Update on WWE SmackDown TV schedule for holiday season
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer gave an update on WWE’s television schedule for the holiday season.
Meltzer reported that there will be no live episode of SmackDown on Fox on New Year’s Eve (Friday, December 31). There will instead be a taped “year in review” type episode of SmackDown airing on FS1 that night.
Meltzer noted that, with SmackDown being moved to FS1 that night due to Fox airing New Year’s Eve programming, WWE decided not to have a regular new episode. Meltzer said the decision was made by Nick Khan, Vince McMahon, and Kevin Dunn.
Original plans called for a live SmackDown episode to take place at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on New Year’s Eve, but that show was removed from WWE’s schedule.
WWE’s Day 1 pay-per-view is being held at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on New Year’s Day (Saturday, January 1).
The Christmas Eve (Friday, December 24) episode of SmackDown will air on Fox but will be taped in advance. It will be taped at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on Friday, December 17. That’s along with there also being a live episode of SmackDown at the Allstate Arena on December 17.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.