WWE is hitting a special time of the year, and it has a big impact on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
If you’re tired of waiting until 1am for your wrestling fix, then you’re in luck for the next couple of weeks as the schedule gets a major shakeup.
The show kicks off a fascinating few days for WWE, with SmackDown on Friday, AAA’s highly anticipated Noche de los Grande on Saturday, and an absolutely stacked Clash In Italy premium live event on Sunday.
There’s not a great deal announced for this evening’s broadcast just yet, although we do know that The Miz is poised to face Spanish star Axiom, who is one of wrestling’s most exciting in-ring performers.
There’s likely to be more build to Cody Rhodes’ WWE Championship defence against GUNTHER too, along with Sunday’s planned WrestleMania rematch between Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill.
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Here’s everything you need to know.
What time is WWE SmackDown on this week in the UK?
Tonight, Friday Night SmackDown starts at 7pm live on Netflix for WWE fans in the UK.
Usually, we’ve got to wait until 1am for live shows, but we’re in for a treat.
Where is WWE SmackDown this week?
This week, SmackDown airs live from the Olimpic Arena in Barcelona, Spain.
Why is WWE SmackDown starting early this week?
As has become a trend over the last few years, WWE’s international expansion has been great news for fans across the UK and Europe.
The success of events like the inaugural Clash At The Castle in Cardiff four years ago – plus 2024’s Backlash in Lyon and Bash In Berlin – means WWE is coming over this way more regularly now for tours and live broadcasts.
The Netflix deal for most countries outside the US has helped, too, given that in the past we used to have to stick to US broadcast times even if a show was taking place much earlier in the evening.
WWE is currently in Europe as part of what the company is hailing as its Summer Tour.
When is WWE back in the UK?
Tickets for the WWE European Summer Tour are available now from wwe.com/events. Here are the full dates:
May 28: Bank Arena (Liverpool)
May 29: SmackDown at Olimpic Arena Badalona (Barcelona)
May 31: Clash In Italy at Inalpi Arena (Turin)
June 1: Monday Night Raw at Inalpi Arena (Turin)
June 2: Zenith de Strasbourg
June 3: MEO Arena (Lisbon)
June 4 Palacio Vistalegre (Madrid)
June 5: SmackDown at Unipol Arena (Bologna)
June 6: Palazzo delio Sport (Rome)
June 7: Nelson Mandela Forum (Florence)
June 8: Monday Night Raw at Accor Arena (Paris)
June 20: Utilita Arena (Cardiff)
June 21: Utilita Arena (Birmingham)
June 22: Monday Night Raw at The O2 (London)
June 23: SmackDown at The O2 (London)
June 24: Utilita Arena (Sheffield)
Current WWE champions
On SmackDown, Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley are leading the charge as WWE Champion and WWE Women’s Champion, respectively, although that could all change by the end of Clash In Italy with both titles on the line.
The current men’s United States Champion is rising star Trick Williams with Lil Yatchy by his side, while the women’s US Title is held by Tiffany Stratton.
The blue brand’s tag titles are currently around the waists of R-Truth and former World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest.
Over on Raw, Roman Reigns is back on top with the World Heavyweight Title after beating CM Punk at WrestleMania, while Liv Morgan captured the Women’s World Championship from Stephanie Vaquer in Las Vegas.
Penta and Becky Lynch are the respective men’s and women’s Intercontinental Champions, with The Vision holding the tag team gold.
Until Monday, that meant Austin Theory and Logan Paul were champs, but the latter has suffered an injury, meaning Bron Breakker is taking his place.
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