Backstage News on “Smackdown” Moving to Thursday Nights

On Thursday, Jan. 15, WWE’s second-highest viewed program, “Smackdown,” returned to Thursday evenings for the first time in more than a decade. The show would see former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan return to in-ring action, obtaining a pinfall victory in the six-man main event match. In another good sign for WWE, viewership for the program was up 10 percent from the previous week’s showing on Friday, Jan. 9.

A recent report from Reddit user and reliable WWE insider MetsFan4Ever, who claims to be a former WWE employee, has some backstage information on the show’s transition to a new night. In the same report that discussed potential heat on Dolph Ziggler, the Reddit user would note that morale is at an all-time high for “Smackdown” and those within WWE who work it.

A fair share of WWE Superstars are happy about “Smackdown” returning to Thursday nights, as it will hopefully give them even more exposure. Additionally, there is a feeling within WWE that this added exposure will give the company a better platform to promote and sell the WWE Network.

Editor’s Note

If WWE can keep putting on shows like it did on Jan. 15, I have to think that the company can once again make “Smackdown” a legitimate must-see show, even if it is taped.