FOX’s New Year’s Eve Toast & Roast 2022 special was supposed to air on December 31st. It was slated to preempt WWE SmackDown as well. Now FOX has decided to cancel the special as rising COVID-19 cases continue making headlines.
According to Deadline, the cancellation of the program is due to the alarming threat of Omicron variant. As of now, no replacement programming has been stated. Several WWE stars and employees have tested positive for the virus as well.
Prior to FOX cancelling the special, it was announced that on December 31st, WWE would air a year-in-review episode on FOX Sports 1. It is unknown whether the show will air on FS1 or on FOX.
Nick Khan, Vince McMahon, and Kevin Dunn later decided not to air a regular episode on FOX Sports 1. They felt that the show would receive a low rating if it was aired in a subsidiary channel. There is no word on whether FOX’s changing plans will give WWE an opportunity to move back into their weekly Friday night spot.
WWE’s original intention was to broadcast a live episode of SmackDown from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on New Year’s Eve. It was ultimately cancelled. Currently, there is no WWE event planned for December 31st.
What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments!