Big Feeling of Relief Backstage in WWE After Early Holiday Tapings

With 2026 just around the corner, WWE is giving its hard-working staff a rare breather—and people backstage are feeling it.

To accommodate the holidays, WWE taped several episodes of Monday Night Raw, SmackDown, and NXT in advance, including the December 19th SmackDown, December 22nd Raw, December 23rd NXT, December 29th SmackDown, and December 30th NXT. And according to TC of WrestleVotes, the early tapings were a welcome move for those working behind the curtain, as it was a big feeling of relief for them.

“Those I talked to in WWE said there’s a big feeling of relief getting to this week, where they finally have a bit more time off,” TC said during a Q&A session. “They put in a lot of extra work this year, especially with all the AAA shows, the Saturday Night Main Events, and the PLEs.”

TC pointed out that it hasn’t just been the talent putting in overtime—it’s been the entire production machine.

“There have been a lot of late nights for the people working in Stamford, then getting on the road and handling production, so this is a moment where you can kind of exhale and say, ‘Alright, we got through that.’”

He also stated that while fans often focus on wrestlers and on-air personalities, there’s an army of staff behind the scenes keeping the wheels turning every week.

“With all the post shows they do now, there are so many late nights for these people. Reaching this point in the year is a big sigh of relief for a lot of folks you don’t usually think about. People tend to think about the wrestlers and commentators, but there are also the crews who rig the ropes, build the sets, and handle all the behind-the-scenes work.”

After a packed year filled with live shows, international tours, and back-to-back events, WWE staff are finally getting a moment to reset before the machine starts running full speed again in January.

How do you feel about WWE taping shows in advance for the holidays? Should they do it every year to give the crew some well-earned time off? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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