WWE SmackDown Is Coming to Glendale This Fall

The West Valley is gonna get a smackdown in the near future … literally. And it should come as good news to local professional wrestling fans over in that part of town.

The WWE has announced it will bring SmackDown Live, one of its major weekly television programs, to Gila River Arena in Glendale on Tuesday, September 26.

It’s the first time that the WWE will broadcast a televised event at the arena. And just like any other event the company has put on in the Valley over the years (and there have been a bunch of ‘em), we’re expecting an enormous crowd will be in attendance.

According to the WWE website, all the significant superstars from the roster of SmackDown Live, which is considered to be a separate brand from Raw, are scheduled to appear at the event. That includes AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal, Becky Lynch, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Carmella.

Onetime Valley resident Baron Corbin, who played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2010, is also scheduled to be there. And given Gila River Arena’s close proximity to his old stomping grounds of University of Phoenix Stadium, we’re wondering if the WWE’s play-by-play announcers will make reference to that fact.

The SmackDown Live episode at Gila River Arena will be the fourth event that WWE has broadcast from the Valley this year. In February, the company held its Elimination Chamber pay-per-view at Talking Stick Resort Arena followed by episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live at the venue on back-to-back nights last month.

And though this will be the first televised event that WWE has put on at Gila River Arena, it's not the first time that the company's superstars have done battle at the venue — or in the West Valley, for that matter.

Back in January 2004, an untelevised live event (or "house show," as it's known in the pro wrestling world) took place at what was then known as Glendale Arena. And in 2010, University of Phoenix Stadium hosted WrestleMania 26, which was attended by 72,219 people.

Both are also proof of pro wrestling's unending popularity in Phoenix, which (like we said) is why we're expecting a big turnout for SmackDown Live's debut at Gila River Arena.

If you'd like to be in attendance, tickets are on sale now and range from $20 to $125.

WWE SmackDown Live will take place on Tuesday, September 26, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale.