Okay, so, a while back I decided to go to a Smackdown taping, ’cause why not? I hadn’t been to a WWE event in like, forever, and I was kinda curious to see how things were nowadays. First thing I did was look up tickets online. They weren’t too bad, price-wise. I mean, you could get in for around 60 bucks if you weren’t picky about your seats. I ended up snagging one a bit higher up ’cause I like to see everything that’s going on.
Next, I did some digging ’cause I wasn’t sure what to expect. Turns out, they usually tape some other stuff before the actual Smackdown show. Some folks online said to get there early, like at least 30 minutes before the main show, to catch the pre-show stuff, which they called the Main Event taping. They also mentioned staying after for a possible “dark match,” which I guess is a match that doesn’t air on TV. Seemed like it could be a long night, maybe like four hours or so, but hey, more wrestling, right?
So, the day of the show, I got to the arena early, as suggested. There were already a bunch of people there, all excited and buzzing about the matches. I found my seat and settled in. They did have the pre-show matches, which was cool. Got to see some wrestlers I hadn’t heard of before, and the crowd was super into it.
Then came Smackdown, which was live, by the way. It was pretty awesome seeing it all in person. The lights, the music, the crowd going nuts, it was a whole different experience than watching it on TV. After the main show ended, I stuck around like I read they sometimes do a dark match.
- Get up early
- Buy tickets
- Do some research on the internet
- Head to the stadium
- Watch the pre-show
- Watch the Smackdown show
- Watch the dark match
A few more things
The whole thing was a blast. If you’re a wrestling fan, or even if you’re just looking for something different to do, I’d definitely recommend checking out a Smackdown taping. It’s a fun, loud, and just a generally good time.
One last thing I noticed from looking stuff up online is that sometimes they tape these shows ahead of time. Like, they might film two episodes in one night, or even tape a show weeks in advance. I guess it makes sense with the wrestlers’ schedules and all the travel they have to do. Just something to keep in mind if you’re planning on going, you might not actually be seeing it live, even if it feels like it. Anyway, it was a great experience, and I’m glad I went.
