Tag: SmackDown

WWE SmackDown FOX Premiere Viewership Draws Big Numbers

This week’s WWE SmackDown FOX premiere and 20th Anniversary episode drew 3.869 million viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.

This is up 84% from last week’s 2.099 million viewers for the final USA Network episode. To compare, Monday’s RAW season premiere drew an average of 2.571 million viewers, up from last week’s 2.210 million viewers.

SmackDown won the night in the coveted 18-49 demo, averaging a 1.35 rating over the two hours. The closest number to SmackDown for the demo was Hawaii Five-O from 8-9pm, which scored a 0.7 rating for Adults 18-49.

For the night in terms of overall viewership, SmackDown was #4 behind Blue Bloods on CBS (7.387 million viewers), Hawaii Five-O (6.393 million), Magnum P.I. (6.024 million) and The Blacklist (3.965 million).

Below is 2019 SmackDown Viewership Tracker:

January 1 Episode: 2.091 million viewers (New Year’s episode, taped)
January 8 Episode: 2.032 million viewers
January 15 Episode: 2.143 million viewers
January 22 Episode: 2.142 million viewers
January 29 Episode: 2.137 million viewers (post-Royal Rumble episode)
February 5 Episode: 1.841 million viewers (State of the Union competition)
February 12 Episode: 2.034 million viewers
February 19 Episode: 2.269 million viewers (post-Elimination Chamber episode)
February 26 Episode: 2.150 million viewers
March 5 Episode: 2.155 million viewers
March 12 Episode: 2.198 million viewers (post-Fastlane episode)
March 19 Episode: 2.208 million viewers
March 26 Episode: 2.393 million viewers
April 2 Episode: 2.141 million viewers
April 9 Episode: 2.199 million viewers (post-WrestleMania 35 episode)
April 16 Episode: 2.219 million viewers (Superstar Shakeup episode)
April 23 Episode: 2.072 million viewers
April 30 Episode: 1.833 million viewers
May 7 Episode: 1.931 million viewers
May 14 Episode: 1.827 million viewers (taped episode from London)
May 21 Episode: 1.983 million viewers (post-Money In the Bank episode)
May 28 Episode: 2.072 million viewers
June 4 Episode: 2.016 million viewers
June 11 Episode: 1.930 million viewers (post-Super ShowDown episode)
June 18 Episode: 1.859 million viewers
June 25 Episode: 1.921 million viewers (post-Stomping Grounds episode)
July 2 Episode: 1.890 million viewers
July 9 Episode: 1.853 million viewers
July 16 Episode: 2.122 million viewers (post-Extreme Rules episode)
July 23 Episode: 2.162 million viewers
July 30 Episode: 1.911 million viewers
August 6 Episode: 2.088 million viewers
August 13 Episode: 2.164 million viewers (post-SummerSlam episode)
August 20 Episode: 2.142 million viewers
August 27 Episode: 2.088 million viewers
September 3 Episode: 2.130 million viewers
September 10 Episode: 2.061 million viewers
September 17 Episode: 2.064 million viewers (post-Clash of Champions episode)
September 24 Episode: 2.099 million viewers (final USA Network episode)
October 4 Episode: 3.869 million viewers (FOX premiere episode)

2018 Total: 122.304 million viewers
2018 Average: 2.352 million viewers per episode

2017 Total: 132.401 million viewers
2017 Average: 2.546 million viewers per episode

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Reportedly Bringing Back Pyro To TV Soon, New Entrance Stages

WWE will reportedly begin making significant changes to the look and feel of RAW and SmackDown next week.

WWE is set to bring back pyro to their weekly RAW and SmackDown TV shows next week, according to a new report from @Wrestlevotes. It was noted that fireworks will once again be a fixture on WWE programming, which comes after WWE reportedly cut back on expenses a few years ago.

