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How the World Cup forced WWE into a rare UK change and proved Logan Paul right
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- How the World Cup forced WWE into a rare UK change and proved Logan Paul right
Photo by Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images
WWE has been forced to adjust its England plans because of the World Cup.
The company is taking SmackDown to London during its summer European tour, but England's fixture against Ghana has created a direct scheduling issue.
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And despite being backed by Netflix and built around major global events, the wrestling promotion chose not to try to compete with the soccer tournament.
WWE will move SmackDown earlier due to England World Cup match
Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images
The Sun reported that WWE will change the start time for its SmackDown taping at The O2 Arena in London on Tuesday, 23 June.
The show is expected to start earlier because England face Ghana in the World Cup later that evening, with kick-off scheduled for 9pm BST.
According to the British outlet, Netflix will not broadcast the episode live on the same day.
Instead, SmackDown is expected to air in its usual Friday slot, meaning fans in attendance will see the episode before it reaches the platform.
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That is a rare example of soccer dictating terms to WWE. The company can fill major arenas, but it has still had to move around England's national team on a World Cup night.
Logan Paul's World Cup point now looks stronger
The episode also underlines Logan Paul's recent take when comparing the World Cup and WrestleMania.
Paul was asked to choose between the two events and picked the soccer tournament without hesitation, saying: "The World Cup. What are you talking about, bro? That's just facts, bro."
He still praised WrestleMania, calling it WWE's Super Bowl, but his wider argument was clear. WrestleMania is huge inside sports entertainment, but the World Cup sits above everything else in the sports world.
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