December WWE SmackDown episode announced for Los Angeles

WWE is officially returning to Los Angeles for a SmackDown episode this December.

It was announced today that the Friday, December 10 episode of SmackDown will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It will be the first WWE show to take place in LA since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland was originally set to host the December 10 SmackDown, but it was announced last week that the show was being relocated. The Monday, March 7, 2022 edition of Raw will instead take place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Dave Meltzer reported last week that the SmackDown episode would be moving from Cleveland to Los Angeles: “The 12/10 Smackdown taping in Cleveland was canceled. While not yet announced, the show that night will take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Essentially it’s a favor for FOX execs due to taping where many of the top execs are based. Those with tickets to the show were being transferred to a Raw event in Cleveland on 3/7.”

The Usos vs. The New Day’s Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods for the SmackDown Tag Team titles is advertised for the Los Angeles SmackDown, though that may be a dark match main event. Tickets for the show will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Pacific time this Friday. There will also be a pre-sale starting at 10 a.m. Pacific this Wednesday.