WWE Set To Resume Live RAW, NXT, and SmackDown Broadcasts Next Week

WWE is set to resume live television broadcasts next week for RAW, SmackDown, and WWE NXT, multiple sources have confirmed. Previously, WWE has been relying on taped broadcasts at various points during the COVID-19 pandemic, including taping WrestleMania in advance for the very first time. Earlier on Friday, the plan was for several episodes of SmackDown, RAW, and NXT to be taped in the coming week which would net WWE all of their television through the Money In The Bank PPV event on May 10th. That is no longer the case.

Pro Wrestling Sheet, with confirmation from the Wrestling Observer and POST Wrestling, have reported that WWE will now move back to a live schedule, a risky proposition given the travel involved for all of the staff and performers involved. While many of the performers do live in the Orlando area where RAW and SmackDown events are being held at the WWE Performance Center and NXT at Full Sail University, many more do not. Following the taping of WrestleMania 36, WWE personnel were able to go home and self quarantine for 14 days. Now, with weekly live events set to resume, that will change, with the chances of an infection now increasing moving forward.

Florida currently has a stay at home order, but WWE has been able to circumvent this as seen by the company running SmackDown on Friday night.

The reports state that it was Vince McMahon who ultimately made the call to resume live events. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports that the company’s television contracts with FOX and the USA Network may have played a role. These contracts stipulate that there can only be so many taped editions of RAW and SmackDown per year. These taped shows have traditionally been reserved for holidays.

Though we are living in unconventional times right now due to the global pandemic, it’s certainly possible that WWE didn’t want to open up the possibility of violating their contracts which would potentially allow the networks to restructure their deals or leave WWE in a situation where they could face financial penalty.