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WWE has no plans to change its taping schedule so SmackDown can go live against AEW on New Year’s Day.
According to WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, sources in WWE said the company will keep its current plan for the January 1 episode of SmackDown. That episode is set to be taped on December 28 in Tampa, Florida, alongside a live episode of Raw.
AEW, meanwhile, will present Dynamite: New Year’s Smash live on January 1 at the Gateway Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. That puts a live AEW Dynamite directly against a taped SmackDown on New Year’s Day.
Fightful Select reports that WWE intends to stick to its taping plan regardless of AEW’s plans. The report also notes internal speculation that the holiday episode of SmackDown would likely draw a lower number than a usual live broadcast could, whether it was up against a live AEW Dynamite or not.
The plan also lets WWE talent spend New Year’s Day with family, since the show will already be in the can. WWE has taped holiday episodes in the past for the same reason, and this is the same approach for January 1.
This is not the only head to head week coming up for the two companies. Next week, NXT moves to Wednesday, November 4, because of election coverage on The CW, which puts it directly against AEW Dynamite: Blood and Guts. WWE has already loaded that NXT show with John Cena and Cody Rhodes appearances.
What is confirmed is WWE’s reported taping plan, the December 28 taping date and location, and AEW’s live New Year’s Smash date and location. What is not confirmed is whether WWE will change its mind closer to January, or what the final card for either January 1 show will be.
Source: WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select
