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WWE agreed to move SmackDown to a later start time to help the WNBA Finals, before the plan fell apart.
According to ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne, Steve Koonin reached out to WWE President Nick Khan during negotiations over the weekend. Koonin is the CEO of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, and a former WWE Board member.
Koonin asked Khan if WWE would be willing to move Friday’s SmackDown to 9 PM Eastern. That change would have allowed a WNBA Finals game to air on USA Network, with SmackDown following the basketball broadcast. Khan told Koonin that WWE would be fine with the later broadcast window if it was needed.
The plan eventually fell apart over a possible Game 7. Organizers did not want a deciding game competing with election night coverage, since a potential Game 7 would have taken place on Tuesday. That scheduling conflict ended the proposed arrangement.
The WNBA found a different fix instead. Game 6 will be played on Thursday, October 29 at 12:30 PM Eastern, and the Hawks agreed to move their game against Cleveland to 8 PM Eastern that night. That lets both games use the same arena.
SmackDown will stay in its regular time slot on Friday at 8 PM Eastern. WWE did not have to change its broadcast plan in the end, but the reporting shows the company was willing to move if the WNBA needed the help.
What is confirmed is the approach from Koonin, WWE’s willingness to move to 9 PM, and the reason the plan was abandoned. What is not confirmed is whether WWE would have aired SmackDown live at the later time or taped it earlier for a delayed broadcast.
Source: Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, h/t SEScoops
