The History of Smackdown

First broadcast as a special programme on April 29th 1999, Smackdown has spanned 10 years, 3 different television networks, 5 general managers and produced 518 and counting unforgettable episodes featuring the finest that the world of professional wrestling has to offer. Smackdown debuted as a weekly programme on Thursday August 26th 1999 as competition to WCW Thunder, which was also broadcast on Thursday evenings. The original idea for Smackdown was to produce a show that focused solely on women’s wrestling with all matches and storylines involving the Divas. This idea was later dropped in favour of giving more time to the main feuds in the company. There were two main factors that helped separate Smackdown from RAW in the beginning of the show; the heavy use of the colour blue and the Ovaltron used on Smackdown shows instead of the traditional rectangular titantron used on RAW shows. The first major change to the appearance of Smackdown came in August 2001 as a celebration of the 2nd anniversary of the show. In August 2001, during the height of the invasion storyline, Alliance member Rhyno gored WWF member Chris Jericho through the Ovaltron, making way for a brand new set to be introduced; the infamous fist set was then introduced to Smackdown. Smackdown was also given a new logo at this time:

The second major change to the landscape of Smackdown came in April 2002 when the then WWF decided to create competition between their own brands with the purchase of WCW. This was called the brand extension and it marked the first time in history that the superstars would be tied down to one brand. Vince McMahon took charge of Smackdown and then storyline co-owner Ric Flair took charge of RAW. The draft took place live on RAW on March 25th 2002. In the televised segment of the draft, each owner picked 10 superstars for their brand. Vince McMahon chose these 10 superstars in the televised draft:

   1. The Rock
   2. Kurt Angle
   3. Chris Benoit
   4. Hulk Hogan
   5. Billy and Chuck
   6. Edge
   7. Rikishi
   8. D-Von Dudley
   9. Mark Henry
  10. Maven

In the second half of the draft, broadcast live in WWF.com, Vince McMahon chose the following superstars:

  11. Billy Kidman
  12. Tajiri
  13. Chris Jericho
  14. Ivory
  15. Albert
  16. The Hurricane
  17. Al Snow
  18. Lance Storm
  19. Diamond Dallas Page
  20. Torrie Wilson
  21. Scotty 2 Hotty
  22. Stacy Keibler
  23. Christian
  24. Test
  25. Faarooq
  26. Tazz
  27. Hardcore Holly
  28. Val Venis
  29. Perry Saturn

These 29 superstars would make up the first ever Smackdown exclusive roster with the exception of Chris Benoit who was injured at the time and would make his return to RAW. Triple H would become exclusive to Smackdown after Backlash 2002 where he lost the Undisputed Championship to Hulk Hogan. During this draft, the Tag Team Championships became exclusive to Smackdown. 

In August 2002, new WWE Champion Brock Lesnar refused to defend his championship on RAW making the WWE Championship exclusive to Smackdown. During the years since the Brand extension, Smackdown’s major championship has switched between the WWE and the World Heavyweight Championship 3 times. The first being in 2005 when WWE Champion John Cena was drafted to RAW and World Heavyweight Champion Batista to Smackdown. The second time the championships switched was in 2008 when WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to Smackdown and CM Punk beat Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, bringing the title to RAW. The third time came in 2009 when WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to RAW and World Heavyweight Champion John Cena was defeated by Edge in a Last Man Standing Match and Backlash to bring the World Heavyweight Championship to Smackdown. 

In September 2005, Smackdown was moved to a new timeslot on Friday’s instead of the timeslot that it had for 6 years on a Thursday night. This moved meant that the WWE now referred to Smackdown as Friday Night Smackdown and was once again given a New Logo:



On September 22nd 2006, Smackdown ended its 7 year relationship with UPN and moved to the CW network. On October 3rd 2008, Smackdown once again changed network and moved to My Network TV. 
 

January 2008 saw the debut of Smackdown in HD which prompted another set change. The iconic fist was removed and was replaced by the universal HD set that is used by the WWE for all of their programming:


Right from the beginning, Smackdown has had a huge impact on the professional wrestling industry and on March 20th 2009, Smackdown celebrated its 500th episode.

As you can all see from my summary of the history of Smackdown, the show has grown out of a one-off episode to one of the most successful weekly wrestling broadcasts in the entire world, beaten only by WWE Monday Night RAW and WCW Monday Nitro. Smackdown has seen its fair share of changes through its ten year existence and they have all helped to provide Smackdown with its own identity and cement its place in wrestling history. 

The top ten moments in Smackdown History

10. Brock Lesnar and Big Show Break the ring



This is a moment that I will remember forever. I knew that it would end badly when I saw the combined weight of 790 pounds of the Big Show and Brock Lesnar climb to the top rope. However, I never expected what I was about to see. Lesnar gives the Big Show a superplex from the top rope and as they hit the ring it implodes and collapses beneath them. The deafening thud that was made by the ring as it caved in and the clanging of the metal holding the ropes together made this moment all the more memorable. The closing shot of this episode of Smackdown shoes these two gigantic human beings sprawled across a now demolished ring with officials surveying their damage with looks of disbelief. 

9. Triple H Returns to Smackdown

After 8 months out with an career threatening quadriceps injury, Triple H made his triumphant return to the then WWF in 2002. His return on RAW is probably the one that most people will remember. However, his return to Smackdown was just as memorable. This return happened during a match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kurt Angle which had already been interrupted by Kane and the Big Show, both of these men stating their intentions of winning the royal rumble match. After the Big Show had gotten the better of Kane, the music of Triple H filled the World’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden and the packed crowd erupted with a rousing, standing ovation. Triple H made his way down to the ring and delivered a thunderous pedigree to the Big Show. This is where the game announced his return to the WWF.

