Get Our Extension

WWE SmackDown

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
WWE SmackDown
WWE SmackDown (2019) Logo.svg
The SmackDown logo as of October 4, 2019[1]
Also known asSmackDown Live (2016–2019)
GenreProfessional wrestling
Created byVince McMahon
Written by
Presented by
StarringSmackDown roster
Opening theme
  • "Nobody Better Than Me" by def rebel ft. Supreme Madness
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons24
No. of episodes1230
Production
Producers
Camera setupMulti-camera setup
Running time120 minutes (including commercials)
Production companyWWE
Release
Original network
Picture format
Original releaseApril 29, 1999 (1999-04-29) –
present (present)
Chronology
Related

WWE SmackDown, also known as Friday Night SmackDown or simply SmackDown, is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of March 2023 currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulcasts the program with Spanish-language commentary. The show features characters from the SmackDown brand, to which WWE employees are assigned to work and perform. The show as of October 2022 is currently considered to be one of two flagship shows, along with Monday Night Raw.[4]

SmackDown! debuted in the United States on UPN on April 29, 1999 and was formerly broadcast on Thursday nights. The show moved to Friday nights on September 9, 2005, and began airing on The CW in September 2006, after the merger of UPN and the WB. The show later moved to MyNetworkTV in October 2008.[5][6] On October 1, 2010, SmackDown moved to cable network Syfy,[7][8] and eventually returned to Thursdays on January 15, 2015.[9] The show then moved to the sibling USA Network on January 7, 2016,[10][11][12] and later that year, beginning on July 19, 2016, SmackDown began broadcasting live on Tuesday nights.[13] SmackDown's move to Fox on October 4, 2019 marked the show's return to Friday nights and over-the-air broadcast television (as well as the second time SmackDown has aired on a Fox-owned network).

SmackDown has been broadcast from 163 arenas, 148 cities and towns, six countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan in 2005, Italy in 2007, and Mexico in 2011. Prior to switching to its current live format, taped episodes premiered a few hours earlier in Ireland and the United Kingdom than in the United States (and a day earlier in Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the Philippines) due to time differences. For international broadcast listings, see below. The show celebrated its 15th anniversary on October 10, 2014,[14] and the 1000th episode on October 16, 2018.

The WWE Network ceased operations in the United States on April 4, 2021, with all content moved to Peacock which now has all episodes of SmackDown. Recent episodes are still available for on-demand viewing 30 days after the original air date.

Discover more about WWE SmackDown related topics

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around mock combat matches that are usually performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing. The dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or—as in televised wrestling shows—in backstage areas of the venue, in similar form to reality television.

Eastern Time Zone

Eastern Time Zone

The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small portion of westernmost Brazil in South America, along with certain Caribbean and Atlantic islands.

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and additional offices at the Fox Network Center in Los Angeles and the Fox Media Center in Tempe. Launched as a competitor to the Big Three television networks on October 9, 1986, Fox went on to become the most successful attempt at a fourth television network. It was the highest-rated free-to-air network in the 18–49 demographic from 2004 to 2012 and again in 2020, and was the most-watched American television network in total viewership during the 2007–08 season.

Fox Deportes

Fox Deportes

Fox Deportes is an American pay television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming in Spanish, aimed at the Hispanic population in the United States. Launched in 1993, Fox Deportes, a division of Fox Sports, is the first and longest-running Spanish-language sports network in the country.

SmackDown (WWE brand)

SmackDown (WWE brand)

SmackDown is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wrestlers assigned to SmackDown primarily appear on the brand's weekly television program, Friday Night SmackDown, also referred to simply as SmackDown. It is one of WWE's two main brands, along with Raw, collectively referred to as WWE's main roster. The brand was discontinued for a period between August 2011 and July 2016.

The CW

The CW

The CW Television Network is an American English-language commercial broadcast television network that is controlled, through The CW Network, LLC, by Nexstar Media Group with a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the first letters of the names of its two founding co-owners CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.. Nexstar closed its acquisition of a controlling interest in The CW on October 3, 2022, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery each retaining a 12.5% ownership stake.

MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations division, and distributed through the syndication structure of Fox First Run. MyNetworkTV began its operations on September 5, 2006, with an initial affiliate lineup covering about 96% of the country, most of which consisted of stations that were former affiliates of The WB and UPN that did not join the successor of those two networks, The CW. Under the ownership structure of Fox Corporation, the service is incorporated as a subsidiary company known as MyNetworkTV, Inc.

Syfy

Syfy

Syfy is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. Launched on September 24, 1992, the channel broadcasts programming relating to the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres.

Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans an archipelago of 14,125 islands, with the five main islands being Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto.

Italy

Italy

Italy, officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, it consists of a peninsula delimited by the Alps and surrounded by several islands; its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region. Italy shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. It has a territorial exclave in Switzerland, Campione, and some islands in the African Plate. Italy covers an area of 301,230 km2 (116,310 sq mi), with a population of about 60 million. It is the third-most populous member state of the European Union, the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the tenth-largest country in the continent by land area. Italy's capital and largest city is Rome.

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico covers 1,972,550 km2, making it the world's 13th-largest country by area; with a population of over 126 million, it is the 10th-most-populous country and has the most Spanish-speakers. Mexico is organized as a federal republic comprising 31 states and Mexico City, its capital. Other major urban areas include Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and León.

Peacock (streaming service)

Peacock (streaming service)

Peacock is an American over-the-top video streaming service owned and operated by the Television and Streaming division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Named after the NBC logo, the service launched on July 15, 2020. The service primarily features series and film content from NBCUniversal studios and other third-party content providers, including television series, films, news, and sports programming. The service is available in a free ad-supported version with limited content, while premium tiers include a larger content library and access to additional NBC Sports, Hallmark Channel, and WWE content.

History

Early years (1999–2010)

The first SmackDown! logo used on April 29, 1999 to August 9, 2001.
The first SmackDown! logo used on April 29, 1999 to August 9, 2001.

WWF SmackDown! was set up to compete against World Championship Wrestling (WCW)'s Thursday night show, Thunder. SmackDown! first appeared on April 29, 1999 using the Raw set as a single television special on UPN. On August 26, 1999, SmackDown! officially debuted on UPN. Like Thunder, SmackDown! was recorded on Tuesdays and then broadcast on Thursdays. The new WWF show was so popular that WCW moved Thunder to Wednesdays so that it would not compete directly. Throughout the show's early existence, The Rock routinely called SmackDown! "his show", in reference to the fact that the name was derived from one of his catchphrases, "Layeth the Smack down".[15] In March 2002, WWF implemented the "brand extension", under which Raw and SmackDown! would have separate rosters of performers that are exclusive to their respective programs and events, and be positioned in-universe as competing "brands" (in a manner reminiscent of athletic conferences).[16]

In the 2004–05 season, SmackDown! had an average viewership of 5.1 million viewers, making it UPN's second-highest-rated series behind America's Next Top Model. With the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise, SmackDown! moved into its former timeslot on Friday nights for the 2005–06 season, beginning September 9, 2005. WWE subsequently announced that the show would be renamed Friday Night SmackDown! to emphasize the new scheduling.[17]

In January 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment announced that UPN and The WB would merge to form a new network known as The CW that fall. As part of the announcement, The CW announced that it would renew Friday Night SmackDown! for two more seasons as part of its launch schedule—which drew from the strongest programs of its two predecessors.[18] On September 22, 2006, Friday Night SmackDown! aired its first episode on The CW.

