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On [[June 6]] [[2005]], WWE Champion John Cena switched brands from SmackDown! to Raw as part of the month-long [[WWE Draft#2005|Draft Lottery]]. This effectively left SmackDown! without a World Title. During this time, United States Champion [[Orlando Jordan]] was billed as the top champion on the show. On [[June 23]] [[2005]], in [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]], SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long announced a six-man elimination match between [[John Layfield|John "Bradshaw" Layfield]], [[Booker Huffman|Booker T]], [[Chris Benoit]], [[The Undertaker]], [[Jason Reso|Christian]] (replacing [[Paul Wight|The Big Show]], who was picked by Raw in the lottery), and [[Mark Copani|Muhammad Hassan]] to crown the first SmackDown! Champion. On the [[June 30]] episode of ''SmackDown!'', JBL won the match. Long appeared afterward and stated that even though JBL had won the match, SmackDown! did not need a Championship anymore. [[Dave Batista|Batista]], the World Heavyweight Champion, entered the ring as SmackDown!'s final draft lottery pick. Long also revealed that JBL was the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.
On [[June 6]] [[2005]], WWE Champion John Cena switched brands from SmackDown! to Raw as part of the month-long [[WWE Draft#2005|Draft Lottery]]. This effectively left SmackDown! without a World Title. During this time, United States Champion [[Orlando Jordan]] was billed as the top champion on the show. On [[June 23]] [[2005]], in [[Tucson, Arizona|Tucson]], SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long announced a six-man elimination match between [[John Layfield|John "Bradshaw" Layfield]], [[Booker Huffman|Booker T]], [[Chris Benoit]], [[The Undertaker]], [[Jason Reso|Christian]] (replacing [[Paul Wight|The Big Show]], who was picked by Raw in the lottery), and [[Mark Copani|Muhammad Hassan]] to crown the first SmackDown! Champion. On the [[June 30]] episode of ''SmackDown!'', JBL won the match. Long appeared afterward and stated that even though JBL had won the match, SmackDown! did not need a Championship anymore. [[Dave Batista|Batista]], the World Heavyweight Champion, entered the ring as SmackDown!'s final draft lottery pick. Long also revealed that JBL was the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.


wednesday night west!
===Friday Night SmackDown!===
[[Image:FridayNightSmackDown!.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The ''Friday Night SmackDown!'' logo used from [[September 9]] [[2005]]-[[January 18]] [[2008]]]]
[[Image:FridayNightSmackDown!.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The ''Friday Night SmackDown!'' logo used from [[September 9]] [[2005]]-[[January 18]] [[2008]]]]


Revision as of 20:17, 17 July 2008

For the video game series based on the show, see WWE SmackDown (video game series).
For the video game of the same name, see WWF SmackDown!
WWE SmackDown
File:WWESmackDownHD.png
Created byVince McMahon
StarringSmackDown brand
Opening theme"Rise Up 2006" by Drowning Pool
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes464 (as of July 11 2008)
Production
Camera setupMulticamera setup
Running timeApproximately 2 hours per episode
(1 hour 30 minutes and commercials)
Original release
NetworkUPN (August 26 1999 – September 15 2006)
The CW (September 22 2006 – September 26 2008)
ReleaseAugust 26 1999 –
present

WWE Friday Night SmackDown is a professional wrestling television program for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Currently it is the only television broadcast for the SmackDown brand. From its launch in 1999, SmackDown was shown on Thursday nights, but as of September 9 2005, the show moved to Friday nights. The SmackDown brand is currently one of WWE's three brands, the other two being Raw and ECW.

It currently airs in the United States on The CW, in Canada on The Score Network and on E! Montreal, in Turkey on S'nek, in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan on Ten Sports, in Germany on DSF, in the UK and Republic of Ireland on Sky Sports 3, Italy on Sky Italia, in Finland on Urheilukanava, in Portugal on TVI, in the Dominican Republic on Antena Latina Channel 7, in Puerto Rico on WAPA and on The CW, in Ecuador on Teleamazonas, in Chile on Chilevisión, in Malaysia on TV3, in Mexico on 52MX, in Australia on FOX8,[2] in New Zealand on The BOX,in Bulgaria on GTV, in the Philippines on Jack TV and C/S on RPN, in Peru on ATV, in Spain on Cuatro, in Romania on TV Sport, in Serbia on FOX Televizija, in Saudi Arabia and Middle East on Showtime Arabia and ShowSports 4, in France on NT1, in Japan on J Sports, on e.tv in South Africa, on AFN Xtra, on the Super Channel (Channel 10) in Fiji Islands, on VTV in El Salvador, on Canal 9 in Argentina, on TVC Canal 5 in Honduras, on Canal 4 RP in Panama, on Super Sports in Singapore, on tvN in South Korea and on AB3 in Belgium.

