WWE is making a rare scheduling move during its upcoming European tour, as the company has officially announced a special Tuesday night edition of WWE SmackDown from The O2 Arena.
The event is set to take place on June 23 in London, England, just one night after WWE Raw also emanates from the same venue on June 22. WWE also confirmed another new addition to the tour schedule: a live event at Utilita Arena Sheffield on June 24.
What immediately stands out is that WWE is still advertising the London show as “Friday Night SmackDown” despite it taking place on a Tuesday. That strongly suggests the episode will likely be taped in advance and aired later that week rather than broadcasting live from London on Friday.
That creates an unusual situation compared to WWE’s recent international events. In previous overseas trips, SmackDown episodes airing from Europe were generally broadcast live on Netflix internationally and on tape delay through USA Network in the United States — but those tapings typically happened the same day as airing, not several days earlier. WWE officially announced the following:
“WWE today announced that SmackDown will head to London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday, June 23, the night after Raw emanates from the same venue.Fans can purchase tickets for SmackDown in London and the event in Sheffield during an exclusive presale starting on Tuesday, May 12, at 10am BST.”
General ticket sales begin May 14 at 10am BST through WWE Events.These additions expand WWE’s already loaded European summer tour, which includes stops across the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Portugal, and the company’s first-ever Premium Live Event in Italy.
Bottom line—WWE is continuing to lean heavily into international markets, but this London SmackDown taping stands out because of how far ahead of airtime it’s being recorded. That could lead to spoilers circulating days before the episode officially airs.
So now the question is—should WWE air this SmackDown live internationally despite the scheduling challenge, or does taping it days in advance hurt the viewing experience too much in the social media era? Sound off in the comments.