Next week’s Monday Night Raw reunion show is expected to deliver big ratings for the USA Network but this show was originally planned for later this year for the FOX Network. Next week’s reunion show is being done because USA has not been happy with the ratings.
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that there were plans for a big reunion show for the first FOX show on October 4. That show will also include celebrity appearances to make the show come across as a major event, like a big UFC or boxing pay-per-view.
No word on if WWE will continue with their plans to have a big reunion show on SmackDown but one can argue that doing another reunion in October will feel watered down since it would be so close to next week’s Raw special.
One name that is not advertised for next week’s reunion is The Rock. If they can get him for SmackDown in October then that could be the big hook needed for WWE to draw a massive rating.
In other SmackDown news, the 20th anniversary of the show is coming up soon. The show debuted in April 1999 as a one-off special but the first regular episode debuted on August 26, 1999.
No word yet from WWE on when the 20th anniversary special will air but it’s possible that they would want to delay it so they can air it on FOX. It’s going to be an interesting Fall for WWE as they have a ton of big shows lined up. They have the to get ratings up for the USA Network as they begin a new multi-year contract with them for RAW, the debut SmackDown show on FOX, another show in Saudi Arabia in November, and some possible counterprogramming for AEW when they debut on TNT in October.