The CW declined to renew SmackDown, resulting in the series being picked up in October 2008 by MyNetworkTV, a second new network that had been formed by Fox Entertainment Group to take on former UPN and WB affiliates who were not selected to join The CW.[19] Retaining its previous Friday-night time slot, the season premiere of SmackDown on MyNetworkTV was the highest-rated program in the fledgling network's history, with 3.2 million viewers.[20] On March 20, 2009, SmackDown celebrated its 500th episode.[21]

Shifting to cable only (2010–2019)

On October 1, 2010, as part of a new broadcast deal with NBC Universal, SmackDown moved to Syfy, retaining its Friday night timeslot.[7] Prior to this premiere of SmackDown, Michael Cole hosted a "pre-game" show. The move saw Syfy paying close to $30 million for the show as opposed to the $20 million paid by its former network MyNetworkTV.[8]

During the August 29, 2011 episode of Raw, WWE dissolved the brand extension, thus allowing performers to appear on Raw and SmackDown at any given time without restriction.[22] The October 14, 2011, episode made SmackDown the second-longest-running weekly episodic television series of American television history (behind Raw, which surpassed that mark on August 1, 2005). On January 18, 2013, SmackDown celebrated its 700th episode.

On October 10, 2014, SmackDown celebrated its 15-year anniversary.[14] To help celebrate the 15th anniversary, Stephanie McMahon came out first, then Laurinaitis and Long, respectively, the latter of which kept one-upping each other for the main event of the night until McMahon decided to keep the 15-man tag team match that Long suggested, on the condition Laurinaitis and Long be the captains of each team like at WrestleMania XXVIII.[23] Long's team won the match.[24] On December 16, 2014, SmackDown aired a live 800th episode special on Syfy's sister channel USA Network, SuperSmackDown Live!, featuring a main event between Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins.[25]

In January 2015, SmackDown returned to a Thursday time slot. The return to Thursday nights was expected to help attract a younger audience to Syfy, as well as more premium advertising dollars from marketers, who tend to spend more to promote their products, especially film releases, on the night as consumers head into the weekend.[26] The last SmackDown airing on a Friday night had 2.43 million viewers with a 0.7 share.[27] On January 7, 2016, SmackDown moved to USA Network, remaining on Thursday nights.[10][11][12] With the move, all top three WWE programs—Raw, SmackDown and Tough Enough—would air on the same network for the first time ever.[11][28]

On May 25, 2016, as part of the re-implementation of the brand extension and split between Raw and SmackDown, it was announced that SmackDown would move to Tuesday nights and be broadcast live.[29] On the July 11, 2016 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon named Shane McMahon the commissioner of SmackDown.[30] Then next week on Raw, Daniel Bryan was revealed as the new SmackDown General Manager.[31] On July 22, 2016, General Manager Daniel Bryan revealed the new SmackDown logo on his official Twitter page, renaming the show SmackDown Live.[32] On April 10, 2018, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon announced that Daniel Bryan was back as a full-time WWE wrestler and named Paige the new General Manager.[33]

Return to broadcast television and Fox (2019–present)

On June 26, 2018, Fox announced a five-year agreement to air SmackDown, in a deal worth $205 million per year. SmackDown would debut on October 4, 2019, with its first episode being the 20th Anniversary special. The episode also marked the return of SmackDown to Friday nights and the return of WWE programming to Fox for the first time since the network aired the November 14, 1992 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event.[34][35][36] The agreement came as WWE's previous broadcast deal with USA Network to air both SmackDown and WWE Raw was set to expire, and as Fox has increasingly emphasized live sports programming and non-scripted entertainment in the wake of its then-upcoming sale of its in-house studios to Disney. Fox had hoped to acquire Raw for the Fox network and SmackDown for FS1.[37][38] However, amid a competitive bidding situation, NBCUniversal focused its efforts on renewing Raw, freeing up Fox to pursue SmackDown.[39] In particular, Fox promised a larger amount of promotion for SmackDown during its sports programming, as well as a WWE-oriented studio show (WWE Backstage) on FS1.[40]

Fox began an advertising campaign by Wieden+Kennedy for the move, "We're All Superstars", to coincide with the beginning of football season, revealing a new logo and the reinstatement of the Friday Night SmackDown title.[41]

From March 13, 2020, all WWE touring shows were cancelled indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with SmackDown, Raw, and pay-per-views being broadcast from a studio in the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida with no audience beginning that night. The ensuing episode also featured Triple H as a guest commentator, and an encore presentation of the Elimination Chamber match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship from the titular pay-per-view the previous Sunday.[42][43] On August 17, WWE announced that SmackDown, Raw, and pay-per-views would move out of the Performance Center to the "WWE ThunderDome" at Orlando's Amway Center, beginning with SmackDown on August 21. The program continued to be broadcast behind closed doors, but with a virtual audience and enhanced arena production.[44][45] WWE returned to hosting touring shows for SmackDown and Raw in June 2021.[46]

Since the move to Fox, SmackDown has occasionally been pre-empted to FS1 due to conflicts with other Fox Sports programming airing in primetime, particularly the Major League Baseball postseason.[47][48] In one instance in October 2019 due to the World Series, an hour-long version of the episode aired on Fox the following Sunday afternoon.[49][50]

In conjunction with the 2023 Money in the Bank event, which is being held at The O2 Arena in London, England on July 1, the June 30, 2023, episode of SmackDown will be held at the same venue and will be broadcast live. This marks the first time for the show to broadcast live and in primetime from the United Kingdom at 8pm local on BT Sport.[51]

Discover more about History related topics

History of WWE SmackDown

History of WWE SmackDown

The history of WWE SmackDown, began with the shows debut on August 26, 1999, in Kansas City, Missouri. The show was originally broadcast on Thursday nights but moved to Friday on September 9, 2005, before returning to Thursdays on January 15, 2015. On July 19, 2016, it was moved to a live broadcast on Tuesday night. SmackDown! debuted in the United States on the UPN television network on April 29, 1999, but after the merger of UPN and the WB, SmackDown! began airing on The CW in September 2006. The show was moved to MyNetworkTV in October 2008, to Syfy on October 1, 2010 and to USA Network on January 7, 2016.

Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the development and success of the World Wrestling Federation during the Attitude Era, an industry boom period in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Johnson wrestled for the WWF for eight years prior to pursuing an acting career. His films have grossed over $3.5 billion in North America and over $10.5 billion worldwide, making him one of the world's highest-grossing and highest-paid actors.

