WWE SmackDown will be available live on Netflix from next week, but tonight’s show is a different beast.
The weekly programme has aired on TNT Sports every Friday night for the last five years, but the broadcaster’s deal with the professional wrestling juggernaut on New Year’s Eve.
On January 1, WWE made the jump to Netflix, with hundreds of events already available, and the January 6 episode of Monday Night Raw will be the first of the weekly live shows on the streaming platform.
However, fans will have to wait for SmackDown to air live on Netflix, and so tonight’s episode will instead be available on YouTube.
A couple of matches have already been announced including a huge championship bout, while it will also mark the blue brand going to three hours every week, along with the in-ring return of Jimmy Uso.
Here is everything you need to know about tonight’s show.
When does WWE SmackDown start in the UK?
WWE SmackDown is airing tonight (Friday, January 3) starting at 1am for fans in the UK, and it will run until 4am.
How can you watch tonight’s WWE SmackDown in the UK?
Tune into WWE SmackDown show either live or on demand for free via YouTube in a first time move for the show simply click the link, or watch live at the top of this very page.
For the last five years, Raw and SmackDown have been available via TNT Sports (and Sky Sports before that), but that’s all changing now with WWE’s content now on Netflix as part of a huge $5 billion deal.
While there are heaps of programming already on the streaming platform, the weekly live shows – Raw, SmackDown and NXT – will kick off next week.
WWE SmackDown card for tonight
- Main Event: The OG Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and Sami Zayn) vs. The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa, and Tama Tonga)
- WWE Women’s Title: Nia Jax (c) vs. Naomi
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Andrade
When is WWE moving to Netflix?
WWE content switched over to Netflix on New Year’s Day with heaps of classic content and new highlight programming.
The official move is the January 6 episode of Monday Night Raw (for US fans, that’s the only show heading to Netflix right now) – for us Brits, it’s a real game changer.
Why isn’t WWE SmackDown on Netflix?
Don’t fear, WWE fans – SmackDown is coming to Netflix. Just not quite yet.
Under the new $5 billion deal, Netflix will be the destination for weekly live episodes of Raw, NXT and SmackDown every Monday, Tuesday and Friday night respectively for most of the world outside the United States.
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Raw is moving to Netflix in the US too from January 6, with WWE and the streaming giant both treating that as the true launch of its partnership.
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That means the January 7 episode of NXT and January 10 episode of SmackDown (listed as January 8 and 11 due to time zones, starting at 1am) will be live on Netflix.
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