Not only will SmackDown Live be moving to FOX next year, it will also be moving to Friday nights. That will mean some wholesale changes.
Pretty much ever since its creation in 1999, SmackDown has been subservient to Raw. No matter what Vince McMahon may have you believe, the longer running red brand has always been considered the flagship. The balance of power shifted slightly in 2016 when SmackDown went live on a permanent basis for the first time, but as of right now Raw remains Mr. McMahon's top priority.
That may be about to change. As you will have likely heard by now, FOX is on the verge of sealing a $1 billion deal for SmackDown Live. That means, from September 2019 Team Blue will call FOX their home rather than the USA Network. Even though NBCUniversal are likely going to have to pay even more to keep Raw on their network, there is still going to be a bigger spotlight than ever on SmackDown Live.
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As well as moving network, the day on which SmackDown Live is broadcast is going to change from Tuesday to Friday. That will require more changes than some fans might realize, as pointed out by Mike Johnson of PWInsider. At the moment, SmackDown Live Superstars work live events from Friday until Monday, then arrive for the blue brand's televised show on a Tuesday.
The above obviously won't be able to happen from September 2019, at least not in the same way. Instead, the expectation is that SmackDown Live Superstars will fly in on Thursday, ready for the tapings on Friday, perform at live events on Saturday and Sunday, then fly home on Monday. What's still unclear is whether Raw wrestlers will continue to put on live events on Friday nights opposite a televised SmackDown Live.
While all of the above is what will most likely happen, there is the very real possibility that the roster split will once again become a thing of the past. Since Raw and SmackDown Live will soon be aired a few days apart, showing the same Superstars on each show might not be considered as big an issue as it is right now. If Mr. McMahon does have a plan right now, chances are he will change his mind a number of times between now and September 2019 anyway.