Catchphrase

Catchphrase

A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass media. Some become the de facto or literal "trademark" or "signature" of the person or character with whom they originated, and can be instrumental in the typecasting of a particular actor. Catchphrases are often humorous, but are never long enough or structured enough to be jokes in themselves. However, a catchphrase can be the punchline of a joke, or a reminder of a previous joke.

Raw (WWE brand)

Raw (WWE brand)

Raw is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wrestlers assigned to Raw primarily appear on the brand's weekly television program, Monday Night Raw, also referred to simply as Raw. It is one of WWE's two main brands, along with SmackDown, collectively referred to as WWE's main roster. The brand was discontinued for a period between August 2011 and July 2016.

SmackDown (WWE brand)

SmackDown (WWE brand)

SmackDown is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wrestlers assigned to SmackDown primarily appear on the brand's weekly television program, Friday Night SmackDown, also referred to simply as SmackDown. It is one of WWE's two main brands, along with Raw, collectively referred to as WWE's main roster. The brand was discontinued for a period between August 2011 and July 2016.

Athletic conference

Athletic conference

An athletic conference is a collection of sports teams, playing competitively against each other in a sports league. In many cases conferences are subdivided into smaller divisions, with the best teams competing at successively higher levels. Conferences often, but not always, include teams from a common geographic region.

America's Next Top Model

America's Next Top Model

America's Next Top Model is an American reality television series and interactive competition in which a number of aspiring models compete for the title of "America's Next Top Model" and a chance to begin their career in the modeling industry. Created by Tyra Banks, who also serves as an executive producer, and developed by Ken Mok and Kenya Barris, the series premiered in May 2003, and aired semiannually until 2012, then annually from 2013. The first six seasons aired on UPN, before UPN merged with The WB to create The CW in 2006. The following sixteen cycles aired on The CW until the series was first cancelled in October 2015. The series was revived in 2016 and has been airing on VH1 ever since. The series was among the highest-rated programs on UPN and was the highest-rated show on The CW from 2007 to 2010. Advertisers paid $61,315 per 30-second slot during the 2011–12 television season, the highest of any series on The CW. The first 22 cycles of the series and cycle 24 were presented by Banks, while cycle 23 was presented by Rita Ora. The series also employs a panel of two or three additional judges, a creative director and a runway coach.

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise

Star Trek: Enterprise, titled simply Enterprise for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on United Paramount Network (UPN). The sixth series in the Star Trek franchise, it is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the 22nd century, a hundred years before the events of The Original Series, it follows the adventures of the Enterprise, Earth's first starship capable of traveling at warp five, as it explores the galaxy and encounters various alien species.

CBS Corporation

CBS Corporation

The second incarnation of CBS Corporation was an American multinational media conglomerate with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and television production. It was one of the two companies formed from the December 31, 2005 spin-off of the Viacom assets of the original Viacom, as founded by Ralph Baruch in 1952 as CBS Television Film Sales. It was one of two companies which succeeded the original incarnation of Viacom, alongside the second incarnation of Viacom; both were controlled by National Amusements, a theater company controlled by billionaire Sumner Redstone. The spin-off was structured so that CBS Corporation would be the legal successor to the first Viacom, with the second Viacom being an entirely separated company.

MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations division, and distributed through the syndication structure of Fox First Run. MyNetworkTV began its operations on September 5, 2006, with an initial affiliate lineup covering about 96% of the country, most of which consisted of stations that were former affiliates of The WB and UPN that did not join the successor of those two networks, The CW. Under the ownership structure of Fox Corporation, the service is incorporated as a subsidiary company known as MyNetworkTV, Inc.

Fox Entertainment Group

Fox Entertainment Group

Fox Entertainment Group was an American entertainment company specialised in filmed entertainment owned by 21st Century Fox. Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, the group's assets were folded into various Disney units. The film studios 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Blue Sky Studios were transferred to Walt Disney Studios, whilst Fox Star Studios transferred to Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International.

Syfy

Syfy

Syfy is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. Launched on September 24, 1992, the channel broadcasts programming relating to the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres.

Production

WWE taped SmackDown on Tuesday evenings to air on Thursday evenings on UPN the same week. However, SmackDown had aired occasional live specials on Tuesday nights (which are then replayed in its usual Thursday night timeslot). The show began broadcasting in HD beginning with the January 25, 2008 episode of SmackDown, where a new set (which became universal for all WWE weekly programming) debuted. Following the first broadcast in HD, the exclamation mark used since the show's inception disappeared from all references pertaining to "SmackDown", including the official logo, which resembles the 2001–2008 logo, but with a darker blue scheme.

The set used from the show's debut from August 26, 1999, until August 16, 2001
The set used from the show's debut from August 26, 1999, until August 16, 2001

The early set included an oval-shaped TitanTron entrance and stage (dubbed the "Ovaltron")[52] which made it stand out from the Raw Is War set with its rectangular Titantrons. Later productions gained the ability to move the Ovaltron either to the left or to the right of the stage. In August 2001, as part of celebrating SmackDown!'s second anniversary, the show received a new logo and set, which consisted of a fist centered above the entrance with the WWF/E scratch logo above it, and many glass panes along the sides strongly resembling shattered glass with two TitanTrons on each side. From September 23, 2004 to October 3, 2008, the theme song for SmackDown! was "Rise Up" by Drowning Pool, with variations, making it the longest tenured theme song used in the program.

Whenever SmackDown shares the arena with Raw during the 2005-2007 period in a form of a supershow, the SmackDown stage utilizes all or some components of the same set from Raw.

From November 2, 2012 until April 18, 2014, SmackDown began using "Born 2 Run" by 7Lions as its theme song, with "This Life" by CFO$ and Cody B. Ware serving as the secondary theme, then a swap was made, as "Born 2 Run" was used as a secondary theme, when "This Life" is used as SmackDown's main theme. Prior to November 2, 2012, SmackDown opened with "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day while "Hangman" by Rev Theory served as the secondary theme song.[53] Upon SmackDown's debut on Syfy in 2010, it replaced the previous theme song "Let it Roll" by Divide the Day.[54]

As of August 3, 2012, the show has used the modified WWE HD universal set, which debuted at Raw 1000 on July 23.[55] From September 21, 2012 until October 26, 2012, October 4, 2013 until November 1, 2013, October 3 and 31, 2014 and October 2 and 30, 2015, WWE worked in conjunction with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to raise awareness for breast cancer by adorning the SmackDown set with pink ribbons and a special pink middle-rope in the ring. SmackDown's ring ropes were usually blue from 1999 to 2012 (although they were black for a period between 2001 and 2002). They remained blue until December 2012 when they were permanently changed to white, with all WWE programming now using white ring ropes. On August 22, 2014, SmackDown switched to a full 16:9 letterbox presentation, with a down-scaled version of the native HD feed on a 4:3 SD feed. Like Raw (which also switched to a full 16:9 letterbox presentation four days earlier on August 18), the new WWE logo is seen on the ring's turnbuckle covers and also, on the lower right-hand corner of the screen. On August 29, 2014, the Syfy network logo moved to the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

