Dave Meltzer noted on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio WWE had originally planned to air a live SmackDown episode in Charlotte, North Carolina on New Year’s Eve, but that has been removed from the schedule.
Instead, there will be no live episode of SmackDown on Fox on New Year’s Eve as FOX will be airing its New Year’s Eve programming that night. WWE will air a taped “year in review” type episode of SmackDown on FS1.
The decision was made by Nick Khan, Vince McMahon, and Kevin Dunn.
As for the Christmas Eve episode, WWE will tape it at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on Friday, December 17 after the live episode of SmackDown that night.