WWE Was Willing To Move SmackDown To 9 PM ET On Friday To Help WNBA Finals Game 6
Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will take place at 12:30 PM ET at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA on Thursday.
The game was without a venue and time in the days leading up to it as the Atlanta Hawks play on Thursday at 8 PM ET.
According to ESPN, WWE was willing to help out the WNBA by pushing SmackDown back to a 9 PM ET start time if it meant Game 6 would begin at 7 PM ET on Friday and be held at State Farm Arena. The game is set to air on USA Network, the home of SmackDown.
During the frantic negotiations over the weekend, an unlikely ally emerged — the WWE. At one point, sources told ESPN that Steve Koonin, the Hawks and State Farm Arena CEO, reached out to WWE president Nick Khan and asked if he’d be willing to move the telecast of this week’s Smackdown to accommodate Game 6 of the WNBA Finals on Friday night.
Smackdown usually airs at 8 p.m. ET on Friday nights on USA Network, which is the broadcast network for this game. If Game 6 were to be played from 7-9 p.m. at State Farm Arena, the WWE would have to move an hour later. Khan told him they’d be fine with the later broadcast window if it was needed to help the WNBA Finals play in a more appropriate arena.
The plan fell through as the league didn’t want a potential Game 7 to be held on Tuesday against Election Night coverage.
SmackDown will air at 8 PM ET on Friday.
