This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown will be on a different channel. It was recently announced that the show will air on Friday at FS1 with an 8 p.m. ET start. WWE SmackDown normally airs on Fox, but the network will be covering the FIFA Women’s World Cup which begins on Thursday.
WWE SmackDown has aired on FS1 in the past due to Fox airing other national sporting events. According to the Wrestling Observer, WWE SmackDown was last moved to FS1 on Oct. 28, 2022, due to Fox’s coverage of the World Series. With FS1 being in fewer homes on Fox, that episode only drew 835,000 viewers, one of the lowest viewership numbers in the show’s history.
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This week’s SmackDown will likely have more viewers since Roman Reigns is expected to be on the show. The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is involved in a big feud with Jey and Jimmy Uso, and it could lead to him taking on Jey at SummerSlam. But what fans want to see is Reigns no longer be champion since he held the title for over 1,000 days.
“You set goals and have visions of where you view yourself and what you’d like to accomplish. But, I couldn’t have written the past three years any better,” Reigns said during an interview with the Associated Press before his match against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 in March. “It feels good to come from a wrestling family that has been performers for a long time. To represent such a prestigious title reign at the tippity top of the mountain, there’s no comparison.”
Reigns won the Universal Championship in August 2020 and the WWE Championship in May 2022. He has held the Universal Championship for 1,051 days, and it’s been nearly 40 years since a WWE Superstar held a world title for over 1,000 days.
“Roman, you see very selectively. Yet he’s been able to rise up six to seven people to be in another bracket of relevance. And that for me has never been done,” WWE legend Cena told the Associated Press. “Usually the top guy is the top guy. … It’s that moment to take what you can from them, then move on. Just being in Roman’s orbit puts you in another bracket. He makes so many more people better, creating a better program and more people watching and talking. It’s not just a one-man show.”
