Wednesday or Thursday?
WWE Smackdown is official moving to Thursday nights, beginning October 2nd according to the programming schedule on the SyFy Network’s website.
The WWE Network experimented with a new time slot for its NXT and Superstars brands, which generally air in the same bracket they’ll be looking to keep Smackdown. Instead, the developmental promotion will air for the first time earlier in the day – likely a 4PM ET start time – and a replay will be shown while Smackdown is airing on TV. And speaking of NXT, the live two-hour special NXT Takeover 2 at Full Sail University is completely sold out.
To compensate for WWE moving back to Thursday nights, TNA has already moved Impact Wrestling to Wednesdays. Because this past week’s show was recorded weeks prior, and the decision was made at the last minute to change nights with very little promotion, Impact did record low viewership in its new slot. That said, the promotion likely wouldn’t fair any better had it remained in its slot on Thursdays, competing with two ratings juggernauts in WWE and the NFL. In some good news for TNA, the feeling backstage is that they have found a new network to bring Impact Wrestling to once their current deal with Spike TV expires.
