Why do they tape smackdown?

[OverTaker]

Just wondering, why can't it be live just like everything else.

[Dorkchop]

They've been taping Smackdown since the show started.

It can't go live because that would mean the WWE would have to put some effort into making Smackdown a good show. And we all know that's just not gonna happen anymore.

They also need to tape it so they can edit in crowd reaction so it doesn't seem like everyone sits there and has no reaction to Bob Holly doing anything.

[Xero]

They've been taping Smackdown since the show started.

It can't go live because that would mean the WWE would have to put some effort into making Smackdown a good show. And we all know that's just not gonna happen anymore.

They also need to tape it so they can edit in crowd reaction so it doesn't seem like everyone sits there and has no reaction to Bob Holly doing anything.
Well they SIT there, but they make Rock/Hogan-esq sounds. They must throw their voices.

[ddpBANG]

It's on network television.

[Kane Knight]

Just wondering, why can't it be live just like everything else.

Don't listen to Dorkchop. The primary reason Smackdown is taped is that the Network doesn't want the risk of them going over 2 hours. Going live wouldn't affect the need for quality. They would still pipe in cheers like they do on Raw, they would still ignore the fans, they would still do a lot of things. But because they're on network, not cable, they want to make sure that nothing bad goes down and that they don't run over.

Also, "live like everything else" is slightly absurd, as almost nothing WWE does is live. Hell, even Raw is tape delayed, Velocity and Heat are taped, and it used to be that Raw was always taped. Taped is more convenient, and going live only ocurred as a direct response to a certain live competitor.

[Xero]

The only reason RAW went live in the first place is because Bischoff was giving out spoilers for the show before it even aired. That's why Nitro would start at like 7:57.

[OverTaker]

Oh yeah, I remember that.