It was reported over the weekend, via @Wrestlevotes, that this week is the final week that WWE will be using the current entrance stage. RAW and SmackDown are set to receive “updated, fresh feeling” sets next week. There will apparently be a new set for RAW and a different set for SmackDown.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

How WWE SmackDown On FOX Will Air For Different Time Zones, Other Ways To Watch The Show

WWE SmackDown will continue to air live for the Eastern and Central time zones when it moves to FOX Friday nights on October 4, beginning at 8pm ET and 7pm CT, and will continue to air on a tape-delay for the West Coast, beginning at 8pm PT. The Wrap adds that FOX officials believe that this is a “cleaner way” to air the show.

The change in how the show airs will come for the Mountain time zone. SmackDown will begin airing at 7pm MT on October 4, which is 6pm PT or 8pm CT and 9pm ET. In other words, fans in the Mountain time zone will soon have access to SmackDown two full hours before the West Coast does, and just a one-hour tape-delay overall.

Previously, Mountain time viewers received a different feed depending on their cable provider. Some fans would see the show at 6pm MT, local time, and others would see the show at 9pm MT, local time, unless they were a DirecTV subscriber as DirecTV picked up USA Network’s East Coast feed for the whole country. Any West Coast fan watching via DirecTV received the show at 5pm PT. That is about to change as DirecTV customers will no longer be able to watch SmackDown live. SmackDown on Fox will begin at 8pm PT for the West Coast, even for satellite TV subscribers.

For cord-cutting fans, FOX will offer live streaming of SmackDown via FoxSports.com and the FOX Sports App. The website and the app will air SmackDown live across the country, at 8pm ET, 7pm CT, 6pm MT, and 5pm PT. Episodes will also be available on-demand for 30 days on the FOX Sports App.

SmackDown will premiere on FOX live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Friday, October 4. This show will also be the SmackDown 20th Anniversary special. Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has been announced as the main event.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Commercials Air During WWE TV This Week (Videos)

It looks like AEW purchased commercial time during WWE NXT and WWE SmackDown this week.

Fans on Twitter noted that they saw commercials for AEW on TNT during Tuesday’s SmackDown and during tonight’s NXT premiere on the USA Network.

The commercials aired in various markets, and it looks like DirecTV was the main provider.

You can see a few of the AEW ads on WWE TV below:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

FOX To Air WWE Specials And More Ahead Of WWE SmackDown Premiere

FOX has announced two special preview shows to celebrate the arrival of WWE on FOX, and to build to the SmackDown premiere on Friday, October 4.

FOX will air a SmackDown’s Greatest Hits special on Friday, September 27 from 8pm-9pm ET. The special will be hosted by Charlotte Flair and The Miz. FOX will then air WrestleMania’s Legendary Moments on Sunday, September 29. The one-hour show will air at different times around NFL coverage in local markets. That special will be narrated by John Cena.

FOX will also air a thirty-minute Blue Carpet special on Friday, October 4 at 7:30pm ET, which will be the the lead-in to the premiere at 8pm ET. The special will feature Superstars and celebrities arriving to the Staples Center for the big SmackDown 20th Anniversary show that night.

It was also confirmed that SmackDown will air on the FOX Sports App. FOX Sports is also launching new social media accounts – @WWEonFOX on Twitter, @WWEonFOX on Instagram, and WWE on FOX on Facebook.

Below is the full announcement issued by FOX today:

FOX Sports Announces WWE Programming Ahead of FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN DebutSpecial “Blue Carpet” Preview Show to Celebrate Arrival of WWE on FOX

FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN Air Time Details Announced

Los Angeles – Leading up to the network debut of FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN on FOX on Friday, Oct. 4, FOX Sports presents a slate of special programming, pre-event coverage and cross-platform integrations in anticipation of the marquee event.

