How the World Cup forced WWE into a rare UK change and proved Logan Paul right

Yahoo Sports15h ago2 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

WWE is altering its plans for SmackDown in London due to a scheduling conflict with England's World Cup match against Ghana. The decision reflects WWE's choice not to compete with the soccer tournament.

Key points

WWE is adjusting its plans for SmackDown in London
England's World Cup match against Ghana created a scheduling issue
WWE chose not to compete with the soccer tournament

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Photo by Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images

WWE has been forced to adjust its England plans because of the World Cup.

The company is taking SmackDown to London during its summer European tour, but England’s fixture against Ghana has created a direct scheduling issue.

And despite being backed by Netflix and built around major global events, the wrestling promotion chose not to try to compete with the soccer tournament.

WWE will move SmackDown earlier due to England World Cup match

Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images

The Sun reported that WWE will change the start time for its SmackDown taping at The O2 Arena in London on Tuesday, 23 June.

The show is expected to start earlier because England face Ghana in the World Cup later that evening, with kick-off scheduled for 9pm BST.

According to the British outlet, Netflix will not broadcast the episode live on the same day.

Instead, SmackDown is expected to air in its usual Friday slot, meaning fans in attendance will see the episode before it reaches the platform.

That is a rare example of soccer dictating terms to WWE. The company can fill major arenas, but it has still had to move around England’s national team on a World Cup night.