Although the graphics were re-positioned, SmackDown continued to use a variation of the graphics package that had been in use since its first HD broadcast in January 2008, until the show moved to Thursday nights on January 15, 2015, when an all-new graphics package (now optimized for the 16:9 format) and intro video were introduced along with a revised SmackDown logo. On March 26, 2015, WWE added a small LED board to the left side of the ring on SmackDown, similar to Raw. On the September 14, 2015 season premiere of Raw, the middle rope was colored gold. Throughout the month of October 2015, the WWE broadcast table, entrance ramp, and ring skirts were co-branded with Susan G. Komen for the cure of breast cancer.[56] Also, the middle ring rope was pink to promote the fight against breast cancer.[56] Following the brand split in 2016, the ropes return to its original blue color as well as debuting a new set. The post brand extension set was almost identical to the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs set from 2009 to 2013 and caused some negative feedback among online fans for re-using an old stage design. A month after the new set debut, a more distinctive and elaborate stage was created for SmackDown. The stage used was a new design with multiple LED side panels on each side with a titan-tron in a semi circle in the center. The new set also introduced LED floor panels on the entrance ramp. Feedback was more positive for this set design.

With the shift to Fox, both Raw and SmackDown introduced new sets during their "premiere week", and it was also stated that WWE would reinstate the use of pyrotechnics on both shows (after briefly suspending their use in 2017 due to budget concerns), and that both shows would now be staffed by separate writing teams.[57][58] The new set featured a large TitanTron screen, with semi-arches partially resembling the original SmackDown stage.[59]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all WWE programs suspended touring shows from mid-March 2020 through mid-July 2021. All SmackDown broadcasts were filmed behind closed doors with no in-person spectators, initially from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, before returning to an arena setting with a closed set known as the "ThunderDome"—which featured a larger-scale production more in line with its touring shows, but with a virtual audience displayed on a grandstand constructed from video boards.[44][45][60]

With the return to live shows in July 2021, a new universal stage was adopted by both SmackDown and Raw, with a high-resolution LED screen, and increasing use of augmented reality graphics for the television production.[46]

Theme music

Song title Written and/or performed by Dates used Ref
"Everybody on the Ground" Jim Johnston April 29, 1999 – August 9, 2001 [61]
"The Beautiful People" Marilyn Manson August 16, 2001 – May 15, 2003 [61]
"I Want It All" Jim Johnston May 22, 2003 – September 16, 2004 [61][62]
"Rise Up"2 Drowning Pool September 23, 2004 – September 26, 2008 [61][63]
"If You Rock Like Me" Jim Johnston October 3, 2008 – September 25, 2009 [61]
"Let It Roll" Divide the Day October 2, 2009 – September 24, 2010 [61]
"Hangman" Rev Theory 2010–2014 [61]
"Know Your Enemy" Green Day October 1, 2010 – October 19, 2012 [61]
"Born 2 Run" 7Lions October 26, 2012 – April 18, 2014 [61]
"This Life" CFO$ April 25, 2014 – January 9, 2015; this song version featuring Dylan Owen was used as the bumper song. [61]
"Centuries" Fall Out Boy October 10, 2014 (only used for SmackDown's 15th Anniversary) [64][65]
"Black and Blue" CFO$ January 15, 2015 – July 26, 2016 [66]
"Take a Chance" CFO$ August 2, 2016 – September 24, 2019 [67]
"Victorious" Panic! at the Disco October 16, 2018 (only used for SmackDown's 1000th episode)
"Are You Ready" AC/DC October 4, 2019 – October 21, 2022 [58]
"Prime Time Open" Jim Johnston May 7, 2021 (only used for Throwback SmackDown!)
"Nobody Better Than Me"1 def rebel ft. Supreme Madness October 28, 2022 – present
Notes
  1. ^ Bold song titles are currently being used as the opening theme.
  2. ^ The first version was an instrumental composed by Jim Johnston and it was only used on September 23, 2004 for SmackDown's 5th Anniversary. Another version was performed by Ryan McCombs entitled "Rise Up 2006" and was used from March 24, 2006.

Discover more about Production related topics

High-definition television

High-definition television

High-definition television describes a television system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since 1936; in more recent times, it refers to the generation following standard-definition television (SDTV), often abbreviated to HDTV or HD-TV. It is the current de facto standard video format used in most broadcasts: terrestrial broadcast television, cable television, satellite television and Blu-ray Discs.

Exclamation mark

Exclamation mark

The exclamation mark, !, or exclamation point, is a punctuation mark usually used after an interjection or exclamation to indicate strong feelings or to show emphasis. The exclamation mark often marks the end of a sentence, for example: "Watch out!". Similarly, a bare exclamation mark is often used in warning signs. The exclamation mark is often used in writing to make a character seem as though they are shouting and/or excited/surprised.

Logo

Logo

A logo is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordmark.

Drowning Pool

Drowning Pool

Drowning Pool is an American rock band formed in Dallas, Texas, in 1996. The band was named after the 1975 film The Drowning Pool. Since its formation, the band has consisted of guitarist C.J. Pierce, bassist Stevie Benton, and drummer Mike Luce, as well as a revolving cast of vocalists.

CFO$

CFO$

CFO$ was an American songwriting and production duo consisting of John Paul Alicastro and Michael Conrad Lauri. They were primarily known for creating entrance music and program themes for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Music in professional wrestling

Music in professional wrestling

Music in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring. After a match, the entrance theme of the victor will normally be played as they exit the ring. Entrance themes are used to alert the audience to the immediate arrival of a wrestler, and to increase anticipation.

Know Your Enemy (Green Day song)

Know Your Enemy (Green Day song)

"Know Your Enemy" is a protest song by American rock band Green Day. It is the third track on their eighth album, 21st Century Breakdown, and it was released as the lead single through Reprise Records on April 16, 2009, and the group's first single since "Jesus of Suburbia", released 4 years earlier. Billboard described the song as being lyrically "just as politically charged as last time ", having a "Modern Rock radio-ready chorus", whilst the song's producer Butch Vig "brings enough punk sheen for mass appeal." It was the first, and one of only three songs, to top the Rock Songs, Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock Tracks Billboard charts at the same time. "Know Your Enemy" has been certified Gold by the RIAA and has sold 798,000 copies as of August 2010.

Green Day

Green Day

Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a power trio with drummer Tré Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before the recording of the band's second studio album, Kerplunk (1991). Touring guitarist Jason White became a full-time member in 2012, but returned to his touring role in 2016. Before taking its current name in 1989, Green Day was called Sweet Children, and they were part of the late 1980s/early 1990s Bay Area punk scene that emerged from the 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California. The band's early releases were with the independent record label Lookout! Records. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a red or scaly patch of skin. In those with distant spread of the disease, there may be bone pain, swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, or yellow skin.

Light-emitting diode

Light-emitting diode

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light is determined by the energy required for electrons to cross the band gap of the semiconductor. White light is obtained by using multiple semiconductors or a layer of light-emitting phosphor on the semiconductor device.

COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified in an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Attempts to contain it there failed, allowing the virus to spread to other areas of Asia and later worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020. As of 10 March 2023, the pandemic had caused more than 676 million cases and 6.88 million confirmed deaths, making it one of the deadliest in history.

Behind closed doors (sport)

Behind closed doors (sport)

The term "behind closed doors" is used in several sports, to describe matches played where spectators are not allowed in the stadium to watch. The reasons for this may include punishment for a team found guilty of a certain act in the past, stadium safety problems, public health concerns, or to prevent potentially dangerous clashes between rival supporters. In football, it is predicated by articles 7, 12 and 24 of FIFA's disciplinary code.

Cultural references

On July 10, 2007, Merriam-Webster included the word smackdown in Webster's Dictionary.[68][69] Merriam Webster defined a "smackdown" as:

  • The act of knocking down or bringing down an opponent.
  • A contest in entertainment wrestling.
  • A decisive defeat.
  • A confrontation between rivals or competitors.

The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the word smackdown in English back at least as far as 1990, but notes that a professional wrestling television show "popularized" the term.

Special episodes

Throughout its broadcast history, the show has aired editions that have different themes. These include tributes to various professional wrestlers who have recently died or retired from actively performing, and episodes commemorating various show milestones or anniversaries.

Episodes

On-air personalities

Various on-air personalities appear on the show, including the wrestlers (both men and women), ring announcers, commentators, and on-screen authority figures. SmackDown also has had various recurring on-air segments hosted by members of the roster.

Other SmackDown-branded properties

Although SmackDown has been the second-largest show in the WWE, the company's use of the term went beyond its namesake program. During the 2000 U.S. election campaign, the WWE launched the SmackDown! Your Vote program.[70]

The name was also used when WWE released its 2015 film The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown! and WWE Network's show Kitchen SmackDown!.[71]

Broadcast

In addition to the Spanish-language Fox Deportes simulcasting with Fox live in the United States and broadcasts to American troops deployed overseas on AFN Sports 2,[6][72] SmackDown also appears on-air internationally.

Americas

Latin America

SmackDown airs live on Fox Sports in Mexico[73][74] and across Central and South America since 2014.[73][75][76][77]

In Mexico, MVS aired SmackDown between 2005 and 2008, and Azteca 7 from 2008 to 2014.

Canada

In Canada, SmackDown has historically been aired by Sportsnet 360 (SN360, formerly known as The Score), as part of network owner Rogers Media's long-term deal with WWE. The program has historically aired sometimes in simulcast with the U.S. airing and sometimes a day before. In 2005, when the taped show moved to Friday airings in the U.S., it remained on Thursdays in Canada for a period of time. During its return to Thursdays in the U.S. from January 2015 to July 2016, pre-recorded episodes of SmackDown aired on Wednesdays—one night earlier—due to conflicts with the channel's Thursday-night National Hockey League broadcasts.[78]

The program has aired in simulcast with the U.S. broadcast since it switched to a live format in July 2016, initially on Tuesdays and then moving back to Fridays in October 2019. Despite the move to Fox (which is widely carried on Canadian television providers), Rogers has not elected to simulcast SmackDown on its broadcast network Citytv to invoke potential simsub rights.

As Rogers holds the rights to the National Hockey League broadcasts, the program also airs on its OLN channel.[79]

Jamaica

In Jamaica, SmackDown airs live on Fridays on Flow 1, with a replay on Sundays.

Asia, Africa and Oceania

SmackDown airs live in the MENA region on Shahid Saturday mornings, and later on the same day, a one-hour version airs on MBC Action at 8PM Egypt Standard Time.[80]

SmackDown airs live in Australia on Saturday late mornings/early afternoons and Sunday afternoons on Fox8 and Friday nights on 9Go! as a one-hour version,[81][82] and airs live in New Zealand on Sky 5 and Sunday nights on Prime as a one-hour version.[83]

SmackDown airs in China on various television networks.

SmackDown airs in Fiji on Sky Pacific and Sky Fiji.[84]

SmackDown airs live in Pakistan and in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India on Sony Ten[85][86][87] and Kenya on Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.[88]

SmackDown airs in Malaysia on Astro Supersport 4,[89]

The series airs in the Philippines on One Sports via Cignal TV.[90]

SmackDown airs live in Indonesia on Mola TV.[91] Previously broadcast by RCTI year 2000 until 2003 every Friday Night

The series airs live in Singapore on Starhub's HubSports 2,[92] South Africa on SuperSport,[93] and Samoa on SBC.

SmackDown airs in Israel on 5LIVE.[94] It also airs on FM1 (Previously Iran FM-TV) in Iran.

In South Africa, SmackDown was previously broadcast by free-to-air broadcaster e.tv.[95] The show would play on Wednesday nights in the evening, with a 7-day delay, edited to one hour and was one of the most watched programs on the channel. However, in 2017 e.tv decided not to renew its broadcasting deal with WWE.[96] The rights were later resold to SuperSport (the initial broadcasters of WWE programming) who broadcast the show across Sub-Saharan Africa, live and uncut.[97][98]

In 2019 SuperSport, along with its parent company Multichoice, signed a deal to broadcast the 24-hour WWE channel on their DStv platform.[99] The program airs at 02:00 live, while it is also broadcast on prime time at 09:00, 14:00 & 20:00..

Europe

In France, SmackDown airs on AB1 every Saturday at 9pm. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland SmackDown airs live on DAZN with English Commentary and on ProSieben MAXX every Saturday at 10pm with an two-hour Version in German.

In Hungary, SmackDown airs on Galaxy4 every Wednesday at 10:15pm.

In Italy, SmackDown airs on DMAX, with international version of one-hour shows airing on Cielo in Italian. In Poland, SmackDown airs on Extreme Sports Channel airs three days late.

In Portugal, SmackDown airs live on SportTV 4 every Saturday at 1am.[100] In Russia,[101] SmackDown airs on Матч! Боец[102] with Russian commentary.

In Spain, SmackDown airs on Mega every Sunday at 1pm.[103] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Smackdown airs live on BT Sport,[104] with a one hour version airing on 5Action every Friday at 11pm.[105] Virgin Media Two also airs a one hour version in Ireland every Sunday Morning.

In Malta, SmackDown airs on Melita Sports 1.[106][107]

Online streaming

On May 22, 2009, Hulu and WWE agreed to air full episodes of SmackDown to be available for viewing the day following its original airing.[108] On September 24, 2012, Hulu signed a multi-year deal with WWE to stream all of the company's TV shows and some of its web series, which includes SmackDown. Full episodes of SmackDown are available for viewing the following day of its original airing.[109] All previous episodes of SmackDown are available on the WWE Network, where recent episodes are available for on-demand viewing 30 days after the original air date.[110][111]

Discover more about Broadcast related topics

Fox Deportes

Fox Deportes

Fox Deportes is an American pay television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming in Spanish, aimed at the Hispanic population in the United States. Launched in 1993, Fox Deportes, a division of Fox Sports, is the first and longest-running Spanish-language sports network in the country.

