Dave Meltzer Blasts Utterly Stupid WWE SmackDown Plans
With the future of Raw in some doubt in the final quarter of 2024, more information has come to light about when SmackDown will be airing.
WWE signed a huge $5 billion deal with Netflix for the streaming giant to become the new home of Raw. That deal kicks in on January 1st, 2025 as Netflix prepares to host the live show each week but WWE is still looking to plug a gap for its flagship programme.
WWE’s current deal with the USA Network for Raw ends at the beginning of October 2024 leaving three months that could see Raw not on TV. WWE has admitted they currently have no plan for Raw but says they remain positive about finding a solution.
But with all the focus being on Raw, some more information has now come to light on the future of SmackDown which is due to leave FOX in late 2024.
What Night Will WWE SmackDown Air?
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the situation surrounding SmackDown with Alvarez suggesting that USA Network’s apparent unwillingness to extend Raw’s time on the station could be down to their plan to air SmackDown on Monday nights.
However, Meltzer revealed that the latest he heard was that the plan was for SmackDown to remain on Friday nights:
The last time I talked with somebody with WWE on that discussion, they told me outright that nothing’s official. The stations are gonna have to all work this out whenever. But, the plan was, as of right now – ‘right now’ was I would say about a month ago – is that SmackDown would be Friday.
I don’t know why you would do that. If you’re USA it feels utterly stupid to do SmackDown on Friday. But that was the plan as of a month ago, was for SmackDown to stay on Friday. And be called ‘Friday Night SmackDown’.
In addition to the Raw and SmackDown plans, NXT is also on the move in 2024 and it remains unclear what night that show will air as well.