WWE SmackDown Moving to Thursday Nights Starting October 2

Wrestling fans will have to adjust their schedules this fall, as WWE SmackDown is changing nights.

According to the SyFy programming calendar, WWE SmackDown will remain on Friday nights through August and September but will move to Thursdays starting on Oct. 2.   

Nick Paglino of WrestleZone provides a few more details on the switch:

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WWE Smackdown will precede 'Haven,' which stars WWE Hall of Famer Adam 'Edge' Copeland. 

Smackdown debuted in 1999 as a Thursday night series but was moved to Fridays in 2005.

WWE has been willing to move the series to another night for quite some time now, and has even discussed broadcasting the series live on Tuesdays during their most recent TV negotiations.

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Jeremy Borash of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling noted TNA recently made a similar move from Thursday nights to its old time slot on Wednesdays:

This change led to plenty of rumors that TNA was moving to open up space for WWE on Thursday. That speculation only grew louder when WWE trucks were photographed with a SmackDown advertisement noting the new night:

While there was no confirmation at the time, it now appears the speculation was correct after all.

It remains to be seen what type of impact this switch will have on the show's ratings, though it will certainly have a hard time competing with the NFL over the next few months. Certain Thursday Night Football games—which had been a fixture for the past few years on NFL Network—will be simulcast on CBS this season.

On the other hand, this is a long-term move for the WWE and it should not be concerned about certain NFL games that will hurt ratings for just a few months out of the year. Overall, the new Thursday date will likely become a positive for the massive fanbase as the WWE continues to grow.

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