WWE is firmly on the Road to WrestleMania 41 and things are about to take an international twist.
Starting with tonight’s episode of SmackDown, episode of the blue brand’s Friday night show and Monday Night Raw will be broadcast live from cities across Europe.
It marks the first time in history that WWE has aired a run of shows like this in the buildup to its biggest premium live event of the year, which is heading to Las Vegas on April 19 and 20.
From John Cena’s heel turn to Roman Reigns getting involved in CM Punk and Seth Rollins’ rivalry, there a lot to get excited about over the coming weeks.
Earlier this month, Elimination Chamber was the final big stop before the Showcase of the Immortals, with all eyes firmly on Sin City.
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That continues tonight with a stacked episode of SmackDown, so keep reading to make sure you don’t miss any of the action.
What time is Smackdown on tonight?
Tonight, WWE SmackDown starts at 8pm for fans in the UK.
Fans over here are used to Raw and SmackDown airing in the early hours, but we’re in for a treat as the live broadcast on Netflix kicks off at a much more sociable hour.
Where is Smackdown tonight?
This week, SmackDown is airing live from Barcelona, Spain.
It kick starts an international run of shows, with Monday’s Raw coming from Brussels, Belgium, followed by SmackDown in Bologna, Italy and Raw in Glasgow before two nights at London’s O2 arena on March 28 and 31.
WWE SmackDown preview: match card and announcements for March 14, 2025 episode
- Cody Rhodes joins Miz TV to talk about John Cena
- Randy Orton vs. Carmelo Hayes
- Charlotte Flair vs. B-Fab
- WWE Tag Team Titles: #DIY (c) vs. Street Profits
Why are Raw and SmackDown changing start times?
It all comes down to WWE’s ongoing Road to WrestleMania tour across Europe, and the new Netflix deal.
In the past, whenever WWE aired shows from the UK, they’d air on a delay to fit with the US broadcast times, which were still in the early hours for us.
However, that’s all changed with Netflix, as the streaming giant has the WWE rights for most of the world outside the United States, while international crowds have raised the bar in recent years.
Monday Night Raw airs on the streamer pretty much everywhere including the US at this point, so the show will be fully live wherever they are in the world.
Thankfully for fans outside the US, that includes SmackDown, which is part of our Netflix subscription, but is still broadcast on the USA Network for fans in the States.
They’ll have to wait till the usual timeslot, but the rest of us can enjoy the action as it happens.
WWE Smackdown roster and champions
Heading into WrestleMania 41, the SmackDown roster is stacked with big names and talented rising stars.
The current Undisputed WWE Champion is Cody Rhodes, while Tiffany Stratton holds the WWE Women’s Title, and they will defend the gold against John Cena and Charlotte Flair respectively in Vegas.
The blue brand also boasts the inaugural Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green, and her men’s counterpart LA Knight after the Megastar recently reclaimed the prize.
In the tag ranks, #DIY duo Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa lead the way, with Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford), Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson and Elton Prince) and Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) chasing them.
Other big names on the male roster for SmackDown include Andrade, Braun Strowman, Damian Priest, Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens, plus The Bloodline’s Jacob Fatu, Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga.
On the women’s side, Alba Fyre and Piper Niven make up Chelsea Green’s security team, while Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Michin, Naomi, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Candice LeRae and B-Fab make up the rest of the roster.
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