA Center in Orlando, Florida.
Roman Reigns may be debuting a new theme song in the near future.
Fightful Select is reporting that a new full theme song has been produced for the WWE Superstar.
The report notes that the music is ready to go whenever WWE wants to use it. The song is said to be “expansive and lengthy to say the least.”
As of this writing, there is no word on whether the song will be used for Reigns moving forward. But it is there if needed.
Speaking of Roman Reigns, he made his return on this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown.
During the main event of this week’s show, Solo Sikoa came to the ring to proclaim that he was the new Tribal Chief and if Reigns had a problem with it, he could come down and attempt to take the title from him.
Reigns eventually came out and took out Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa. As Solo and Reigns began to brawl, the latter was about to take out Solo with a Superman Punch, but Loa pulled him out of the ring.
It’s worth noting that Jacob Fatu was not present for the segment. Fatu is currently dealing with an injury. It isn’t known how long he’ll be out of action.
Source: eWn
WWE SmackDown air live tonight on FOX, from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
WWE is shaking up its commentary teams following the arrival of Joe Tessitore.
Tessitore will debut on RAW in Denver, Colorado, on September 2. This move aligns with Cole’s transition to SmackDown, prompted by Pat McAfee’s return to College GameDay.
This rearrangement will result in Cole partnering with Wade Barrett on SmackDown, while Tessitore will collaborate with Corey Graves on RAW.
WWE RAW is scheduled to move from the USA Network to Netflix in January 2025. The ten-year agreement is valued at over $5 billion, translating to at least $500 million annually.
WWE’s current contract with the USA Network expires in September 2024, and RAW will continue to air on the network as a transitional phase before moving to Netflix.
Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline is reporting that the changes to the WWE commentary teams are temporary. Tessitore will join SmackDown in January, and Cole will return to RAW upon its move to Netflix.
Moreover, Tessitore will continue working at ESPN, where he serves as a broadcaster for college football and Top Rank boxing.
Source: eWn
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