10 Predictions For The State Of Wrestling In 5 Years

8. SmackDown Leaves FOX

WWE SmackDown
WWE.com

FOX proudly inked a five year deal with WWE to start airing SmackDown from October 2019 onwards, and... it hasn't been the smash hit everyone hoped. Dreams of a vibrant, unique product that offered something different to Raw and used the network's nous about real sports to great effect have been smashed.

SmackDown 2020 is pretty much SmackDown 2017, only with some new wrestlers.

If the ratings don't pick up (that's in WWE's court, not FOX execs), then FOX might not be interested in renewing their contract and picking the show up a second time. That'd either send SmackDown spinning back to the USA Network or force Vince McMahon's company to seek a new TV home with smaller reach.

This deal has been lucrative for WWE financially, but casual sports fans who love FOX content haven't been swayed. The dwindling numbers prove that; they're so erratic, moving up and down without much pattern. There's a solid chance FOX has already lost interest.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.