American Forces Network

American Forces Network

The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which include global radio and television satellite feeds, emanate from the AFN Broadcast Center/Defense Media Center in Riverside, California. AFN was founded on 26 May 1942, in London as the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS).

Mexico

Mexico

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico covers 1,972,550 km2, making it the world's 13th-largest country by area; with a population of over 126 million, it is the 10th-most-populous country and has the most Spanish-speakers. Mexico is organized as a federal republic comprising 31 states and Mexico City, its capital. Other major urban areas include Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and León.

Central America

Central America

Central America is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Central America usually consists of seven countries: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Within Central America is the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot, which extends from northern Guatemala to central Panama. Due to the presence of several active geologic faults and the Central America Volcanic Arc, there is a high amount of seismic activity in the region, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes which has resulted in death, injury, and property damage.

MVS Comunicaciones

MVS Comunicaciones

MVS Comunicaciones (MVS) is a Mexican media conglomerate. The company owns MASTV, MVS Radio operator of four national radio networks, MVS Televisión operator and distributor of seven pay television networks, E-Go wireless broadband internet and 51% of Dish México.

National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ice hockey league in the world, and is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The NHL is the fifth-wealthiest professional sport league in the world by revenue, after the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the English Premier League (EPL).

Citytv

Citytv

Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The network consists of six owned-and-operated (O&O) television stations located in the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, a cable-only service that serves the province of Saskatchewan, and three independently owned affiliates serving smaller cities in Alberta and British Columbia.

NHL on Sportsnet

NHL on Sportsnet

NHL on Sportsnet is the blanket title for presentations of the National Hockey League broadcast held by a Canadian media corporation, Rogers Communications, showing on its television channel Sportsnet and other networks owned by or affiliated with its Rogers Media division, as well as the Sportsnet Radio chain. Sportsnet previously held the national cable rights for NHL regular season and playoff games from 1998 to 2002. In November 2013, Rogers reached a 12-year deal to become the exclusive national television and digital rightsholder for the NHL in Canada, beating out both CBC Sports and TSN.

Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning 10,990 square kilometres (4,240 sq mi) in area, it is the third largest island — after Cuba and Hispaniola — of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about 145 km (90 mi) south of Cuba, and 191 km (119 mi) west of Hispaniola ; the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands lies some 215 km (134 mi) to the north-west.

MENA

MENA

MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia and is a way to refer to the geography instead of the political term.

MBC Action

MBC Action

MBC Action is a free-to-air television channel that MBC Group’s action-packed channel that targets young Arabic males. It delivers the best in high-octane Western series, movies and action. shows and sports and anime and action movies and films and television series and television programs and films from action genre. Subtitled in Arabic language, the channel is a part of the Middle Eastern media company MBC Group. It is intended to aim mainly at male audiences, unlike its sister channel MBC 4 which is aimed at female audiences. A channel that targets young Arab males. It delivers Western series, movies, action reality shows as well as Japanese anime and sports programs. MBC ACTION ; MBC Action launched in 2007 with the latest action packed movies, dramas and thrillers targeting young Arab males. The new addition proved to be an instant success. Since then, it has been growing aggressively and even more so since it started developing localized content that appeals to the passions of Arab men. The channel is also considered, the only Arab male entertainment destination in the region; delivering a focused and dynamic 360 experience, which extends out of TV, into on-ground, online and social media. Some of its prime time shows include The Mentalist, The Vampire Diaries, Fringe, V, The Mentalist, The Vampire Diaries, Fringe, Supernatural, V, WWE and True Blood. MBC Action also offers themed nights including Bollywood Action Nights, The channel recently which is a weekly "magazine" format show about cars, similar to Top Gear, which they also broadcast the British and American versions of the BBC's Top Gear, MBC Action. carsIt was launched on 5 March 2007. with the Pilot episode of the TV series Lost which, along with Prison Break and The 4400, is one of MBC Action's biggest coups. MBC Action's biggest coups are the TV series Lost, Prison Break and The 4400. It will also show new episodes of other shows like 24, Pimp My Ride, The Sparticle Mystery and the Power Rangers. It is aimed mainly at male audiences,. The channel also airs the International Fight League. It also shows action movies on a daily basis. It is aimed mainly at male audiences, unlike its sister channel MBC 4 which is aimed at female audiences.

Egypt Standard Time

Egypt Standard Time

Egypt Standard Time (EGY) is UTC+02:00, which is equivalent to Eastern European Time, Central Africa Time, South African Standard Time and Central European Summer Time, and is co-linear with neighbouring Libya and Sudan. Egypt has previously used Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+03:00), during the summer periods from 1957 to 2010 and 2014–15.

Broadcast history

Channel Timeslot Years
UPN Thursday 8–10 p.m. ET April 29, 1999
August 26, 1999 – September 1, 2005
Friday 8–10 p.m. ET September 9, 2005 – September 15, 2006
The CW September 22, 2006 – September 26, 2008
MyNetworkTV October 3, 2008 – September 24, 2010
Syfy October 1, 2010 – January 9, 2015
Thursday 8–10 p.m. ET January 15, 2015 – December 31, 2015
USA January 7, 2016 – July 14, 2016
Tuesday 8–10 p.m. ET July 19, 2016 – September 24, 2019
Fox Friday 8–10 p.m. ET October 4, 2019 – present

Discover more about Broadcast history related topics

UPN

UPN

The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' subsidiary, United Television. Viacom turned it into a joint venture in 1996 after acquiring a 50% stake in the network, and subsequently purchased Chris-Craft's remaining stake in 2000. On December 31, 2005, UPN was kept by CBS Corporation, which was the new name for Viacom when it split into two separate companies. CBS Corporation and Time Warner jointly announced on January 24, 2006, that the companies would shut down UPN and competitor The WB to launch a new joint venture network later that year. UPN ceased broadcasting on September 15, 2006, with The WB following two days later. Select programs from both networks moved to the new network, The CW when it launched on September 18, 2006.

Eastern Time Zone

Eastern Time Zone

The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small portion of westernmost Brazil in South America, along with certain Caribbean and Atlantic islands.

The CW

The CW

The CW Television Network is an American English-language commercial broadcast television network that is controlled, through The CW Network, LLC, by Nexstar Media Group with a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the first letters of the names of its two founding co-owners CBS Corporation and Warner Bros.. Nexstar closed its acquisition of a controlling interest in The CW on October 3, 2022, with Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery each retaining a 12.5% ownership stake.

MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV

MyNetworkTV is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its Fox Television Stations division, and distributed through the syndication structure of Fox First Run. MyNetworkTV began its operations on September 5, 2006, with an initial affiliate lineup covering about 96% of the country, most of which consisted of stations that were former affiliates of The WB and UPN that did not join the successor of those two networks, The CW. Under the ownership structure of Fox Corporation, the service is incorporated as a subsidiary company known as MyNetworkTV, Inc.

Syfy

Syfy

Syfy is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. Launched on September 24, 1992, the channel broadcasts programming relating to the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres.

