WWE To Use Scaled Back Set For SmackDown At Madison Square Garden

WWE will return to their spiritual home of New York City's Madison Square Garden on Friday night for a live taping of SmackDown. 

The company has been hot for the past couple of years, with WWE ratings experiencing year-on-year rises while attendances are also up, with the company regularly setting records in the markets they visit. 

Such is WWE's popularity that the organisation has utilised a smaller set for tapings of Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, and WWE pay-per-views since Survivor Series in November 2023. That will be the case for tonight's SmackDown, with PWInsider reporting that WWE will be using a scaled-back set for the show. 

Based on the seat map for SmackDown, it appears WWE won't be simply using the MSG door, though, like the company did for the likes of Survivor Series 2002 and Royal Rumble 2008. 

According to WrestleTix, 16,646 tickets have been distributed for tonight's SmackDown taping and the arena is set up to accommodate 17,660 fans. Ticket sales have already surpassed the 15,831 tickets that were distributed for the December 26, 2023 house show that set a new record as the highest-grossing domestic non-televised event in WWE history. Ticket sales are also up 22 per cent from the SmackDown taping at MSG in July 2023. 

Already announced for tonight's SmackDown are three Money in the Bank qualifiers and a Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony following Jacob Fatu's debut last week. The advertised card for SmackDown at Madison Square Garden is as follows:

• LA Knight vs. Logan Paul vs. Santos Escobar - Men's Money in the Bank Qualifier
• Tiffany Stratton vs. Candice LeRae vs. Jade Cargill - Women's Money in the Bank Qualifier 
• Naomi vs. Blair Davenport vs. Indi Hartwell - Women's Money in the Bank Qualifier 
• Bloodline Acknowledgement Ceremony