WWE’s ‘SmackDown Live’ Gets a New Name From Fox – Watch the First Promo (Video)
Wrestling franchise debuts on its new network Oct. 4
Tim Baysinger | August 30, 2019 @ 10:24 AM
Last Updated: August 30, 2019 @ 10:48 AM
WWE’s “SmackDown Live” is not only changing networks, it’s getting a new name when it debuts on Fox on Friday, Oct. 4.
The wrestling franchise is dropping the “live” from its name and will be called “Friday Night SmackDown.” Fox also unveiled its first promo, which you can watch in the video above.
The promo will air Friday night on Fox Sports 1 during its college football preview show, “Big Noon Kickoff” at 6:30 p.m. ET. The promo, part of Fox’s “We Are All Superstars” campaign, sees everyday people (and a few celebs) mimic some of their favorite moves though “If Ya Smell What Gordan Ramsay Is Cooking” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. The spot also features of Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.
TheWrap broke the news last May that “SmackDown” would be moving from USA to Fox’s broadcast network — and from Tuesdays to Fridays — for the 2019-20 television season (and beyond). We also exclusively reported that it would remain live. The two-hour series runs until 10 o’clock, which is when Fox’s national primetime programming ends.
The wrestling program’s move to Fox, and to Fridays, pushed Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing,” previously a Friday night comedy, to midseason. Fox is also in the second year of its five-year deal to air the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” franchise, meaning that Fox will have live sports on two nights most weeks during the fall.
11 WWE Superstars With Their Own TV Shows (Photos)
These days, WWE Superstars don't just make their TV money through in-ring performances on "Raw," "SmackDown Live" and WWE Network pay-per-views -- there's an entire universe of opportunity for popular pro wrestlers to earn big bucks on the small screen.
In our gallery are 11 WWE wrestlers with their own television shows. We've included a few select series from recent years to help paint a picture of the non-canvas landscape. A few: "Straight Up Steve Austin," "Fight Like a Girl" and "The Big Show Show" have yet to premiere.
For the purposes of this story, we only counted the three people who appeared in all 111 episodes of "Total Divas" -- Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Natalya -- as it being *their* show, but we included the names of everyone who showed up in seven or more episodes of that one.
Wrestler(s): "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Show(s): "Straight Up Steve Austin," "Broken Skull Challenge," "Redneck Island" Network(s): USA, CMT, Country Music Television
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s new USA Network series premieres on Aug. 12
These days, WWE Superstars don't just make their TV money through in-ring performances on "Raw," "SmackDown Live" and WWE Network pay-per-views -- there's an entire universe of opportunity for popular pro wrestlers to earn big bucks on the small screen.
In our gallery are 11 WWE wrestlers with their own television shows. We've included a few select series from recent years to help paint a picture of the non-canvas landscape. A few: "Straight Up Steve Austin," "Fight Like a Girl" and "The Big Show Show" have yet to premiere.
For the purposes of this story, we only counted the three people who appeared in all 111 episodes of "Total Divas" -- Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Natalya -- as it being *their* show, but we included the names of everyone who showed up in seven or more episodes of that one.