4th of July Smackdown to be pre-taped at June 30 Monday Night Raw

May 28, 2025 Jack Wannan NEWS
Image Credit: WWE

Fans at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will get a taste of both WWE brands next month.

What was originally scheduled to just be a live edition of Monday Night Raw on June 30 will also be a taping for Friday Night Smackdown, the venue announced this week.

While Smackdown almost always airs live nowadays, an episode of the show this summer will land on the 4th of July Independence Day holiday in the U.S. To avoid having talent work on the holiday, WWE will tape the episode just a few days prior while in Pittsburgh.

It was previously suspected by many that the show would be taped, as some noticed WWE’s TV schedule through to the end of July was without a show on Independence Day, despite it being a Friday night where Smackdown would usually air.

We now have confirmation that both the first Raw and Smackdown after Night of Champions 2025 will be taped in the same venue.

The PPG Paints Arena is promoting a 5:30 p.m. start time for the event.

About Jack Wannan 771 Articles
Jack Wannan is a journalist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He writes and reports on professional wrestling, along with other topics like MMA, boxing, music, local news, and more. He graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He can be reached at [email protected]
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