Tonight’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown isn’t being held in Paris ahead of Clash in Paris this Sunday, and it is a small deviation from the regular way WWE has structured its PLE weekends these past few years, especially international ones. Instead, the LDLC Arena in Lyon will play host to SmackDown tonight. But why is that?
Well, firstly, the way the company has structured its Clash in Paris weekend is different, with the PLE on Sunday, which is rare these days besides the two-night WrestleMania and now two-night SummerSlam shows. With the big Premium Live Event scheduled for Sunday in the French capital, WWE has instead decided to hold the RAW that follows in the city instead of flying back to the United States.
A packed European Tour schedule may have been the reason, so as to give wrestlers time to vacation or rest before they hit the road again, beginning with next week’s SmackDown or the RAW that follows. WWE has taken this opportunity to spread its presence across France rather than stack everything in one city, thus allowing them to return to Lyon, which delivered an electric atmosphere at Backlash 2024.
Paris already has two major shows in quick succession: the Clash itself and the post-PLE episode of RAW the following night. With the Paris La Défense Arena a massive venue, and the Parisian crowd is known for its passion, three straight nights in the same city in such a massive venue risked a reduction in volume, whether in terms of draining the energy or dividing ticket sales, especially with the exorbitant ticket prices WWE would charge in a city like Paris.
This way, WWE ensures consistently packed arenas and keeps fan enthusiasm high across France. So, instead of Paris, Lyon will host SmackDown tonight, and as some may like to put it, as a reward for its incredible fan response last year. In doing so, the talent will have the opportunity to return to “the greatest crowd in WWE history,” as has been expressed by various superstars backstage, according to John Cena.
Tonight’s SmackDown will mark John Cena’s first and final WWE appearance in Lyon, France
During an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon a few weeks ago, where he was promoting the upcoming season of DC’s Peacemaker (in which he plays the lead role), John Cena delved a little into his ongoing WWE Farewell Tour. In doing so, he expressed just how thrilled he is to be performing in Lyon, as he said:
“I’ve done a ton of stuff in my career, I’ve been in front of some crazy crowds, but I’ve never been in front of the crowd that our current roster calls “the greatest crowd in WWE history” in Lyon, France. All the stuff I’ve ever done in my career, I’ve never heard the so-called ‘greatest crowd in WWE history’, and it’s supposedly in Lyon.”
Regardless of what may have been the primary reason for how WWE has scheduled their weekend in France, it is clear that returning to Lyon was a major consideration, and perhaps an important enough reason to initiate shuffling around the entire weekend. SmackDown tonight is sure to be a blast, and despite the bigger shows and crowds being in Paris, Lyon might end up stealing the weekend, if not the entire European Tour, one more time.
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