Show history

Original format

SmackDown! as it was originally titled first appeared on April 29 1999 as a single television special on UPN. On August 26 1999, SmackDown! officially debuted on UPN, in Kansas City, Missouri. Like WCW Thunder, SmackDown! was recorded on Tuesdays and then broadcast on Thursdays. The new WWF show was so popular that WCW moved Thunder to Wednesdays in the hope of holding on to fans rather than losing them to WWF. SmackDown!, like Thunder, made heavy use of the color blue, earning it the nickname "The Blue Show" amongst wrestling fans.

File:SmackDown!original.JPG
WWF SmackDown! logo (1999-2001)

The first SmackDown! set was unique as it featured an oval-shaped TitanTron (which was dubbed the "OvalTron"), entrance and stage which made it stand out from the Raw set and its rectangular TitanTrons. An added feature to the original set was the ability for the OvalTron to be moved to either the left or right of the stage. Throughout the show's early existence, top WWF superstar The Rock routinely called SmackDown! "his" show, in reference to the fact that the name was derived from one of his catchphrases, "Laying the smackdown." In August 2001, as part of celebrating SmackDown!'s second anniversary, the show received a new logo and set. The last SmackDown! to use the previous television set saw Alliance member Rhyno Gore WWF member Chris Jericho through the center screen, destroying part of the set.

Brand Extension

Main article: WWE Brand Extension

In early to mid-2002, WWE underwent a process they called the "Brand Extension". WWE divided itself into two "de facto" wrestling promotions with separate rosters, storylines and authority figures. Raw and SmackDown! would host each division, give its name to the division and essentially compete against each other. The split was a result of WWF purchasing their two biggest competitors, WCW and ECW. The brand extension was publicly announced during a telecast of WWF Raw on March 25 2002, and became official the next day.

File:SmackDown!Brand.JPG
WWE SmackDown! logo (2001-2008)

Wrestlers now would become show-exclusive, wrestling for their specific show only. At the time this excluded the WWE Undisputed Championship and WWE Women's Championship, as those WWE titles would be defended on both shows. In August 2002, WWE Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar refused to defend the title on Raw, in effect causing his title to become exclusive to SmackDown! The following week on Raw, General Manager Eric Bischoff awarded a newly instated World Heavyweight Championship to Raw's designated #1 contender, Triple H. Due to the fact that since the WWE Undisputed Championship was now SmackDown! exclusive it was no longer seen as "Undisputed". Following this, the WWE Women's Championship soon became Raw-exclusive as well. As a result of the Brand Extension, an annual "draft lottery" was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups.

On June 6 2005, WWE Champion John Cena switched brands from SmackDown! to Raw as part of the month-long Draft Lottery. This effectively left SmackDown! without a World Title. During this time, United States Champion Orlando Jordan was billed as the top champion on the show. On June 23 2005, in Tucson, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long announced a six-man elimination match between John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Booker T, Chris Benoit, The Undertaker, Christian (replacing The Big Show, who was picked by Raw in the lottery), and Muhammad Hassan to crown the first SmackDown! Champion. On the June 30 episode of SmackDown!, JBL won the match. Long appeared afterward and stated that even though JBL had won the match, SmackDown! did not need a Championship anymore. Batista, the World Heavyweight Champion, entered the ring as SmackDown!'s final draft lottery pick. Long also revealed that JBL was the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.

wednesday night west!

File:FridayNightSmackDown!.jpg
The Friday Night SmackDown! logo used from September 9 2005-January 18 2008

It was possible that WWE's "lame duck" status with Viacom on Spike TV is what prompted its moving SmackDown! to the Friday night death slot for the Fall 2005 season. However, it worked out for both parties involved, as the show did better in the ratings than it had on Thursdays, while UPN received much better ratings on Fridays than it did before, with its movie night. In addition, UPN had been able to hold on to the ratings from Thursday nights, most notably with comedian Chris Rock's Wonder Years-like sitcom Everybody Hates Chris. In January 2006, prior to the announcement of the CW Network, it was announced that UPN had renewed SmackDown! for two more years.[3]

Following the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise, SmackDown! was renamed Friday Night SmackDown! and moved into Enterprise's former timeslot in the United States. WWE promoted this move with the tagline "TV that's changing Friday nights." Friday Night SmackDown! made its season premiere on September 9 2005. The program still aired on Thursdays in Canada on the Score. In the United Kingdom and Australia, their stations Sky Sports and FOX8 air SmackDown! on Fridays before the United States due to the time difference. This is the first time a major weekly WWE show airs internationally before it hits screens in the U.S.