A pair of hour-long WWE specials lead the charge, beginning with WWE SMACKDOWN’S GREATEST HITS, on Friday, Sept. 27, on FOX (8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT/7:00 PM MT/8:00 PM PT). Hosted by WWE Superstars Charlotte Flair and The Miz, the show highlights the most memorable moments from the storied franchise. On Sunday, Sept. 29, John Cena narrates WWE WRESTLEMANIA’S LEGENDARY MOMENTS, offering viewers a chance to relive the most spectacular WrestleMania moments from the past 35 years. Check local listings for air times surrounding Sunday’s NFL on FOX singleheader action.

Less than a week later, FOX Sports rolls out the “blue carpet” at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN KICKOFF SHOW on Friday, Oct. 4 (7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT/6:30 PM MT/7:30 PM PT). This star-studded show features “blue carpet” arrivals and backstage access to celebrities and athletes, as well as past and present WWE Superstars to kick off the new era of WWE on FOX.

In front of a star-studded crowd in Los Angeles, FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN airs live at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT on FOX. For viewers in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, SmackDown airs at 7:00 PM MT/8:00 PM PT on FOX. For all authenticated viewers nationwide, SmackDown will be available to stream live at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT/6:00 PM MT/5:00 PM PT on the FOX Sports App.

Today, FOX Sports also launches its WWE on FOX social handles, which will provide insight, analysis and entertainment across social platforms. For more information, explore @WWEonFOX on Twitter, @WWEonFOX on Instagram and WWE on FOX on Facebook.

Additional details on FOX Sports’ WWE programming will be announced at a later date.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Kofi Kingston To Defend WWE Championship Against Brock Lesnar On The Fox Debut Of SmackDown

“The Beast” Brock Lesnar will face-off against Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship next month during the first episode of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX.

Lesnar and his advocate Paul Heyman made their presence felt during tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live after a six-man tag match in which Kofi and New Day were victorious.

Brock and Heyman then walked to the ring and challenged Kofi to a title match on October 4.

Kofi said he made a promise to be a fighting champion after winning the title, therefore he was accepting Lesnar’s challenge. His acceptance was met with a swift F5 before Brock left the ring.

Lesnar vs. Kingston for the WWE Title is the only match announced for the big SmackDown Fox premiere as of this writing. This will be Lesnar’s first SmackDown match in over 15 years, since 2004. Lesnar has not worked a match on weekly WWE television since returning to the company in 2012.

Fox To Air WWE SmackDown Special Before October 4

The first WWE programming on Fox is scheduled to air on Friday, September 27 at 8pm ET.

The one-hour “SmackDown’s Greatest Hits” special is scheduled to air at 8pm ET that Friday night, on the main Fox channel, according to PWInsider.

The September 27 special is designed to be a preview for WWE coming to Fox. We noted earlier this summer that a preview special was being planned as a way to show non-WWE fans what to expect, as a way to introduce them to Superstars and the brand in general.

As noted, SmackDown will premiere on Fox Friday nights beginning with the October 4 episode. The show will then air live each Friday night from 8-10pm ET. The October 4 premiere will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will be the SmackDown 20th Anniversary special.

The final SmackDown USA Network episode is scheduled to air on Tuesday, September 24 in the regular time slot, which means there will be more than 7 days in between regular blue brand episodes. This September 27 special will make it so that there will be at least some SmackDown content on TV before the October 4 premiere.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces New Dates For Cancelled RAW Weekend Tour, Possible Reason For Cancellation

As previously reported, WWE cancelled an upcoming RAW weekend tour later this month, with shows scheduled in Louisiana and Alabama. WWE has confirmed that the events that weekend have been postponed, below are the new dates:

* Friday, August 23 in Bossier City, Louisiana postponed to Sunday, March 22, 2020.

* Saturday, August 24 in Lafayette, Louisiana postponed to Friday, January 17, 2020.

* Sunday, August 25 in Mobile, Alabama postponed to Thursday, March 19, 2020.

