SmackDown Changes Made Due To The Rock’s Segment Going Long, More Backstage News & Notes

– WWE did not tape any matches for their new WWE Speed on X program prior to Friday Night SmackDown this week at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

– Bell-to-bell, the Bron Breakker squash match victory over Xyon Quinn on the March 1 episode of WWE SmackDown was 8.23 seconds. It marked the first appearance for Quinn, who is a free agent as far as brands go, since a battle royal back in May.

– The recent overwhelmingly positive reactions to Tiffany Stratton at WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth and WWE SmackDown this week were said to be unexpected, and caught many off-guard behind-the-scenes in WWE. They are said to be fully aware of it and expecting it going forward.

– Speaking of Stratton, her win over Naomi on this week’s blue brand WWE on FOX program in Glendale, AZ. was supposed to get a combined two segments, and instead ended up getting nine minutes total including entrances, from start-to-finish.

– The change in time for Stratton-Naomi was likely due to the previous segment with The Rock and The Bloodline going long by a reported ten minutes.

– As noted, the blackouts during The Rock’s segment were due to a “DIE ROCKY DIE…” sign in the crowd on the hard camera side. It’s also worth noting that a sign that read “The Rock shops at BALCO” was taken away from another fan. BALCO refers to a steroid scandal that rocked the sports world in the early-2000s.

(H/T: Fightful Select)