In what seems to be an odd move, WWE will be taping an episode of Smackdown tonight along with Raw.
What’s interesting is that Smackdown this Friday is live from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the episode they’re taping tonight is for the December 26 airing.
Want more confusion? This Friday with the live Smackdown, WWE is also taping the December 22 episode of Raw!
It’s unclear why they have opted not to tape two episodes of Raw tonight and two episodes of Smackdown on Friday, which would have made more sense than taping next week’s Smackdown broadcast prior to this week’s live episode.
The next time WWE is back live after this Friday is on December 29, which is an episode of Raw.
The tapings are being done to give WWE Superstars and crew enough time with their families for Christmas.
WWE kicks off its annual Live Holiday Tour on December 26.
Colin Vassallo has been editor of Wrestling-Online since 1996
The only thing I can figure is they didn’t want the rosters to have a doubly long night or have people do two matches in a night with the corresponding risk of injury. The extra travel and logistics is a downside and I’m not sure which option is better, but there are worlds where both ways make their own kind of sense. It will be interesting to see if 11 days’ worth of spoilers diminishes the 12/26 Smackdown, or if details getting out from that episode tip their hand as to what will happen on Friday.