WWE’s televised landscape is about to change. This time last year, WWE was seeking new media rights contracts for its three weekly in-ring products, those being WWE Monday Night Raw, WWE SmackDown, and WWE NXT. The red brand had called USA Network its home for just about its entire two-decade run on broadcast television while WWE SmackDown has jumped around from SyFy to USA to FOX. WWE NXT split its time between the WWE Network and USA Network. Heading into this fall, all three of WWE’s weekly in-ring shows are changing locations, and the first of those changes goes down next week when WWE SmackDown heads back to USA Network.
Videos by ComicBook.com
WWE SmackDown Receives New Logo Ahead of USA Debut
The blue brand is altering its style.
As revealed on USA Network’s website, WWE SmackDown will receive a slightly new logo for its return to the channel on September 13th. The logo is a curved version of the title case used on the FOX logo and features a slightly darker shade of blue.
This will be WWE SmackDown‘s first time airing on USA Network in five years, as the weekly show had one three-year stint with the longtime WWE channel from 2016 until 2019. Back then, the series was branded as WWE SmackDown Live, as its pivot from SyFy to USA Network saw it change from a taped Friday broadcast to a live Tuesday show. WWE SmackDown will remain airing live on Fridays in this next run with USA Network.
Following in the footsteps of WWE SmackDown‘s network changes will be WWE NXT. The developmental brand is set to premiere on The CW on Tuesday, October 1st, emanating live from a full-size arena for the first time in its history. WWE NXT has previously taped episodes at places like the Barclays Center and Scotiabank Arena before NXT Takeover premium live events but has never ventured to a 10,000-seat venue solely to broadcast a live episode of WWE NXT television.
WWE Monday Night Raw follows suit three months later. The red brand will leave USA Network and cable television altogether to air on Netflix beginning in January 2025. Executives from both WWE and Netflix are said to be massively enthusiastic about the move, as there are already ambitions to include more WWE content on the streaming giant.
WWE SmackDown moves to USA Network next Friday, September 13th.
