WWE Reportedly Won’t Shift January 1 SmackDown To Go Live Against AEW Dynamite

AEW Dynamite will be live on Friday, January 1, but WWE SmackDown will reportedly remain pre-taped.

Over the last several years, fans have been used to clashes between WWE and AEW. Whether it’s the Wednesday Night War between Dynamite and NXT which ran until 2021, or WWE’s continued counterprogramming efforts against AEW pay-per-views, opportunities to gain an edge over the rival are usually taken by either promotion. However, with AEW holding a live Dynamite on January 1, it seems WWE won’t be taking them on.

According to WrestleVotes via Fightful Select, WWE’s plan to pretape its January 1 SmackDown won’t change in light of AEW’s live broadcast.

“With the announcement that AEW is going to air Dynamite: New Year’s Smash on Friday, January 1st, 2027, a WWE source indicated to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select that the company has no plans to reshape its taping schedule to go head-to-head live with the competition. The 1/1/27 SmackDown will be taped in advance, and there will be a double taping scheduled for Monday, December 28th in Tampa, Florida. We’re told the decision to tape both shows that night was made to allow talent to avoid working New Year’s Day, and per a source, WWE intends to stick with that plan, regardless of what AEW has scheduled. There is an expectation internally that the ratings for the holiday edition of SmackDown could draw a lower number than the usual live broadcast, regardless of AEW airing a live episode against it.”

-WrestleVotes

This is a rare lull in the competition between the companies. In fact, next week, the latest instalment of the battle will take place when Cody Rhodes and John Cena appear on NXT when the show moves to Wednesday as a one-off due to election coverage. You can read more about that here.

While NXT will be encroaching on AEW’s usual night, the roles were reversed when the pair locked horns on Tuesday, October 6, earlier this month. You can catch out on the aftermath here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the live episode of Dynamite on January 1 as soon as we hear more.