WWE taped Friday Night SmackDown early this week, and apparently, that turned into a headache fast.
The June 26, 2026 episode of Friday Night SmackDown was taped on June 23 at the O2 Arena in London, meaning fans had several days to find out what happened before the show actually aired. And yeah, that is exactly what happened. According to PWInsider, there was unhappiness inside WWE this week because the entire episode leaked online in different places before broadcast.
“There was internal unhappiness within WWE this week as apparently the entire episode of tonight’s Smackdown leaked online in different places.”
That is not hard to understand, because the taped show had plenty of major moments WWE probably wanted fans to see fresh. Trick Williams and Ricky Saints opened the show, Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga split from Solo Sikoa, Rey Fenix beat Nathan Frazer, Jade Cargill defeated Chelsea Green, and Giulia beat Kiana James before Blake Monroe attacked her after the match.
The show also featured Danhausen and Matt Cardona beating Los Garza with help from The Miz and Kit Wilson, plus a final segment with Jey Uso, Oba Femi, GUNTHER, Sami Zayn, and Cody Rhodes that ended in a big brawl. Even the post-show dark match got out there, as Seth Rollins and Oba Femi defeated The Vision before Rollins did the Oba Strut.
So, WWE had a loaded taped SmackDown, but the internet got to it first. That is always the risk when a major show is filmed days in advance, especially with surprises involved. Now the question is whether WWE changes how it handles taped international episodes going forward, because this one clearly did not stay under wraps.
Do you think WWE should avoid taping SmackDown early when major surprises are planned? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
