Wrestling Fans Are Confused About How to Stream 'SmackDown' on Hulu

Streaming services have restructured the way we indulge in our favorite television shows, movies, and documentaries. Shows that once required a cable service provider for access have now become easier to watch with streaming platforms. And for wrestling fans who can’t get enough of the sport, WWE's SmackDown is the show that satisfies their fix.

Streaming platforms come with their own set of rules: shows come and go almost without notice. Since SmackDown fans are having trouble accessing some episodes, viewers are wondering if the show is still available to stream on Hulu. Keep reading to get in the know. 

Hulu comes in clutch for a variety of reasons. Not only can you binge-watch your favorite shows, you also have the opportunity to watch live TV. And wrestling fans enjoyed the flexibility of being able to watch SmackDown on Hulu both live and on demand.

However, it appears that Hulu has flipped the script for SmackDown fans. At this time, Hulu has removed past episodes of the show from its library. And the reason is that the rights of each episode are expiring, per 411 Mania.

See, in order for Hulu — or any streaming platform, for that matter— to access and air shows, they have to sign an agreement to the rights of the content, which has to be agreed upon by both parties. In the past, Hulu was able to make all SmackDown episodes available for next-day streaming after its air date and kept the episodes up for an extended period of time.

But since SmackDown has made its move to Fox, Hulu has to change up how they will provide viewers access to stream the content.

That said, SmackDown is still on Hulu for now. But, because of issues with the rights to content, old episodes will not be available for months at a time, like is the case with other shows.

Not being able to watch the shows you love when you want to can be an absolute pain. But when it comes to streaming platforms, things often go off schedule pretty quickly.

Unlike other series – both scripted and unscripted – on the platform, SmackDown is a live event. For that reason, it can sometimes take a while for episodes to arrive on the streaming platform.

While there is no clear reason for the delay in the first place, we can assume that the rights to programming plays a role. According to Decider, there might also be issues with Hulu uploading videos that possibly contribute to the delay.

So, if you decide that you want to tune into SmackDown on Hulu, it's best to check the platform the day after a match airs to see if the latest episode has been added. 

Make sure that you catch new episodes of SmackDown weekly before Hulu removes them from the platform.