WWE To Expand Big 12 Partnership, Deal To Have Big Impact On SmackDown

WWE’s partnership with the Big 12 is getting bigger.

Back in November 2023, it was announced that WWE would be partnering with the Big 12.

This saw The Undertaker present Quinn Ewers with a branded championship belt that year, while Cam Skattebo was given a similar belt in 2024 for being named MVP in the championship game.

According to a new report from The Athletic’s Chris Vannini, WWE is planning to hold SmackDown in several big markets during the upcoming college football season. This will include a taping in Ireland.

Sources: The Big 12 and WWE are expanding their partnership this fall. WWE will hold several episodes of Friday Night SmackDown in Big 12 markets, the night before football games.

Includes a Week 0 show in Ireland before KSU/ISU and an Orlando show before UCF/UNC.

WWE Drops Planned Change To SmackDown

While the blue brand might be on the move during college football season, WWE has scrapped plans to move SmackDown back to being a two-hour show. Following Monday Night Raw’s move to Netflix, SmackDown, which is now on the USA Network, was expanded from two to three hours.

USA Network bosses are believed to be very pleased with SmackDown’s performance, especially the third hour. As such, they see no reason to change what they see as a winning formula.