The events of Hurricane Katrina affected the first edition of Friday Night SmackDown! in the U.S. due to a special fundraising concert (see Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast) that aired on UPN at the same time that the first edition would have been broadcast, resulting in only the second hour of the show being shown on UPN. The first hour was instead streamed from WWE's website. Other countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and the Philippines received the full two-hour show. WWOR-TV (My 9, New York, New York) also aired both hours of the show on tape delay on Saturday, due to a previous commitment to broadcast the New York Yankees on Friday nights.

At the SmackDown! taping on January 10 2006, Batista had to forfeit the World Heavyweight Championship because of a triceps injury. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long made a Battle Royal for the vacant title. The winner was at the time Raw superstar Kurt Angle, who later switched to the SmackDown brand. In a break from their traditional role of acting as if SmackDown! is not pre-recorded, WWE.com had a photograph of Angle holding his new title on the main page. WWE also did this when Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win the World Heavyweight Championship from The Undertaker and when The Great Khali won a battle royal after Edge's injury.

On the April 7 2006 edition of SmackDown!, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long announced that the King of the Ring tournament would return after a four year hiatus as a SmackDown!-exclusive tournament. The tournament ended at Judgment Day 2006 with Booker T as the winner, defeating Bobby Lashley in the final.

On June 9 2006, Tazz left the SmackDown! brand to join the new ECW brand, leaving the color commentator position on SmackDown! vacant. However, on June 11 at One Night Stand 2006, JBL revealed that he would be the new color commentator for SmackDown! He stayed in that position until December 2007 when he left SmackDown! to become an in-ring competitor on Raw. Jonathan Coachman replaced him afterwards.

The CW Network

2006

Variations of the SmackDown! fist and mirrors set were used from August 16 2001 - January 18 2008.

On September 22 2006, Friday Night SmackDown! debuted on the The CW Television Network, a joint venture between CBS Corporation, owner of UPN, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, a subsidiary of Time Warner, majority owner of The WB.

For four weeks before the official premiere (and in preparation for the impending removal of UPN in several markets by the debut of MyNetworkTV on September 5 2006) of Friday Night SmackDown! on the CW on September 22 2006, Tribune Broadcasting television stations in six major markets (including WPIX in New York City and KTLA in Los Angeles) aired WWE's Friday Night SmackDown! early in September 2006.[4] Two other future affiliates of The CW, WCWJ in Jacksonville, Florida and WIWB in Green Bay, Wisconsin, also aired SmackDown! in early September as well.

The transition to the CW caused an interruption in the broadcast of SmackDown! in the state of Utah beginning in June when KPNZ in Salt Lake City stopped airing all UPN programs early. The show is now seen on KUCW. In Hawaii, SmackDown! returned in late 2006, airing on a CW digital subchannel of Honolulu's FOX affiliate KHON (Channel 2), which has received statewide carriage over Oceanic Time Warner Cable. Since the move to the CW Network, Friday Night SmackDown! has shown a major increase in ratings now averaging a 3.0 national rating. In addition, SmackDown! has become the second highest watched program on The CW.

2007

On April 20 2007, SmackDown! celebrated its 400th episode. Ratings success soon followed. On June 8 2007, Friday Night SmackDown! made CW history by making a three-way tie with CBS and ABC in the key ad demographic, adults 18-49 by drawing a 1.5 rating each. On June 22 2007, Friday Night SmackDown! again made CW history by tying the network for first place in the key ad demographic, adults 18-49, and being the second most watched network program at 9 p.m. for the night. The CW had not performed as well at any time slot since America's Next Top Model in March 2007. The next week on June 29 2007, Friday Night SmackDown! helped The CW claim the top spot in the key demographic, Adults 18-49 for Friday. CBS got the overall lead but The CW got top spot for the Adults 18-49 by registering a 1.4 rating followed by CBS and NBC at 1.3, ABC at 1.2, and FOX at 0.9.[5][6] Then on Friday, July 13 2007, Friday Night SmackDown! made network history by placing first in the 18-49 demographic and becoming the most watched show at the 9 p.m. hour on network television. This is the first time anything has placed this well on The CW. SmackDown! became a hit show on Friday nights winning the demographics for young males, and ranking second on the demographics (18-49) for Friday nights.

