Even though SmackDown made its debut in 1999, the show has been telecast on live television only for a few years. In its earlier years, SmackDown was broadcast on Thursdays and was then moved to Fridays. However, on July 19, 2016, SmackDown officially became a live show and made its move to Tuesday nights.
In its three years as SmackDown Live, the Blue Brand has given us some memorable moments. We will take a look at the five best moments in SmackDown Live history.
#5 A Phenomenal triumph in the United Kingdom
After successfully defending the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at Hell in a Cell 2017, Jinder Mahal challenged Universal Champion Brock Lesnar for a clash at the 2017 Survivor Series.
When Mahal was scheduled to defend his WWE Championship during WWE’s 2017 UK tour against AJ Styles, merely a few weeks before Survivor Series, all odds were against ‘The Phenomenal One.’
Prior to this match, only Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar had won the WWE Championship on an episode of SmackDown and no one had ever won the title outside North America. Styles, however overcame all odds and after hitting a Phenomenal Forearm, pinned ‘The Modern Day Maharaja.’ Realizing history had just been made, the crowd rose to the occasion and gave Styles a standing ovation.
Styles would go on to replace Mahal in the Survivor Series Champion vs Champion bout against Lesnar. Although he would lose the match, Styles would go on to become the longest reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history.
#4 Carmella becomes the first-ever Miss Money in the Bank
In 2017, an episode of SmackDown Live introduced the first ever all female Money in the Bank ladder match. Five of SmackDown Live’s top female Superstars - Carmella, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Natalya and Tamina participated in the event.
WWE pulled one of the most inappropriate twists in wrestling history to tarnish the ending of the historic bout. James Ellsworth unhooked the briefcase and gifted it to Carmella, an act quite similar to the ‘Miss WrestleMania’ Battle Royal at WrestleMania 25 - where Santino Marella (who dressed up as a woman) won the match by eliminating Beth Phoenix.
Many fans were enraged by WWE’s comedic approach to such a historic bout. In order to correct its mistake, WWE conducted a rematch for the Women’s Money in the Bank briefcase nine days later on SmackDown Live.
The match was entertaining and even though Ellsworth tried to repeat what he did previously, Becky Lynch had other ideas. Lynch pushed Ellsworth off the ladder, but that didn’t stop Carmella from climbing the ladder to grab the briefcase, as she etched her name in history as the first-ever Ms. Money in the Bank.
#3 Daniel Bryan gets cleared for in-ring action
From 2013 to 2016, Daniel Bryan was by far the biggest Superstar in WWE. Wherever he went, Bryan received immense crowd support. Anyone who faced Bryan during this time automatically became a heel and despite not being physically well-built, Bryan still managed to rise to the very top of WWE.
When Bryan announced his retirement due to multiple concussions on the February 8th, 2016 episode of RAW, every fan in the arena could not help but shed a tear, as they were left heartbroken.
However, WWE did not let go of Bryan altogether. To rival Mick Foley’s popularity as the RAW General Manager, SmackDown Live appointed Bryan as its GM, a role in which he served for one and a half years.
When WWE cleared him to return to in-ring action on the March 20th episode of SmackDown Live, Bryan addressed the WWE Universe. He thanked the fans for their constant support in an emotional speech.
The most memorable part of the segment was when Bryan said he was not sure when or where he would make his return to the ring, to which the fans in attendance began chanting, “WrestleMania! WrestleMania! WrestleMania!”
#2. The Undertaker pays a visit before Survivor Series
In 2016, WWE twisted the Survivor Series rules in a way that pitted the top-flight Superstars from SmackDown against the best in the business from RAW. WWE scheduled two traditional five-on-five Survivor Series elimination matches and one tag team elimination match for the event - in addition to the other scheduled bouts for the night.
RAW was co-led by the Universal Champion Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho, whereas SmackDown Live was led by the WWE Champion AJ Styles, with James Ellsworth as the mascot.
SmackDown Live lined up a formidable team for the men’s elimination match - with the likes of Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt and Shane McMahon joining the WWE Champion. RAW had Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman to join Jericho and Owens.
The most memorable moment of the Survival Series 2016 buildup was when The Undertaker decided to visit Team Blue. The Phenom called SmackDown his home and told the team to step up their game for Survivor Series, unless they wanted another reason to fear ‘The Deadman.’
#1. RAW invades SmackDown Live
Invasion angles have always delivered when done appropriately. As previously mentioned, the 2016 edition of Survivor Series had a RAW vs SmackDown Live theme. The rivalry between the two brands only intensified in 2017.
SmackDown Live fired the first shot by invading RAW. While RAW General Manager Kurt Angle was about to announce his 5 participants for the men’s elimination match, Shane McMahon, along with a group of Superstars from SmackDown Live, interrupted the announcement. The Blue Brand destroyed RAW in the locker room - including Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins.
RAW did not immediately retaliate to the attack. On the go-home episode of SmackDown Live, during the main event between the team of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn and The New Day, fans were greeted with the iconic “Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta” theme.
RAW was dormant for a while and it was time for the counterattack. What began as a brawl between The New Day and The Shield consequently led to The Blue Brand’s decimation. RAW retaliated in the best way possible and the image of the RAW roster staring at Shane McMahon would be forever etched in the minds of wrestling fans everywhere.
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