WWE Stars Stranded After SmackDown Due To Flight Shutdown

A number of WWE Superstars who appeared on Friday night’s episode of SmackDown in Florida are reportedly stranded due to the nationwide flight disruptions that began Friday afternoon.

Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com provided an update on the situation on Saturday afternoon, reporting that many of the wrestlers who worked Friday’s show are likely unable to travel until Sunday.

The November 13 episode of WWE SmackDown took place at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, airing live on the USA Network in North America and Netflix for international viewers.

As previously reported, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop at 3:54 p.m. Eastern on Friday due to a telecommunications issue affecting air traffic control.

Although the grounding was lifted at 8:15 p.m. Eastern that evening, the resulting flight delays and cancellations have continued to create significant travel complications throughout the weekend.

WWE’s NXT brand has also been on the road this weekend, although its touring schedule has not been impacted in the same way.

The NXT crew arrived in Cleveland, Ohio, ahead of Friday night’s live event before the nationwide grounding went into effect. The brand has additional house shows scheduled for Saturday night in Detroit, Michigan, and Sunday in Chicago, Illinois.

Meanwhile, AAA has a live television episode scheduled for Saturday in Mexico City, Mexico.

WWE isn’t the only major wrestling promotion dealing with the fallout from the flight disruptions.

AEW has reportedly been arranging charter flights to transport several wrestlers to Phoenix, Arizona, for Saturday night’s Full Gear 2026 pay-per-view. The company is attempting to get everyone to the event in time to avoid changes to its advertised lineup.

TNA Wrestling is also experiencing travel-related complications ahead of Sunday’s Destination X pay-per-view in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

With several wrestlers originally scheduled to fly into Edmonton on Saturday, TNA President Carlos Silva confirmed in an official statement that changes will be made to the November 15 event’s advertised lineup due to the ongoing travel problems.