WWE reportedly plans to cease live broadcasts after next week

In a rare bit of worker-friendly news from WWE this week, Pro Wrestling Sheet is reporting that the company will reverse course on their plan to broadcast all Raw, NXT, and SmackDown episodes live from their Orlando Performance Center.

The move will reduce the amount of travel performers and production staff will have to do during the pandemic. Each of the three shows will still air live next week. Members of the roster will still have to either make multiple trips to Orlando, or stay in town if they don’t already live there, over the next two-and-a-half months. But this is an improvement over Vince McMahon’s original strategy.

- SmackDown will air this evening live as scheduled on FOX

- Raw will air on Monday live as scheduled on USA Network

- NXT will air on Wednesday live as scheduled

- Next Friday (April 24), SmackDown will air live as scheduled

- Saturday, April 25; two episodes of SmackDown will be taped (airing May 1 and May 8)

- Monday, April 27; two episodes of Raw will be taped (one for that night and the other will air the following week on May 4)

- Wednesday, April 29; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is for that night, the other will air on May 6)

- Monday, May 11; one episode of Raw will be taped for that night and one episode of SmackDown will be taped for May 15

- Tuesday, May 12; one episode of Raw will be taped for May 18 and one episode of SmackDown will be taped for May 22

- Wednesday, May 13; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is for that night, the other will air on May 20)

- Monday, May 25; two episodes of Raw will be taped (one for that night, the other will air on June 1)

- Tuesday, May 26; two episodes of SmackDown will be taped (one will air on May 29, the other will air on June 5)

- Wednesday, May 27; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is for that night, the other will air on June 3)

- Monday, June 8; one episode of Raw taped for that evening and another episode of SmackDown taped for June 12

- Tuesday, June 9; one episode of NXT will be taped for June 10

- Monday, June 15; one episode of Raw taped for that evening and another episode of SmackDown taped for June 19

- Tuesday, June 16; one episode of Raw taped for June 22 and another episode of SmackDown taped for June 26

- Wednesday, June 17; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is that night, the other will air on June 24)

- Monday, June 29; two episodes of Raw will be taped (one for that night and the other will air on July 6)

- Tuesday, June 30; two episodes of SmackDown will be taped (one for July 3 and one for July 10)

- Wednesday, July 1; two episodes of NXT will be taped (one is for that night, the other will air on July 8)

If the reports of McMahon’s alleged reason for wanting to run every show live in the first place are true, this would indicate he’s gotten assurances from NBCUniversal and Fox that WWE’s television deals won’t be altered if they run more than three pre-taped shows per year.

Pro Wrestling Sheet’s report, written by WWE Backstage’s Ryan Satin, also details the other coronavirus precautions the company has been sure to mention whenever they talk about their decision to continue producing content while nearly every other sports and entertainment operation has shut down.