WWE Raw, Smackdown/ECW tapings moved to Los Angeles

In a resolution of sorts to the WWE vs. NBA dispute, WWE cancelled its plans for a live Raw telecast from Denver's Pepsi Center, instead moving the taping to Staples Center in Los Angeles.

World Wrestling Entertainment officially moved not only its Raw taping though but the next night's combined Smackdown/ECW taping as well to L.A. By no coincidence, Staples is the home arena for the Los Angeles Lakers, the team playing the Denver Nuggets in their ongoing NBA conference title series.

WWE lost the original Pepsi Center taping site in Denver after the NBA claimed it to host a playoff game next Monday. There were no arena conflicts with the Sunday house show in Loveland, Colorado or the Smackdown/ECW taping set for Colorado Springs but WWE cancelled both events to make the Staples Center logistics work.

----
Of course, the dispute has not ended amicably or really at all. The Nuggets/Pepsi Center ownership claimed a deal had already been arranged to move the Raw taping to Sunday before Vince McMahon made his own arrangements with Staples Center.

On the flip side, McMahon has continued to disparage the business skills of Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke. What the Nuggets owner will soon learn is that McMahon is not about to let this situation go.

The move of WWE tapings to L.A. is just the latest of many jugular shots that McMahon will take at Kroenke. With a 5 on 5 'tribute' match and a McMahon confrontation with 'Kroenke' already scheduled, expect next week's WWE telecasts to depict Kroenke and his Denver Nuggets in the absolutely worst possible light.
______________________

WWE Raw telecast threatened by dispute with NBA's Nuggets

The WWE Raw taping scheduled for Monday, May 25 at Denver's Pepsi Center is threatened by an arena conflict with the NBA's Denver Nuggets. Weeks after World Wrestling Entertainment had already booked Pepsi Center for next week's live Raw telecast, the NBA scheduled game four of the Western Conference title series for the same site.

The NBA claims that it will hold the game at Pepsi Center next Monday no matter what and referred further inquiries to the Nuggets. WWE is stating it already has a contractual deal to hold Raw there the same night without any exemption for the basketball postseason. Of course, Vince McMahon immediately went for the jugular in claiming that the Nuggets owner didn't have the faith in his team to set aside the date for a potential postseason game.

My best guess is since that Denver Nuggets owner also owns the Pepsi Center plus the NBA is simply bigger than WWE, it'll end up being the NBA game that gets the arena. That said, if WWE's contractual position is as sound as it claims, it may take the NBA and Nuggets more than a little money to buy WWE out of this dispute.

What would happen to the WWE Raw event if the NBA does gets the rights to Pepsi Center that night, of that I have no idea.

______________________