USA Network

USA Network

USA Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports cable television channels, before being relaunched under its current name on April 9, 1980. Since then, USA steadily gained popularity through its original programming, a long-established partnership with WWF/WWE and, for many years, limited sports programming that increased significantly in 2022 after the shutdown of NBCSN.

Fox Broadcasting Company

Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and additional offices at the Fox Network Center in Los Angeles and the Fox Media Center in Tempe. Launched as a competitor to the Big Three television networks on October 9, 1986, Fox went on to become the most successful attempt at a fourth television network. It was the highest-rated free-to-air network in the 18–49 demographic from 2004 to 2012 and again in 2020, and was the most-watched American television network in total viewership during the 2007–08 season.

Source: "WWE SmackDown", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 16th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWE_SmackDown.

Enjoying Wikiz?

Enjoying Wikiz?

Get our FREE extension now!

References
  1. ^ "WWE reveals new logos, graphics and theme songs for Raw and SmackDown shows". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "WWE Premiere Week". WWE. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "WWE Slams Into HD". TV Technology. Archived from the original on March 10, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2008.
  4. ^ "NXT moves to USA Network". WWE. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
  5. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (February 8, 2008). "CW, "SmackDown" Part Ways". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
  6. ^ a b "MyNetworkTV Crowns WWE Its New Programming Champ". World Wrestling Entertainment. February 28, 2008. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  7. ^ a b "SmackDown Goes SyFy". World Wrestling Entertainment. April 13, 2010. Archived from the original on April 16, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  8. ^ a b Flint, Joe (April 12, 2010). "WWE's "SmackDown" Moving to Syfy". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  9. ^ "SmackDown moves to Thursday nights". WWE. November 6, 2014. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  10. ^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (April 7, 2015). "'WWE SmackDown' Moves to USA Network in 2016". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  11. ^ a b c Bacle, Ariana (April 7, 2015). "WWE SmackDown moves to USA Network". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  12. ^ a b Lynch, Eric (November 4, 2015). "WWE SmackDown To Premiere On USA Network In January". 24Wrestling.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  13. ^ "SmackDown going live on USA Network on a new night with a distinct roster starting July 19". WWE. May 25, 2016. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Smackdown - Friday Oct 10". WWE.com. WWE. September 22, 2014. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  15. ^ Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE: History of WrestleMania. p. 56.
  16. ^ Shields, Brian; Sullivan, Kevin (2009). WWE: History of WrestleMania. p. 57.
  17. ^ Benson, Jim (August 23, 2005). "UPN Wrestling Re-Dubbed Friday Night Smackdown". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  18. ^ Adalian, Josef; Martin, Denisedate=January 24, 2006. "Mixed views on WB, UPN merger". Variety. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2006.
  19. ^ Stelter, Brian (April 13, 2010). "W.W.E.'s 'Smackdown' Is Moving to Cable TV". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  20. ^ "Largest Audience Ever Tunes in to the Premiere of "WWE Friday Night SmackDown"". TV by the Numbers. October 6, 2008. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  21. ^ Burdick, Michael (March 20, 2009). "Layin' the SmackDown 500 times over". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  22. ^ Nemer, Paul (August 30, 2011). "Raw Results – 8/29/11". Wrestleview. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  23. ^ Taylor, Scott (October 10, 2014). "SmackDown results – Oct. 10, 2014: Team Teddy battled Team Johnny on SmackDown's historic 15th Anniversary Celebration". WWE.com. WWE. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  24. ^ Paglino, Nick (October 10, 2014). "Non-Spoiler Match Listing for Tonight's WWE Smackdown 15 Special: Cena & Ambrose Appear, 16 Man Tag Match & More". Wrestlezone. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  25. ^ Taylor, Scott (December 16, 2014). "WWE SuperSmackDown LIVE results — Dec. 16, 2014: Dolph Ziggler showed up Seth Rollins in a main event showdown". WWE.com. WWE. Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  26. ^ Graser, Marc (November 6, 2014). "WWE, Syfy to Move 'SmackDown' to Thursday Night in January (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  27. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (January 12, 2015). "Friday Cable Ratings: 'Gold Rush' Tops Night + 'Alaskan Bush People', NBA Basketball, 'Friday Night Smackdown' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  28. ^ Davis, Brad (November 3, 2015). "SmackDown To Remain On Thursday Nights In 2016". 24Wrestling.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
  29. ^ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  30. ^ Caldwell, James. "7/11 WWE Raw Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  31. ^ Caldwell, James (July 18, 2016). "7/18 WWE Raw Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live TV Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  32. ^ "New Raw and SmackDown logos unveiled for WWE's New Era". WWE. July 22, 2016. Archived from the original on September 1, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  33. ^ "Shane McMahon announced Paige as the new General Manager of SmackDown LIVE". WWE.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  34. ^ "Fox and WWE Close Five-Year Deal to Bring 'SmackDown' to Network". The Hollywood Reporter. June 26, 2018. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  35. ^ "How Fox Bodyslammed Rivals to Win WWE Rights". The Hollywood Reporter. May 30, 2018. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  36. ^ "WWE's 'SmackDown Live' Moves to Fox Broadcasting in 2019". Variety. June 26, 2018. Archived from the original on January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  37. ^ "Raw Deal: Fox could put 'WWE Raw' on broadcast TV". Sporting News. March 7, 2018. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  38. ^ "WWE Stock Climbs as Fox Nears Deal for 'SmackDown'". Variety. May 21, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  39. ^ "WWE 'Smackdown' Up for Grabs as NBCUniversal Moves to Pin Down 'Raw'". The Hollywood Reporter. May 16, 2018. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  40. ^ "How Fox Bodyslammed Rivals to Win WWE Rights". The Hollywood Reporter. May 30, 2018. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  41. ^ Staszewski, Joseph (August 30, 2019). "WWE's 'SmackDown' gets makeover ahead of Fox debut". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  42. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 12, 2020). "WWE Moves 'SmackDown Live' to Orlando Performance Center With No Live Audience Due to Coronavirus". Variety. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  43. ^ "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: John Cena caps surreal empty arena show you have to see". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  44. ^ a b Barrasso, Justin. "WWE Turning Orlando's Amway Center into 'WWE ThunderDome'". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  45. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (August 17, 2020). "WWE to Establish 'ThunderDome' Residency in Orlando's Amway Center". Variety. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  46. ^ a b Dachman, Jason (July 16, 2021). "WWE Returns to the Road With 25-City Tour, Adds AR Steadicam and High-Res LED Screen". Sports Video Group. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  47. ^ "WWE SmackDown airing on FS1 next week due to college football". WON/F4W - WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. December 11, 2020. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  48. ^ "WWE and AEW engage in an arms race for a Friday night showdown". Awful Announcing. October 15, 2021. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  49. ^ Collins, Elle (October 24, 2019). "Fox Is Messing With Smackdown's Schedule This Weekend". UPROXX. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  50. ^ "WWE SmackDown Will Air On FS1 Next Week Due To World Series". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  51. ^ Defelice, Robert (February 9, 2023). "WWE SmackDown Will Emanate From The O2 Arena In London, England On 6/30/23". Fightful. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  52. ^ Chavan, Ishan (May 7, 2021). "From the Fist to Ovaltron, Every WWE SmackDown Stage Ever". EssentiallySports.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  53. ^ Hillhouse, Dave (October 2, 2010). "Smackdown: Live from Oklahoma City, it's Friday night!". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  54. ^ Medalis, Kara A. (October 2, 2009). "Friday nights 'Let It Roll'". WWE.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
