Several WWE Superstars who appeared on the November 13, 2026, episode of Friday Night SmackDown are reportedly dealing with significant travel disruptions following the nationwide flight shutdown that affected airports across the United States.
According to Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com, numerous wrestlers who worked Friday’s SmackDown taping in Sunrise, Florida, have been left stranded, with many reportedly unlikely to be able to travel until Sunday.
The November 13 edition of SmackDown took place at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, airing live on the USA Network in the United States and Netflix for international audiences.
The travel problems began Friday afternoon when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stop at approximately 3:54 p.m. ET due to a telecommunications issue affecting air traffic control operations.
Although the FAA lifted the restriction at approximately 8:15 p.m. ET that evening, the disruption created a backlog of delayed and canceled flights that continued to affect travelers throughout Saturday.
As a result, several WWE performers who had been scheduled to depart Florida following SmackDown have reportedly been unable to reach their next destinations as originally planned.
WWE’s NXT brand has also been traveling this weekend, although its touring schedule has reportedly avoided the same level of disruption.
The NXT roster arrived in Cleveland, Ohio, ahead of Friday night’s live event before the nationwide ground stop went into effect. Additional NXT house shows are scheduled for Saturday in Detroit, Michigan, and Sunday in Chicago, Illinois.
Meanwhile, WWE’s AAA brand has a live television broadcast scheduled for Saturday in Mexico City, Mexico.
The flight disruptions have also created logistical problems for other major wrestling promotions holding events this weekend.
AEW has reportedly been working to arrange charter flights for several performers attempting to reach Phoenix, Arizona, ahead of Saturday night’s Full Gear 2026 pay-per-view.
The company is reportedly making additional travel arrangements in an effort to get its advertised talent to the event and avoid potential changes to the match card.
TNA Wrestling is facing similar difficulties ahead of Sunday’s Destination X pay-per-view in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
TNA President Carlos Silva confirmed Saturday that the promotion will be forced to make changes to its originally advertised lineup because of the ongoing travel complications.
Silva also revealed that two wrestlers had offered to take a short domestic flight before driving more than 600 miles in an effort to participate in the event.
While the nationwide ground stop has ended, its effects continue to be felt across the wrestling industry, with WWE, AEW, and TNA all dealing with the logistical fallout.
As of this writing, the identities of the stranded SmackDown performers have not been disclosed, and WWE has not announced any programming changes directly related to the travel disruption.