On October 16 2007 it was announced that the SmackDown! and ECW brands would begin a "talent exchange", allowing their respective talent to appear and compete on either brand.[7][8]

2008

In January 2008 SmackDown! debuted in HD along with Raw and ECW in the process dropping the exclamation point from the end of its name. On February 8 2008 it was reported that World Wrestling Entertainment and The CW had ended negotiations to keep Friday Night SmackDown on the network. WWE stated that negotiations with other networks has begun and that Friday Night SmackDown would continue to air on The CW through the end of the 2007-2008 broadcast season.[9][10] On February 26 WWE issued a press release announcing Friday Night SmackDown's move to MyNetworkTV.[11][12] On May 19 2008, MyNetworkTV president, Greg Meidel, announced that WWE television would premiere on the network in October 2008, with a recap of WrestleMania XXIV being shown on October 2 2008, and SmackDown premiering on October 3 2008.[13][14][15]

In April 2008, Mick Foley replaced Jonathan Coachman as Color commentator. Following the 2008 WWE Draft, Jim Ross became the new play-by-play announcer for SmackDown, while Michael Cole moved to Raw. The WWE Champion Triple H was also drafted to SmackDown, which gave SmackDown two world championships to be featured on the brand. A week later, CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated the World Heavyweight Champion Edge, bringing the World Heavyweight Championship back to Raw.

Induction into Merriam-Webster

On July 10 2007,[16] Merriam-Webster announced it would induct the word smackdown[17] into Webster's Dictionary. According to Merriam Webster, a "smackdown" is:

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

Production

SmackDown's version of the universal WWE HD set used from January 21 2008-present.

Friday Night SmackDown is usually taped on Tuesday evening and aired Friday evening on The CW the same week. Occasionally, it is taped on Monday nights before or after Raw in what is called a "Supershow". SmackDown has also aired live on occasion.

The most recent theme song for SmackDown was "Rise Up!" by Drowning Pool, a remake of SmackDown's fifth anniversary instrumental theme song. It was performed by then-lead singer Jason "Gong" Jones and featured on the WWE ThemeAddict: The Music, Vol. 6 album. Currently however, the theme song for the SmackDown! brand is "Rise Up 2006" by Drowning Pool, a new version of "Rise Up!" performed by new lead singer Ryan McCombs and featured as a bonus downloadable track on the WWE Wreckless Intent album.

Friday Night SmackDown began broadcasting in HD beginning with the January 25 2008 edition of SmackDown, where a new set debuted that is shared among all three WWE brands. Following the first broadcast in HD, the iconic exclamation mark used since the show's inception was removed from all references pertaining to "SmackDown" including the official logo.[18]

Special episodes

Episode title Date Rating Note
SmackDown! Xtreme February 1 2001 4.0[19] One night special. Series pilot episode.
9/11 Tribute September 13 2001 3.6[19] Tribute in memory of 9/11.
Christmas from Baghdad December 25 2003 3.0 Honored American armed forces.
Christmas from Baghdad December 23 2004 3.0 Honored American armed forces.
Eddie Guerrero Tribute Show November 18 2005 3.1[19] Tribute in memory of Eddie Guerrero.
SmackDown! 400th episode April 20 2007 2.4[20] Celebrated 400th episode.
WWE Best of 2007 December 28 2007 2.5[21] Featured clips from matches of 2007
Seasonal rankings (based on average total estimated viewers per episode) of SmackDown! on UPN and The CW
WWF SmackDown! set used 1999-2001
Season Timeslot Network Season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
1st Thursday 8/7C UPN 1999-2000 N/A 7.2[22]
2nd Thursday 8/7C UPN 2000-2001 90 7.1[23]
3rd Thursday 8/7C UPN 2001-2002 111 6.5[24]
4th Thursday 8/7C UPN 2002-2003 114 5.4[25]
5th Thursday 8/7C UPN 2003-2004 140 5.1[26]
6th Thursday 8/7C UPN 2004-2005 106 5.1[27]
7th Friday 8/7C UPN 2005-2006 120 4.3[28]
8th Friday 8/7C CW 2006-2007 120 4.5[29]
9th Friday 8/7C CW 2007-2008
10th Friday 8/7C MyNetworkTV 2008-2009

On-air personalities

Champions

Championship Current champion(s) Date won Date aired
WWE Championship Triple H April 27 2008 April 27 2008
WWE Divas Championship TBD N/A N/A
WWE Tag Team Championship John Morrison and The Miz November 13 2007 November 16 2007

