WWE Lays the SmackDown to the CW Network & Ohio Valley Wrestling

SmackDown Leaving the CW Network
The WWE has announced that after the 2007 - 2008 season, Friday Night SmackDown will no longer be on the CW Network. The WWE released the following press release last night:

"After a successful decade of SmackDown on both UPN and The CW, World Wrestling Entertainment and The CW and have agreed to conclude our partnership. Since CW's exclusive negotiation period ran out as of last Thursday, January 31, we have been contacted and have been in negotiations with other networks. WWE SmackDown will continue to air on The CW until the conclusion of the 2007-08 broadcast season. We are grateful to Les Moonves, Dawn Ostroff, and their entire organization for bringing WWE SmackDown to millions of viewers for so many years."

The big question now is what happens to SmackDown. It appears that the WWE is in a bargaining position of power due to the ongoing writer's strike. With the next television season in jeopardy due to the strike, WWE programming is now a hot commodity since it is not written by union writers.

WWE Drops Ohio Valley Wrestling
In a busy day for the WWE, they also announced that they would stop their affiliation with Ohio Valley Wrestling. For years, Ohio Valley Wresting was an official developmental territory for the WWE. The WWE is now going to use Florida Championship Wrestling as their exclusive developmental territory.

_{Photo: (c) 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Friday Night SmackDown can be seen every Friday Night on the CW Network.}