WWE SmackDown To Air As Split-Site Broadcast From Miami Hip-Hop Festival
WWE is headed to the popular Rolling Loud hip-hop festival.
It was announced today that the July 23 edition of SmackDown on FOX will feature matches from the Rolling Loud Miami 2021 festival.
WWE previously announced that the July 23 SmackDown will air from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH. Now that episode will feature a split-site broadcast with multiple matches at Rolling Loud from Hard Rock Stadium, and the remainder of the show held in Cleveland.
WWE touted how this marks the first-ever collaboration between the company and a major music festival, but WWE NXT has held matches at the UK's Download Festival for a few years until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Rolling Loud will be headlined by Travis Scott, Post Malone and A$AP Rocky. WWE Superstars will share the same stage with those rappers.
"What Matt Zingler, Tariq Cherif and the entire Rolling Loud team have built is spectacular," said Scott Zanghellini, WWE Senior Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development in a press release. "We couldn't think of a better partner to deliver such a unique WWE experience to fans during the July 23 edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX."
"I grew up on Sweet Chin Music, mesmerized by the spectacle that Vince McMahon and co have built at WWE," said Tariq Cherif, Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Rolling Loud. "The idea of weaving our two storylines into one world, one must see event, is electrifying."
"And I quote! If ya smell...what the WWE and Rolling Loud...is...cookin'! Give me a hell yeah!," said Rolling Loud Co-Founder/Co-CEO, Matt Zingler.
Stay tuned for more on WWE and Rolling Loud. Below is the full announcement issued to us today:
WWE® FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN® HEADS TO ROLLING LOUD MIAMI 2021
STAMFORD, Conn., July 7, 2021 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and Rolling Loud, the world's premier rap festival, today announced a new partnership that brings Friday Night SmackDown to Rolling Loud Miami 2021 on July 23. The occasion marks the first ever collaboration between WWE and a major music festival.
Gracing the same stage as festival headliners Travis Scott, Post Malone and A$AP Rocky, WWE Superstars will compete in matches live from Rolling Loud Miami. The July 23 edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX will feature a split-site broadcast with multiple matches at Rolling Loud Miami, and the remainder of the evening held at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
"What Matt Zingler, Tariq Cherif and the entire Rolling Loud team have built is spectacular," said Scott Zanghellini, WWE Senior Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development. "We couldn't think of a better partner to deliver such a unique WWE experience to fans during the July 23 edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX."
"I grew up on Sweet Chin Music, mesmerized by the spectacle that Vince McMahon and co have built at WWE," said Tariq Cherif, Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Rolling Loud. "The idea of weaving our two storylines into one world, one must see event, is electrifying."
"And I quote! If ya smell...what the WWE and Rolling Loud...is...cookin'! Give me a hell yeah!," said Rolling Loud Co-Founder/Co-CEO, Matt Zingler.
WWE has a rich history of integrating music into all aspects of its brand and collaborating with some of the most celebrated artists in the world. Over the years, world-renowned hip-hop artists including Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Three 6 Mafia, MGK, Wale and many others have performed at WWE's biggest events.
Bringing 130 of the hottest acts in hip-hop to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., the sold out Rolling Loud Miami 2021 is a triumphant return for live rap music, and a coming out party for risers and new superstars eager to play in front of a festival crowd. The sixth Rolling Loud festival in Miami, where it started as a humble one-day event in Bayfront Park, Rolling Loud Miami 2021 will occur from July 23-25.
Friday Night SmackDown airs live on FOX at 8/7c and features Universal Champion Roman Reigns, SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair, SmackDown Tag Team Champions Rey and Dominik Mysterio, WWE Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews, Bayley, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and more.
Rolling Loud Miami is the first of three Rolling Loud festivals happening this year. On October 28-30, Rolling Loud returns to the birthplace of Hip Hop with Rolling Loud New York 2021, headlined by Travis Scott, J. Cole, and 50 Cent, taking place at Citi Field in Queens. The festival heads to the West Coast on December 10-12 for Rolling Loud California, headlined by J. Cole, Kid Cudi, and Future, from NEO Events Center in San Bernardino, Calif.
Stay tuned for more announcements about the Rolling Loud and WWE/Friday Night SmackDown partnership in the weeks leading up to the festival.