WWE fans heading to SmackDown in London are getting a special World Cup treat on Tuesday.
This week, the wrestling giant’s weekly show is being taped at The O2 with an earlier start time after concerns from fans not wanting to miss the England vs. Ghana match.
In a surprise twist, WWE has announced that anyone at SmackDown wanting to catch the Three Lions’ second group game can do just that without moving an inch.
There will be an official World Cup screening sponsored by Budweiser, with the England match kicking off at 9pm and being shown on the jumbotron for fans to watch from their seats.
It will mark the first time ever that a football match has been screened at The O2.
SmackDown is starting at an earlier time of 6pm to make sure everything is done in time for the football, and thousands of fans in attendance will get the game in a unique atmosphere at no extra cost.
Wrestling fans, and British fans in particular, are known for being rowdy and having a football flavour to their chants anyway, so this is a smart move across the board.
For SmackDown itself, which will be taped and air on Netflix in its usual Friday night slot, there are already some big matches announced.
The UK’s own Paige, who returned at WrestleMania to win the tag titles with Brie Bella, will face off with rising star Jacy Jayne.
Hometown hero Nathan Frazer will get a chance to shine against masked luchador Rey Fenix, and former United States Champion Giulia will battle manager-turned-rival Kiana James.
Fans will be hoping English star Blake Monroe could finally make her long awaited SmackDown debut after weeks of vignettes hyping her arrival.
‘WWE and SmackDown audiences have never seen anything like me,’ she promised in an exclusive chat with Metro last month. ‘They’ve never seen a woman as versatile as me.’
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Blake hasn’t given anything away when it comes to a potential debut date.
However, she teased: ‘We do have this European tour coming up, so maybe, let’s see…’
As for the football, England are on track to qualify from Group L after a dominant 4-2 over Croatia last week.
On Wednesday, they’ll face Ghana knowing they could end the night with two wins from their opening two games, and secure their passage to the knockouts.
They’d be top of the group even before the third and final game of the round against Panama on June 27.
Tickets for Raw and SmackDown on June 22 and 23 at London’s O2 are still available here.