Backstage News On How WWE Views Smackdown

WWE's current mentality with Smackdown on Syfy is that they aren't making it a priority since the show is leaving that network in January. That's when it will be moving to USA Network, which will apparently lead to a heavier emphasis on WWE's b-show, according to the Wrestling Observer. When the move to USA Network happens, there will be more angles taking place on Raw that will lead in to Smackdown. If you watch both shows currently, that is happening already, although there is rarely anything major that happens on Smackdown that is worth going out of your way to see. While it's easy to see why WWE would think this way since USA Network is bigger and better than Syfy, both networks are still under the NBC Universal umbrella that WWE signed a long term TV deal with.

The main reason WWE is saving the move for January is because there will be NFL games on Thursdays starting on September 10 through the end of December, so WWE knows they will have a tough time getting viewers against the most powerful sports league in America. By making Smackdown a less important show, they are hurting themselves by having less people watch the show. Who knows how many people will tune in once it's on USA Network in January? There was a rumour started by Jerry Lawler months ago saying that Smackdown might be live on Fridays, but that hasn't been confirmed at this point.