Will not be doing all their shows live, as previously believed
Pro Wrestling Sheet has revealed that WWE will be making a big adjustment to their filming schedule. This is to escalate the level of safety for performers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tonight’s SmackDown, Monday’s RAW and Wednesday’s NXT will be live as previously planned, however there will be several taped shows going forward.
WWE’s New Filming Schedule
- Raw will air on Monday live as scheduled on USA Network
- NXT will air on Wednesday live as scheduled
- Next Friday, SmackDown will air live as scheduled
- Saturday, April 25; two episodes of SmackDown will be taped (airing May 1 and May 8)
- Monday, April 27; two episodes of Raw will be taped (one for that night and the other will air the following week on May 4)
- Wednesday, April 29; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is for that night, the other will air on May 6)
- Monday, May 11; one episode of Raw will be taped for that night and one episode of SmackDown will be taped for May 15
- Tuesday, May 12; one episode of Raw will be taped for May 18 and one episode of SmackDown will be taped for May 22
- Wednesday, May 13; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is for that night, the other will air on May 20)
- Monday, May 25; two episodes of Raw will be taped (one for that night, the other will air on June 1)
- Tuesday, May 26; two episodes of SmackDown will be taped (one will air on May 29, the other will air on June 5)
- Wednesday, May 27; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is for that night, the other will air on June 3)
- Monday, June 8; one episode of Raw taped for that evening and another episode of SmackDown taped for June 12
- Tuesday, June 9; one episode of NXT will be taped for June 10
- Monday, June 15; one episode of Raw taped for that evening and another episode of SmackDown taped for June 19
- Tuesday, June 16; one episode of Raw taped for June 22 and another episode of SmackDown taped for June 26
- Wednesday, June 17; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is that night, the other will air on June 24)
- Monday, June 29; two episodes of Raw will be taped (one for that night and the other will air on July 6)
- Tuesday, June 30; two episodes of SmackDown will be taped (one for July 3 and one for July 10)
- Wednesday, July 1; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is for that night, the other will air on July 8)
Safety measures are being heightened at the WWE Performance Centre and Full Sail during tapings as well. This includes everyone wearing face masks, good hygiene/handwashing for appropriate amount of time, medical screenings prior to entering any closed set, matches done in waves, only essential personnel on-site, adhering to social distancing outside of performances and ‘pandemic-level cleaning’.
A rep for WWE confirmed the scheduling information, saying;
“We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times. We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff. As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance.”
WWE returned to live television shows from the Performance Center this week after the Governor of Florida allowed sports and entertainment properties to resume producing events in the state as long as there are no fans in attendance.