Backstage Update On The Go-Home Episode Of WWE SmackDown Before Survivor Series 2024

WWE has undergone many changes over the last several years, with the departure of Vince McMahon as well as the merger with UFC causing seismic shifts in the company's landscape. So far, one of the upsides has been better scheduling for performers, and according to Dave Meltzer on today's "Wrestling Observer Radio," wrestlers on "WWE SmackDown" will continue to benefit from these changes in the weeks ahead.

"The November 22 'SmackDown,' which is [in] Salt Lake City, they're gonna be taping two shows," Meltzer said. "The reason is because the 29th, which is the day after Thanksgiving — I think this is the first time they've ever done this — they're not gonna run a taping that night, so all the talent can spend Thanksgiving night with their families."

It's worth noting that WWE Survivor Series WarGames takes place this year on November 30. That means the go-home episode of "SmackDown" will be pre-taped, allowing spoilers to leak out a week before the show airs.

Meltzer pointed out that Friday "SmackDown" tapings require talent to fly out the day before, causing them to miss Thanksgiving in years past. The company's new management team has seen fit to change this, following a trend of more taped episodes of "SmackDown" and "WWE Raw" on the schedule over the last several months. As another example, last night's "WWE Raw" taping in Grand Rapids, Michigan, saw the company film next week's episode in addition to the live broadcast.

In the past, WWE and the wrestling industry in general have been known for brutal travel schedules, with performers often kept on the road for weeks at a time. This has started changing in recent years, with WWE reducing their non-televised live event schedule while rival promotion AEW typically avoids them entirely.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.