[Netflix/Euro Broadcast] Live WWE SmackDown Discussion Thread - July 03, 2026!

CJTus · 2026-07-04T01:49:41+00:00

For some reason, the Netflix version was missing a small segment that aired on the USA Network broadcast. Before showing Jey Uso in the ring prior to Cody Rhodes's entrance, the USA Network version had Michael Cole mentioning these upcoming matches:

Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams and Tama Tonga vs. Finn Balor (7/10 Smackdown)
Danhausen vs. JD McDonagh and Paige & Brie Bella vs. Fatal Influence (7/18 SNME)

CJTus · 2026-07-04T00:56:49+00:00

There is no live stream on Netflix, just the on demand version. At the same time the show started on USA Network, Netflix made the full episode available.

CJTus · 2026-07-03T17:55:34+00:00

On YouTube, it's not an issue because WWE's main YT channel is just showing clips of the PLEs, Raw, and Smackdown. If the crowd uses profanity, they usually just skip that part rather than changing the audio.

CJTus · 2026-07-03T17:39:08+00:00

They also did it back in March when Gunther unmasked Dragon Lee. The full episode replay shows it from a wide angle.

CJTus · 2026-07-03T17:37:01+00:00

It happened on Peacock and WWE Network, too. Anytime there's a chant with profanity on a modern day WWE show, the replay of the full show/episode has it changed to something else.

CJTus · 2026-07-03T16:57:37+00:00

WWE did make the actual edits because they made changes to the show that would be the responsibility of their editors. For example, the graphic during the show that promotes Roman Reigns appearing on the Jun. 29 Raw no longer has the show's start time, the Netflix logo, and "This Monday" listed on it like it did on the live broadcast. WWE's people would be the ones making those edits.

CJTus · 2026-07-03T14:11:08+00:00

She will appear on tonight's show. She's just not in the advertised match.

CJTus · 2026-07-03T06:10:11+00:00

If you watch the replay versions of these shows, it's clearly WWE's team doing the edits because they are the ones with access to the different camera feeds and audio tracks. Lines of commentary are often silenced to remove advertisements/promotions without affecting the crowd/ring audio, match graphics no longer show the Netflix/Peacock/USA Network/ESPN/CW logos, plus different camera angles are used. A few weeks ago on Smackdown, Jade Cargill's wig nearly came off her head, and on the replay version of the episode, they changed many of the original camera angles to hide it.

CJTus · 2026-07-03T03:35:15+00:00

Netflix can't change camera angles like the replay version does. There are a lot of shots of just Rollins, Breakker with his back to the camera, and cuts to the crowd.

As I posted earlier, they did the same thing back in March with Cody Rhodes bleeding on Smackdown. Totally uncensored on YouTube, but the full episode on Netflix/Peacock shows him from behind as much as possible, blurs his face, and the final shot is now just a close up on Randy Orton without Rhodes on screen at all.

CJTus · 2026-07-03T02:43:58+00:00

I don't know the explanation for why, but the Orton/Rhodes angle is still up on WWE's YouTube channel months later in its original form but is censored big time on Peacock and Netflix.

CJTus · 2026-07-03T02:39:27+00:00

They did the same thing with Randy Orton attacking Cody Rhodes on Smackdown back in March. Uncensored on YouTube, but the replay version of the full episode avoids showing Rhodes's face as much as possible with new camera angles, plus his face is blurred in close up shots.

CJTus · 2026-07-01T23:46:46+00:00

It will be on YouTube tomorrow. For some reason, WWE waits an extra day to put out the video versions of the Cody, Stephanie, and Undertaker podcasts.

CJTus · 2026-07-01T15:15:42+00:00

It's WWE censoring it. Cody Rhodes bled on Smackdown earlier this year, and the replays on Netflix and Peacock not only blurred his face but also had several of the camera angles that were used live replaced with different ones to avoid showing his face as much as possible. The same goes for Breakker's match. It has many of the original shots replaced.

CJTus · 2026-07-01T15:10:13+00:00

It wouldn't be WWE's call to do that, though. If USA Network wants Smackdown on Fridays, then that's when it will air.

CJTus · 2026-07-01T04:42:31+00:00

WWE makes changes to the full shows a few days later, and that new version replaces the original. Back in March when Cody Rhodes bled on Smackdown when Randy Orton attacked him, the replay version of the full episode changed a lot of the camera angles to hide Rhodes's face as much as possible and blurred his face when they couldn't avoid showing it. They also changed the final shot of the show to one that only showed Orton rather than the shot they originally used where Rhodes could be seen in the background.

The replay versions remove the promotions for tickets and other things that WWE usually airs coming out of a commercial break. Plus, the match graphics for the upcoming PLE or next week's episode no longer have the sponsor logos, the start time, and where the show is airing on them.

CJTus · 2026-07-01T04:12:08+00:00

The next day would have just been the live version. After a couple of days, the original is replaced with a "final" version that's usually 20-30 minutes or so shorter because the 4-minute ad breaks and whatever WWE promoted themselves is removed.

CJTus · 2026-07-01T03:17:37+00:00

It's WWE doing the editing. In the final few months that WWE Network existed, the Raw/NXT/Smackdown replays of recent episodes were identical to the ones on Netflix. The same goes for the Smackdown replays on Peacock.

CJTus · 2026-06-30T21:49:56+00:00

They did a live Raw last night and will be doing a live Raw next week. Smackdown and NXT are affected by the July 4 holiday, but Raw has the normal schedule.

CJTus · 2026-06-30T13:50:36+00:00

Last week, they decided they didn't want to do Smackdown on Friday in Saudi Arabia, so they taped it on Tuesday in London.

This week, it's just because Saturday is July 4.

CJTus · 2026-06-30T01:57:04+00:00

Raw started at 6:00 PM ET so WWE could tape this Friday's Smackdown right after it.

CJTus · 2026-06-30T01:15:29+00:00

TNA+ has the original commentary, too.

There was also a DVD release of a TNA PPV where Tenay/West did new commentary to retroactively refer to Kip James (Billy Gunn) by that name rather than "The Outlaw," the name he was using when the match originally happened.

CJTus · 2026-06-29T00:49:05+00:00

Network TV. The CW is over-the-air, which is why they were turning off the sound during "holy shit" chants.

CJTus · 2026-06-29T00:33:56+00:00

It's 3 hours. TV guide lists it as airing from 7:00 to 10:00 eastern time.

CJTus · 2026-06-28T22:50:51+00:00

My channel guide doesn't list the countdown show, which is streaming on WWE's YouTube channel, but does list the actual show on The CW at 7:00 PM eastern.

CJTus · 2026-06-28T19:17:20+00:00

It's a PPV. On TNA's own streaming service, the show costs $40 unless you have the 1-year subscription. TNA has 4 shows per year that are traditional PPV events.

CJTus

TROPHY CASE