The good news is that this idea has already been announced, and SmackDown will air live in the States on the USA Network beginning January 7, 2016. The move to USA Network has already resulted in one much needed change to the product - let's just hope the show remains that way. Nothing says "unimportant" in the WWE more than a taped show. This is not to disparage any wrestling companies that cannot afford to put on a live television show (or two) on a weekly basis, because the cost of doing so is not cheap. The reason why WWE doesn't get a pass like other wrestling companies comes down to one thing: affordability. The WWE is a publicly-traded, global powerhouse that has the resources and lines of credit that other wrestling companies just can't compete with. Long susceptible to spoilers, taped shows just don't offer that same feeling of unpredictability that a live event does for obvious reasons. With no one nipping at their heels in terms of direct competition, WWE could have continued to produce a taped show and hoped that the ratings would be enough to satisfy the USA Network. With Monday Night RAW currently suffering from a ratings crisis that hasn't been seen in 20 years and the increased role of the WWE Network, the chances of SmackDown's long-term survival looked bleak had they not gone live. Time will tell whether it's enough to save the floundering show, but switching to a live production is undeniably the right move for SmackDown.
A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling,
technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible.
Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard.
As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.