February 18, 2008 Observer Newsletter: WWE SmackDown leaving The CW, police report on Chris Benoit murders released
In a surprising break-up, WWE announced on 2/7 that Smackdown would finish on the CW Network at the end of the current television season, with the final episode on 9/12.
The company sent out a press release late that night which read, “After a successful decade of Smackdown on both UPN and the CW, World Wrestling Entertainment and The CW have agreed to conclude our partnership. Since the CW’s exclusive negotiation period ran out as of last Thursday, January 31, we have been contacted and have been in negotiations with other networks. WWE Smackdown will continue to air on The CW until the conclusion of the 2007-08 broadcast season. We are grateful to Les Moonves, Dawn Ostroff, and their entire organization for bringing WWE Smackdown to millions of viewers for so many years.”
The press release sent out at around midnight on a Thursday was because CW was starting to inform its affiliates that Smackdown would not be renewed, leaving it as a lame duck show on the network.
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Dave Meltzer is the founder and lead writer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the weekly constant when it comes to news and reviews in pro wrestling and mixed martial arts for more than 40 years. Dave also co-hosts Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and had had bylines for The National, Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting and others.