The upcoming week of WWE programming will have a completely different schedule compared to the rest of the year, and in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer explained why that is the case.
Starting with the August 24 episode of “WWE Raw” in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that will air two hours earlier than usual due to the fact that the August 28 episode of “WWE SmackDown” will be taped immediately after. However, on August 28, the stars of “Raw” and “SmackDown” will descend upon the Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio as the August 31 episode of “Raw,” and the September 4 episode of “SmackDown” will be taped. This comes after many fans originally believed that the August 28 taping in Cleveland would be a live episode of “SmackDown,” a taped episode of “Raw,” and that the “SmackDown” that is being taped after the August 24 “Raw” would actually be the September 4 episode.
For clarification:
- August 24 – “WWE Raw” live in Ottawa
- August 24 – “WWE SmackDown” taped in Ottawa for August 28
- August 28 – “WWE Raw” taped in Cleveland for August 31
- August 28 – “WWE SmackDown” taped in Cleveland for September 4
According to Meltzer, the reason for this schedule is actually very simple in that WWE wanted to give its performers time off over Labor Day weekend, and that the television schedule will return to normal on September 6 for WWE Sunday Night’s Main Event, and September 7 for “Raw” in Birmingham, Alabama.
There will be events taking place in and around this schedule, with “WWE NXT” still airing live on August 25, WWE NXT Heatwave will take place on August 30, as will AAA’s Ola De Calor event in Edinburg, Texas. The WWE main roster will also be active over the final weekend of August with a pair of house shows in Savannah, Georgia and North Charleston, South Carolina on August 29 and 30.
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