Backstage news from the July 7th 2023 edition of WWE Smackdown at Madison Square Garden

The July 7th 2023 edition of WWE Smackdown took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City and here are a few backstage news items from the event…

* WWE noted that Smackdown was the highest grossing event ever for the company at MSG and it was also the highest grossing domestic Smackdown in history.

* The Bloodline segment that opened the show went over 30 minutes and PWInsider.com confirmed that it went longer than originally planned. AJ Styles vs. Karrion Kross was reportedly intended to be a longer match and other segments were possibly shortened as well.

* Vince McMahon was backstage at the show but that has been regularly happening when WWE television takes place in the northeastern United States. Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com noted the following in regards to McMahon’s appearance…

“For those who have asked about whether Vince McMahon made any major changes to tonight’s taping, we are told that he did not and any changes were minimal as the original plans for the show stayed basically intact with the exception of some time cuts.”

* According to PWInsider, Grayson Waller was praised for his work with Edge on the show.