WWE SmackDown, also known as Friday Night SmackDown or simply SmackDown, is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Fox, although some sporting events occasionally move it to FS1. Fox Deportes simulcasts the program with Spanish-language commentary. The show features characters from the SmackDown brand, to which WWE employees are assigned to work and perform. It is considered to be one of WWE's two flagship programs, along with Monday Night Raw.
SmackDown! debuted in the United States on UPN on April 29, 1999, and was formerly broadcast on Thursday nights. The show moved to Friday nights on September 9, 2005, and began airing on The CW in September 2006, after the merger of UPN and the WB. The show later moved to MyNetworkTV in October 2008. On October 1, 2010, SmackDown moved to cable network Syfy, and eventually returned to Thursdays on January 15, 2015. The show then moved to the sibling USA Network on January 7, 2016, and later that year, beginning on July 19, SmackDown began broadcasting live on Tuesday nights. SmackDown's move to Fox on October 4, 2019, marked the show's return to Friday nights and over-the-air broadcast television (as well as the second time SmackDown has aired on a Fox-owned network). In October 2024, the show will return to the USA Network.
SmackDown has been broadcast from 163 arenas, 148 cities and towns, six countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan in 2005, Italy in 2007, and Mexico in 2011. Prior to switching to its current live format, taped episodes premiered a few hours earlier in Ireland and the United Kingdom than in the United States (and a day earlier in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the Philippines) due to time differences. For international broadcast listings, see below. The show celebrated its 15th anniversary on October 10, 2014, and the 1000th episode on October 16, 2018.
The WWE Network ceased operations in the United States on April 4, 2021, with all content moved to Peacock which now has all previous episodes of SmackDown. Recent episodes are still available for on-demand viewing 30 days after the original air date.
Roster[]
Men's division[]
- AJ Styles (Allen Jones)
- Akam (Sunny Dhinsa)
- Angel (Humberto Garza Solano)
- Angelo Dawkins (Gary Gordon)
- Ashante "Thee" Adonis (Tehuti Miles)
- Austin Theory (Austin White)
- Berto (Humberto Garza Carrillo)
- Bobby Lashley (Franklin Lashley)
- Bron Breakker (Bronson Rechsteiner)
- Cameron Grimes (Trevor Caddell)
- Carlito (Carlos Colón Coates Jr.)
- Cedric Alexander (Cedric Johnson)
- Cruz Del Toro (Raúl Mendoza)
- Dragon Lee
- Elton Prince (Lewis Howley)
- Grayson Waller (Matthew Farrelly)
- Jimmy Uso (Jonathan Fatu)
- Joaquin Wilde (Michael Paris)
- Karl Anderson (Chad Allegra)
- Karrion Kross (Kevin Kesar)
- Kevin Owens (Kevin Steen)
- Kit Wilson (Sam Stoker)
- LA Knight (Shaun Ricker)
- Logan Paul
- Luke Gallows (Drew Hankinson)
- Montez Ford (Kenneth Crawford)
- Pete Dunne (Pete England)
- Randy Orton (Randal Orton)
- Rey Mysterio (Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio)
- Rezar (Gzim Selmani)
- The Rock (Dwayne Johnson)
- Roman Reigns (Leati Joseph Anoa'i)
- Santos Escobar (Jorge Alcantar Bolly)
- Sheamus (Stephen Farrelly)
- Solo Sikoa (Joseph Fatu)
- Tyler Bate
Women's division[]
- Alba Fyre (Kayleigh Rae)
- Asuka (Kanako Urai)
- B-Fab (Briana Brandy)
- Bayley (Pamela Martinez)
- Bianca Belair (Bianca Crawford)
- Charlotte Flair (Ashley Fliehr)
- Dakota Kai (Cheree Crowley)
- Elektra Lopez (Karissa Rivera)
- Isla Dawn (Courtney Stewart)
- Iyo Sky (Masami Odate)
- Kairi Sane (Kaori Housako)
- Michin (Stephanie Lee)
- Naomi (Trinity Fatu)
- Scarlett (Elizabeth Chihaia Kesar)
- Shotzi (Ashley Urbanski)
- Tamina (Sarona Snuka-Polamalu)
- Tiffany Stratton (Jessica Woynilko)
- Zelina Vega (Thea Trinidad Büdgen)
Broadcasting[]
U.S. broadcast history[]
| Channel | Timeslot | Original run |
|---|---|---|
| UPN | Thursday 8–10 p.m. ET | April 29, 1999 August 26, 1999 – September 1, 2005 |
| Friday 8–10 p.m. ET | September 9, 2005 – September 15, 2006 | |
| The CW | September 22, 2006 – September 26, 2008 | |
| MyNetworkTV | October 3, 2008 – September 24, 2010 | |
| Syfy | October 1, 2010 – January 9, 2015 | |
| Thursday 8–10 p.m. ET | January 15, 2015 – December 31, 2015 | |
| USA Network | January 7, 2016 – July 14, 2016 | |
| Tuesday 8–10 p.m. ET | July 19, 2016 – September 24, 2019 | |
| Fox | Friday 8–10 p.m. ET | October 4, 2019 – September 27, 2024 |
| USA Network | October 4, 2024 – present |
Other U.S. broadcasters[]
- Fox Deportes - simulcasts Fox's coverage with Spanish-language commentary
- FS1 - carries SmackDown in case of other sporting events being broadcast on Fox on its timeslot
- AFN Sports 2 - broadcasts to U.S. military troops stationed or assigned overseas
- Hulu, WWE Network, Peacock - online streaming