  55. ^ "WWE Goes HD". WWE. Archived from the original on January 18, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  56. ^ a b "WWE Goes Pink with Susan G. Komen". WWE.com. WWE. October 1, 2015. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
  57. ^ "WWE's 'SmackDown' gets makeover ahead of Fox debut". New York Post. New York Post. August 30, 2019. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  58. ^ a b Staszewski, Joseph (September 27, 2019). "WWE bringing pyro back amid Raw, SmackDown makeovers". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  59. ^ "411MANIA | First-Look at New WWE SmackDown on Fox Set". Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  60. ^ "Contender Profile: WWE Production Designer Jason Robinson on Creating Big Fan Experiences During Pandemic". Below the Line. June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  61. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Murrin, Lucas (October 10, 2014). "WWE Editorial: The Music History Of Smackdown Theme Songs". wrestlingnewsdepot.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  62. ^ "WWE Uncaged III on iTunes". iTunes. August 21, 2017. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  63. ^ Jeffries, David. "WWE ThemeAddict: The Music, Vol. 6 – Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  64. ^ Arrington, Eric (October 7, 2014). "Former WWE Stars Returning on SmackDown?, Tonight's Tapings, Theme Song". dailywrestlingnews.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  65. ^ "SONG OF THE WEEK". today.fm. October 13, 2014. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  66. ^ "Black and Blue". iTunes. December 25, 2014. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  67. ^ Middleton, Marc (July 26, 2016). "New WWE SmackDown Live Intro Video And Theme Song, Charly Caruso Working SmackDown Live, Pre-show Video". Wrestling Inc. United States. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  68. ^ "It was a ginormous year for new words". Today.com. July 10, 2007. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
  69. ^ "m-w.com/dictionary/smackdown". Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2007.
  70. ^ "Smackdown Your Vote! Announces Program To Increase Young Voter Participation By ..." corporate.wwe.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  71. ^ "WWE Kitchen SmackDown Debuts, Top 10 RAW Moments Of 2018". Wrestlezone. December 27, 2018. Archived from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  72. ^ "WWE(R) and American Forces Network Partner To Provide The Great American Bash(R) Pay-Per-View Free To Troops". Business Wire. July 19, 2005. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  73. ^ a b "WWE and Fox Sports Latin America Announce Partnership". WWE. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  74. ^ "WWE Mexico Scheduling". WWE. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  75. ^ "WWE's Spanish Language website". WWE. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  76. ^ "WWE launches in Brazil". WWE. Archived from the original on March 19, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  77. ^ "Canal 5 Website". Canal 5. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  78. ^ LaPrade, Patric (November 7, 2014). "Canada to get Smackdown on Wednesdays". Slam! Sports. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  79. ^ "How to watch Monday Night Raw on April 25, May 2 & May 9". Sportsnet.ca. April 24, 2022. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  80. ^ "WWE® & MBC GROUP ANNOUNCE MAJOR BROADCAST PARTNERSHIP IN MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  81. ^ "Entertainment List". Foxtel channels. Archived from the original on January 25, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
  82. ^ "WWE's Australia Schedule". WWE. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
  83. ^ WWE (December 17, 2018). "WWE and SKY extend long-standing partnership in New Zealand". Archived from the original on December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  84. ^ "WWE's Fiji Schedule". WWE. Archived from the original on October 24, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  85. ^ "Show Listings for India". wwe.com. WWE. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  86. ^ "WWE "Nepal"". www.wwe.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011.
  87. ^ "Sony Pictures Sports Network rebrands TEN Sports channels". The Economic Times. July 18, 2017. Archived from the original on July 21, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  88. ^ "WWE's Kenya Schedule". WWE. Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  89. ^ "WWE's Malaysia Schedule". WWE. Archived from the original on February 28, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  90. ^ "WWE® and TV5 Announce Agreement to Televise SmackDown® in the Philippines". WWE. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  91. ^ "SEGERA DI MOLA TV" [SOON ON MOLA TV] (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Anda penggemar WWE? Jangan sampai terlewatkan tayangan-tayangan RAW dan SmackDown dari WWE yang akan segera tayang Live di Mola TV setiap pekan! [Are you a WWE fan? Don't miss WWE's RAW and SmackDown shows that will soon be live on Mola TV every week!]
  92. ^ "WWE's Singapore Schedule". WWE. Archived from the original on July 28, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  93. ^ "WWE's South Africa Schedule". WWE. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  94. ^ "WWE: Homepage > Schedules > Television > Israel". www.wwe.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011.
  95. ^ "Get ready to rumble". News24. December 6, 2002. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2006.
  96. ^ "TVSA - South Africa's TV Website | TVSA". www.tvsa.co.za. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  97. ^ "WWE South Africa Scheduling". WWE. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  98. ^ "About WWE Raw". E.tv. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  99. ^ "DSTV Launches WWE Pop-Up Channel – SLAMFORCE AFRICA". Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  100. ^ Durães, Pedro. "Sport TV assegura exclusividade dos direitos de transmissão da WWE para Portugal". Meios e Publicidade. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  101. ^ "WWE returns to Russian television and will be broadcast on the Match TV channel! Fighter". Archived from the original on January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  102. ^ "МАТЧ! БОЕЦ - PACKAGE SPORTS". Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  103. ^ Nieto, Cristina (March 29, 2019). "Atresmedia emitirá la programación de 'WWE Raw' y 'SmackDown' en España". FormulaTV (in Spanish). Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  104. ^ "BT Sport | the Heart of Sport | BT Sport". Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  105. ^ Sport, Channel 5 [@Channel5Sport] (March 27, 2020). "🚨 CALLING ALL WWE FANS 🚨 #WWE #SmackDown highlights are now shown FRIDAY 11PM on @paramountnet_uk. Tune in tonight to catch the action 💥" (Tweet). Retrieved March 27, 2020 – via Twitter.
  106. ^ "WWE's Malta Schedule". WWE. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  107. ^ "Melita Sports 1 Television Schedule". Melita Sports 1. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  108. ^ Clayton, Corey (May 22, 2009). . WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  109. ^ Graser, Marc (September 24, 2012). "Hulu Plus pacts with WWE". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  110. ^ Goldman, Eric (September 6, 2011). "WWE Network coming in 2012". IGN. Archived from the original on March 9, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  111. ^ "WWE Network available outside of the U.S. starting Aug. 12". WWE.com. WWE. July 31, 2014. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
External links

The content of this page is based on the Wikipedia article written by contributors..
The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence & the media files are available under their respective licenses; additional terms may apply.
By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use & Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization & is not affiliated to WikiZ.com.