WWE will tape two episodes of Smackdown this week.
The company is heading to Japan on the weekend of July 26 to embark on a tour of the country. They will put on three shows in Japan on the 25th, 26th and 27th. The opening show of the tour in Osaka will be followed by a double bill in Japan over the next two days.
Meiko Satomura, who has not appeared in the WWE since last year, is advertised for the events. Bianca Belair, Cody Rhodes, Shinsuke Nakamura, Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane are also advertised for the shows in Japan.
Due to this tour, Smackdown will not be broadcast live on Friday, July 26. Unlike when Raw visited Japan in 2005, the show will not be broadcast on the road. Instead, they will tape a double bill of Smackdown this Friday,
Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that next week’s Friday Night Smackdown will be taped. This will be immediately following the live broadcast this week. The crowd at the July 19 episode of Smackdown will see two episodes taped in Omaha, Nebraska.
While top stars like Cody Rhodes and The Bloodline will be expected to be on both shows, it is unlikely to see the WWE superstars wrestling on both the taped and live show.
PWInsider wrote;
“WWE will be taping next week’s Friday Night Smackdown this week after the live broadcast on FOX concludes, PWInsider.com can confirm.”
“WWE will be taping two episodes in Omaha, Nebraska due to the travel needed for the live events in Japan the weekend of 7/26.”