General Managers

General Manager Date Started Date Finished
Stephanie McMahon July 18 2002 October 19 2003
Paul Heyman October 23 2003 March 22 2004
Kurt Angle March 25 2004 July 22 2004
Theodore Long July 29 2004 September 21 2007
Vickie Guerrero September 28 2007 Present

Commentators

Commentators Year(s)
Michael Cole and Jim Cornette Pilot (April 1999)
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler August 1999 - February 2001
Michael Cole and Tazz February 2001 - November 2001
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler November 2001 - March 2002
Michael Cole and Tazz March 2002 - June 2006
Michael Cole and JBL June 2006 - December 2007
Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman January 2008 - April 2008
Michael Cole and Mick Foley April 2008 - June 2008
Jim Ross and Mick Foley June 2008 - Present

Ring announcers

Ring announcer Year(s)
Tony Chimel April 1999 - September 2007
Justin Roberts September 2007 - Present

Recurring segments

Segment Host Year(s) Notes
Piper's Pit Roddy Piper 2003 In-ring interview segment.[30]
$1,000,000 Tough Enough Al Snow 2004 WWE Tough Enough competition segment.
Kurt Angle Invitational Kurt Angle 2004 - 2005 Three minute match challenge for Angle's Olympic Gold Medals.
Discontinued after Angle was drafted to Raw.
Carlito's Cabana Carlito 2005 In-ring interview segment.
Discontinued after Carlito was drafted to Raw.[31]
Peep Show Christian 2005 In-ring interview segment.
Discontinued following Christian's departure from WWE.[32]
WWE Diva Search The Miz 2006 WWE Diva Search competition segment.
Miz TV The Miz 2007 In-ring interview segment.
Discontinued after Miz was drafted to ECW.[33]
Masterlock Challenge Chris Masters 2007 Submission challenge to break Masters' Masterlock hold.
Discontinued following Masters' departure from WWE.
The Cutting Edge Edge 2007 - present In-ring interview segment.[34]
V.I.P. Lounge MVP 2007 - present In-ring interview segment.[35]

References

  1. ^ "WWE Slams Into HD". TV Technology. Retrieved 2008-03-09.
  2. ^ "Entertainment List" (html). Foxtel channels. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  3. ^ "Mixed views on WB, UPN merger". Variety.com. Retrieved 2006-08-04.
  4. ^ WWE, Tribune announce September SmackDown! schedule. WWE.com
  5. ^ Friday Night SmackDown!deliversRajah.com
  6. ^ WWE Ratings Come In StrongRajah.com
  7. ^ "Partnership Forming?". WWE. October 16 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Setting the night on fire". ECW results. WWE. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
  9. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (2008-02-08). "CW, 'SmackDown' part ways". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
  10. ^ "SmackDown! is moving from the CW". WWE. 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  11. ^ "MyNetworkTV new home of SmackDown". WWE. 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
  12. ^ "MyNetworkTV Crowns WWE Its New Programming Champ" (Press release). WWE. 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
  13. ^ "MyNetworkTV Pins Down First Week of October 2008 for Tag Team of WWE Television Events". The Futon Critic. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  14. ^ "WWE joins forces with MyNetworkTV this fall". WWE. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  15. ^ West, Dave (2008-05-22). "MyNetworkTV plans 'Magic' show revival". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
  16. ^ "msnbc.msn.com". Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  17. ^ "m-w.com/dictionary/smackdown". Retrieved 2007-07-23.
  18. ^ "WWE Goes HD". WWE. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
  19. ^ a b c "SmackDown! ratings history". Wrestling Information Archive. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  20. ^ "SmackDown 2007 TV Ratings". Carlson Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  21. ^ Haslett, Cassidy (2007-12-29). "WWE:SmackDown! Rating for December 28, 2007". Wrestling 101. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  22. ^ "Primetime wrap 1999-00".
  23. ^ "Primetime wrap 2000-01".
  24. ^ "Primetime wrap 2001-02".
  25. ^ "Primetime wrap 2002-03".
  26. ^ "Primetime wrap 2003-04".
  27. ^ "Primetime wrap 2004-05".
  28. ^ "Primetime wrap 2005-06".
  29. ^ "Primetime wrap 2006-07".
  30. ^ "SmackDown! results - April 10, 2003". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  31. ^ "SmackDown! results - April 15, 2005". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  32. ^ "SmackDown! results - August 18, 2005". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  33. ^ "SmackDown! results - March 09, 2007". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  34. ^ "SmackDown! results - June 01, 2007". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  35. ^ "SmackDown! results - August 17, 2007". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2007-08-17.

See also

Template:WWE programs

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