8. Eddie Guerrero’s Tribute

After the tragic death of one of the most loved superstars in the history of professional wrestling the following week’s television was dedicated to the memory of Eddie Guerrero. Both the RAW and Smackdown tribute shows were incredibly moving and emotional and were both fitting tributes to the memory of Eddie. Two particular moments that stand out for me in the Smackdown show are Batista breaking down at the start of the show and the incredible match between Triple H and Chris Benoit which showcased the technical style of wrestling that Eddie employed throughout his career.

7. Stephanie McMahon slaps her mother

This was one of the most shocking moments in Smackdown history. This happened at the height of the McMahon-Helmsley era and was also at the height of the McMahon family feud. This moment really showed the pure evil Stephanie McMahon that we would get used to seeing in the two years following this moment. This moment is in the list not for being great but for being shocking as it is never great to see someone slapping their own mother but it is always shocking and, therefore, this becomes a moment that people will never forget.
 

6. The debuts of John Cena and Randy Orton

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I know that these two did not debut at the same time but they were not far apart. Both of these men debuted in the WWE on Smackdown in 2002 and were both very impressive in their debut matches. Now I, like most fans over that age of 12, have grown to absolutely love Randy Orton and hate John Cena. With this being said, I believe that my hatred of John Cena comes from the way he is booked as he certainly can wrestle as his match against Kurt Angle showed. Who would have thought that 7 years on from their debuts, these two superstars would be the main event draws that they are and feuding over the WWE Championship over on RAW.

5. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Booker T fight in a Supermarket

This was both a shocking moment and a great moment. The way that this was constructed was absolutely fantastic and the comic factor involved made this moment all the more entertaining. Booker T had been running from Stone Cold all night and thought he would be safe in the supermarket until Stone Cold showed up in his trademark 3:16 vehicle and proceeded to beat the living hell out of Booker T with anything that was in reach. After torturing Booker with the aid of fridges, freezers, groceries and shelves, Austin made his escape just before he was caught by the police.

4. The first Smackdown!

Much like the first RAW, the first episode of Smackdown was a momentous occasion in the history of professional wrestling. Smackdown was first set up to compete with WCW Thunder on a Thursday evening. Unlike Thunder, Smackdown was a good show with solid wrestling. It was in this show that Smackdown separated itself from RAW, yes it was still WWF, but RAW was the storyline heavy show and Smackdown was the wrestling show. This is a fact that still remains today.

3. The first Tribute to the Troops



The first Tribute to the Troops show was a Smackdown broadcast. This was the first time that any major television programme had travelled to Baghdad to pay tribute to the fighting men and women of the US Army. This show showed how much these troops sacrificed for the safety of not only the USA but also for us here in the UK. This showed that the WWE cared for the troops and were prepared to travel into a war zone and put their own lives at risk in order to bring some entertainment to the troops at Christmas and to give them a little bit of a break. 

2. Edge cashes in Money in the Bank on The Undertaker

This is another one of those shocking moments that no one will ever forget. The Undertaker had just fought Batista to a draw in a brutal Steel Cage match and had just suffered an attack from the returning Mark Henry. Then, all of a sudden, ‘You think you know me...’ and we all know what was coming next. The ultimate opportunist Edge was about to steal another championship by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on a fallen deadman. Edge did just that and after two spears he got the 1, 2, 3 and was our new World Heavyweight Champion and the landscape of Smackdown had changed once again. This happened in the time period I like to call the ‘cursed world championship’ as Edge would have to forfeit the championship a couple of months later due to injury. This was the third time in 18 months that the championship was lost due to injury. The first being Batista (January 2006), the second The Undertaker (this moment) and the third Edge (two weeks before he was dues to defend the championship against Kane at the Great American Bash 2007).

1. The September 11th Tribute show

This was the first and only edition of Smackdown to air live. This was also the first large public gathering since the attacks of 9/11. This was a moving tribute which saw all superstars united and the one running storyline at the time, the invasion, postponed for one night. This night may not have featured the best wrestling matches ever seen but the moment was spectacular and showed once again that the WWE and Vince McMahon cared about those that had lost their lives and cared for the families of those that had lost loved ones in the attacks. The show also showed that American patriotism and that the USA will take a lot more than a couple of terrorist attacks to be broken. This is without doubt the greatest moment in Smackdown history.

What Smackdown means to me

To me Smackdown means excitement, entertainment and wrestling. Smackdown defines wrestling in a way that no other word can. It embodies the physicality and skill possessed by all of the performers that wrestle in the WWE. Smackdown means solid wrestling. I know that if I am going to tune into watch an episode of Smackdown I will see some of the best wrestlers that the WWE has to offer and I will see near enough two hours of solid wrestling. There may be the odd in-ring or backstage segment thrown in but I know that these will be limited, unlike RAW which is more like a soap opera. Smackdown has re-defined Friday nights for me. When I was young, Smackdown used to be shown on a Saturday night in the UK and RAW on a Friday night. I used to see Friday nights as boring because RAW was on and, as much as I enjoyed RAW, it wasn’t quite the same as Smackdown as I was always more interested in seeing good, solid wrestling. As I got older and RAW was moved to a Thursday night, Friday nights became even more boring as there was no wrestling at all on the TV. Since Smackdown has moved to Friday nights, I now associate Friday nights with excitement, entertainment and good, solid wrestling. All of this is the direct result of Smackdown. When I am not out on a Friday night, I always tune in to watch Smackdown and if I am out, I will always Sky + it to make sure I never miss an episode. Smackdown has been a part of my life since I was for 10 years since I was 8 and it really defined my youth. I love Smackdown and hope that it will continue to provide me with countless memorable moments over the next 10 years.

By Wrestling-Radio.com Colunmist Stephen Hegarty