WWE SmackDown Pre-Empted On Multiple FOX Affiliates Due To NFL Preseason

WWE Friday Night SmackDown brought a big show to FOX this week, but it was not available on every FOX affiliate. Some fans sadly didn’t get to witness John Cena dragging Dean Ambrose into his feud with Roman Reigns or Shinsuke Nakamura’s IC Title win. The blue brand’s show was preempted in some areas where the company has a lot of fans who weren’t able to watch the show.

Click here for our complete coverage of WWE Friday Night SmackDown from this week.

Fans in Albany, New York and Michigan were not able to watch SmackDown this week. The blue brand’s show was pre-empted by the NFL preseason. The Detroit Lions’ game took over the Michigan affiliates, and fans around Albany were watching the Buffalo Bills play football instead of WWE SmackDown.

This was a frustrating situation for many, because FOX also geoblocked the channel for many who tried to get around this by streaming it online through another platform. Those with a VPN were able to get around the situation.

It stands to reason that this situation will put a dent in SmackDown’s overall viewers. Fans in those markets were unable to watch this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown due to pre-season football.

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