This year’s RAW and SmackDown Christmas week shows, and the New Year’s week slate of shows are set to be taped in advance, with the Christmas week shows being ran as a double TV taping.
It had previously been reported that WWE was planning to pre-tape both weeks instead of having live shows on Christmas Eve and Day (like how RAW aired live on the holiday last year). According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is planning on taping RAW live on December 17th in Sacramento, and will record the December 24th show after the live RAW concludes. In similar fashion, WWE will host a live episode of SmackDown in Fresno on December 18th, and will tape the Christmas Day episode of the show immediately after that.
In regards to the New Year’s Eve and Day shows, WWE is hosting a Friday night RAW TV taping at the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit on December 28th, and SmackDown will be recorded on Saturday, December 29th at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Tickets for both of these TV tapings are listed for sale now; the following matches are being advertised for the Pittsburgh show:
Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Championship
AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan vs The Miz vs Samoa JoeJohn Cena & Rey Mysterio vs Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura
It was noted by the Observer that the Christmas week shows are likely to bring the lowest ratings in RAW’s history and SmackDown’s move to Tuesdays, citing the declining trend of TV ratings. It’s currently unknown what format the taped shows will take, including how the company would handle that week’s 205 Live or WWE Main Event TV tapings.
