WWE Makes Major Changes To Tapings Schedule, WWE Statement On Working During Coronavirus Pandemic
WWE will continue airing live TV and taping TV from the closed-set WWE Performance Center in Orlando during the coronavirus pandemic, but they are making significant changes as a way to keep staff and talent safe.
WWE officials have decided on an updated tapings schedule moving forward, according to a new report from Pro Wrestling Sheet. The schedule will impact plans for WWE NXT, RAW and SmackDown. WWE has also been taping Main Event and 205 Live episodes from the Performance Center. The schedule will see WWE air live TV for the next few weeks, but they will go into taping more often.
WWE is reportedly making these changes in an effort to have talents traveling in as little as possible. It was noted that the health and safety measures being done at the Performance Center has continued to evolve as the world learns more about COVID-19. The safety measures include everyone wearing face masks when not performing, medical screenings before being allowed to enter any closed set, only allowing essential personnel on those sets, good hygiene and hand-washing for an appropriate amount of time, filming matches in waves, following social distancing guidelines outside of performances, what was described as "pandemic-level cleaning" and more.
While WWE has faced significant outside criticism for how they have decided to continue working, the report noted that WWE is putting a lot of effort into mitigating risks and doing the best they can to protect everyone's health and safety, while still keeping business going.
A WWE spokesperson issued the following statement when asked about the schedule change, which is detailed below. The statement is as follows:
"We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times. We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff. As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance."
The current schedule for WWE TV filming looks like this:
* SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX as scheduled. Monday's RAW will air live on the USA Network, as will Wednesday's NXT. Next Friday's SmackDown will also air live as scheduled.
* Saturday, April 25: WWE will tape two episodes of SmackDown to air on May 1 and May 8
* Monday, April 27: WWE will tape two episodes of RAW – one for that night and one for May 4, the following week
* Wednesday, April 29: WWE will tape two episodes of NXT – one for that night and one for May 6, the following week
* Monday, May 11: WWE will tape one RAW episode for that night and one SmackDown episode for that Friday, May 15
* Tuesday, May 12: WWE will tape one RAW episode for May 18, and one SmackDown episode for May 22
* Wednesday, May 13: WWE will tape two episodes of NXT, one for that night and one for the following week, May 20
* Monday, May 25: WWE will tape two episodes of RAW, one for that night and one for June 1
* Tuesday, May 26: WWE will tape two episodes of SmackDown, one for May 29 and one for June 5
* Wednesday, May 27: WWE will tape two episodes of NXT, one for that night and one for June 3
* Monday, June 8: WWE will tape one RAW episode for that night, and one SmackDown episode for that Friday, June 12
* Tuesday, June 9: WWE will tape one NXT episode for June 10
* Monday, June 15: WWE will tape one RAW episode for that night and one SmackDown episode for June 19
* Tuesday, June 16: WWE will tape one RAW episode for June 22 and one SmackDown episode for June 26
* Wednesday, June 17: WWE will tape two NXT episodes, one for that night and one for June 24
* Monday, June 29: WWE will tape two episodes of RAW, one for that night and one for July 6
* Tuesday, June 30: WWE will tape two episodes of SmackDown, one for that Friday, July 3, and one for July 10
* Wednesday, July 1: WWE will tape two episodes of NXT, one for that night and one for July 8
Stay tuned for updates on the WWE schedule.