WWE will be presenting SmackDown live events in South America that weekend with shows in Lima, Peru on Saturday, August 24th and Panama City, Panama the following night. WWE added several RAW stars to those events this week, so the cancellations may just be to strengthen those shows. RAW stars AJ Styles, Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet, Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn and Rey Mysterio are scheduled for those shows in South America. SmackDown talent booked for those events include WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Charlotte Flair, Randy Orton, Kevin Owens and Andrade, amongst others.

As noted, PWInsider reported that WWE also cancelled RAW live events on Friday, August 30 in Bangor, Maine and on Saturday, August 31 in Portland, Maine. It should be noted that there were no SmackDown live events scheduled that weekend.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 5/14/19

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will be taped from the O2 Arena in London, England today with the final hype for WWE Money In the Bank.

* SmackDown LIVE’s Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match participants to throw down in pivotal Fatal 4-Way Match

* Will Kofi Kingston accept KO’s invitation to come on The Kevin Owens Show?

* Can Fire & Desire scorch Asuka & Kairi Sane on Tuesday night?

Bruce Prichard Says There Were Discussions Of WWE SmackDown Being An All-Women’s Show

Image result for Bruce Prichard Says There Were Discussions Of WWE SmackDown Being An All-Women's Show

In the same year that Raw celebrated its 25th anniversary, SmackDown is also approaching a milestone of its own. Tonight the show will air its 1,000th episode and former WWE producer Bruce Prichard recently reflected back on the very first episode of SmackDown which aired in 1999.

The first seven years of SmackDown aired on UPN, and Prichard says that using that network didn’t come by accident.

“It was a big conglomeration with a lot of different things coming together at the same time, it was a perfect storm in a lot of ways,” Prichard says on Something to Wrestle With. “Part of the UPN deal also had to do with the XFL. The XFL was going to be debuting the next year, and Vince [McMahon] was getting out beyond that NBC bubble and was looking for different broadcast partners.

When SmackDown debuted on UPN, it became WWE’s first show on a broadcast network since Saturday Night’s Main Event ended it’s original run on NBC in 1992.

“The other thing was that UPN was a broadcast network,” stated Prichard. “It wasn’t cable cast. I don’t want to say that they were in dire straights at the time, but they were No. 5 of the 5 networks. It wasn’t like we were going to the strongest of networks, but they were looking for something to build them up. UPN-Viacom had seen what we had done for the USA Network and they felt that by bringing it onto a broadcast and putting it into a primetime slot it could be their signature show.

“We were reaching out and looking for partners for the XFL. Vince McMahon looks at all of the [UPN] programming and thought, what about pro wrestling? What about doing something else? Vince McMahon always wanted that broadcast spot; that primetime broadcast spot and when it became available he jumped at it.”

Prichard also talked about the possibility of making SmackDown an all-women’s show nearly 20 years before WWE Evolution became a reality.

“We definitely discussed it,” admitted Prichard. “We looked at it, but we just didn’t have the depth to do it on a consistent basis week after week. We really didn’t have enough talent to do that, and in addition to that, if you were going to do that maybe not do it on the broadcast show because Vince McMahon was looking at that the more eyeballs maybe if this broadcast show takes off to possibly make Raw an all-women’s show, but we definitely discussed that many times throughout the years.”

SmackDown stated on UPN and is currently on USA Network, but it also aired on four different networks in between. The show will then move to Fox in October 2019 and Prichard says many networks showed interest in becoming the home of SmackDown.

“We were talking to Viacom. We were talking to CBS, and talking to CBS and Viacom was when we came to terms with UPN,” Prichard revealed. “We were the prettiest girl in that dance. Here we are at UPN because they wanted us due to the fact that they knew what we could provide for their station, which we did. We were the #1 show on their station, and brought eyeballs to UPN and were able to help them with lead ins. If you wanted to do a new show on UPN you advertise on SmackDown; that was just the way it was.”

Sources: WrestlingINC and Something To Wrestle with Bruce Prichard