Due to the recent move of SmackDown to FOX, WWE has been targeting more mainstream names to the programming. This would be a key factor to earn more viewership on a broader network like FOX. As we have seen in the premiere episode, former UFC superstars Cain Velasquez and boxer Tyson Fury made appearances to bring a sports-kind feel to the show. There were many more such heavy appearances on the red carpet, as well.
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Now it looks like WWE may have booked actor Kevin Smith for an appearance on Smackdown, only to cancel it for a significant reason, according to them. Kevin was ready to appear on WWE’s SmackDown debut on FOX last Friday, but WWE canceled his appearance after he appeared on AEW Dynamite’s debut on TNT last Wednesday.
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In a recent edition of The Rich Eisen Show, AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and actor Kevin Smith talked about the debut episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. Smith went on to disclose that alongside the booking of AEW, WWE also invited him to the FOX premiere on Friday, October 4th. But he showed up on AEW TV two night before during their TNT premiere which is the rival show for the WWE. Hence, Vince McMahon and Co. trimmed down his name from the attendees’ list,
“You know how big it was? [AEW Dynamite premiere on TNT] It was big enough that… me and Jay were lucky enough to be involved, Chris invited us to be involved with the debut match on TNT. We were supposed to go do WWE, me and Jay, the very next day, which was Friday. Was it Friday? SmackDown.
And then the morning after… because we were on the AEW show, it trended, like, there was a lot of coverage and stuff. So, the next morning we were told that WWE was like, you can’t come on anymore, and they canceled us. They kicked me and Jay off the show, but not in a crazy way.”
.@ThatKevinSmith went to the @AEWrestling debut to watch @IAMJericho do his thing and made an enemy of his own: pic.twitter.com/hFkCdoLs2b
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) October 9, 2019
When it comes to tackling the rival brands, WWE adopts a strict policy available all the time. So canceling Kevin Smith from SmackDown FOX premiere does not come as a surprise. There have been occasions before this where WWE ignored even bigger names just because of their associations with any of the rival promotions. The rules have not changed at this time when there’s a TV war going on between AEW and NXT.
