WWE News: Smackdown on Fox Oct. 4 Debut Will Also Be 20 Year Smackdown Anniversary Show
The first episode of WWE Smackdown on Fox will be on Friday, October 4th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale for that show this Friday and in order to get people more excited about it, WWE has announced that it will also be a 20 Year Anniversary special for Smackdown.
As you might expect, WWE plans to go all out for that 20th-anniversary show with legends like The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting (who never appeared on Smackdown), Kurt Angle, Trish Stratus, Goldberg (who only appeared on Smackdown once earlier this year) and more. There’s no Steve Austin or The Rock listed. Austin lives in LA, so maybe WWE will keep him as a surprise. Since Smackdown was named after The Rock’s “lay the smackdown” catchphrase, perhaps The Rock will show up too. It’s anyone’s guess at this point.
The first episode of Smackdown was actually on August 26, 1999, but WWE obviously wanted to save the 20th Anniversary Celebration until they are on Fox over one month later. There was a pilot episode of Smackdown on April 29, 1999 as well although the August date is when it became a regular show.
Here’s the official press release from WWE including ticket information.
WWE® AND FOX SPORTS CELEBRATE SMACKDOWN’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY ON OCTOBER 4
Tickets Available This Friday, August 16
Stamford, Conn., August 12, 2019 – The 20th anniversary celebration will mark the premiere of SmackDown on FOX broadcast network at 8 pm ET and take place at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Friday, October 4, 2019. Tickets are available starting this Friday, August 16 at 10 am PT via the Staples Center box office, www.AXS.com or by calling 1-888-929-7849.
WWE Superstars past and present will be on hand at Staples Center to celebrate the occasion including Kurt Angle, Lita, Mick Foley, Booker T, Hulk Hogan, Trish Stratus, Goldberg, Jerry Lawler, Mark Henry, Ric Flair and Sting.
“SmackDown has been delivering action-packed, family-friendly programming for two decades, and we look forward to entertaining generations to come as we begin this next chapter on FOX,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO.
“Since we announced our five-year agreement last June, we have been eagerly counting down the days to the launch of SmackDown Live on FOX Sports,” said Eric Shanks, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer of FOX Sports. “We couldn’t be more excited and are pulling out all of the stops to commemorate SmackDown’s 20th anniversary celebration.”
Beginning with its 20th anniversary celebration on Friday, October 4, SmackDown will air on FOX broadcast network 52 weeks a year and captivate fans with a unique combination of edge-of-your-seat action, unpredictable drama and world-class athleticism.
On air since 1999, SmackDown Live is the second-longest running weekly episodic cable television show in U.S. primetime history, only behind Monday Night Raw, and is currently among the most-watched, regularly scheduled programs on primetime cable. SmackDown Live has aired more original episodes than some of the most popular television series of all time, including The Simpsons, Gunsmoke, Lassie and Monday Night Football.
In its 20-year history, SmackDown Live has also helped launch the careers of pop-culture icons including Dwayne “The Rock®” Johnson, John Cena®, Triple H®, “Stone Cold®” Steve Austin® and The Bella Twins™.