WWE is all set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SmackDown and this momentous occasion will also mark the premiere of SmackDown on Fox. The episode will air on Fox at 8 pm ET at the Staple Center in Los Angeles, on Friday, October 4. WWE SmackDown will be making its debut on Fox Sports 1, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the historic weekly show. It has been reported from several WWE news sources that the debut show of The Blue Brand is going to be a major attraction, and the WWE Universe will get to see the superstars from both Raw and SmackDown making their appearances along with former superstars and WWE legends.
WWE has confirmed the names of some wrestling legends who will be making their presence on the 20th-anniversary show of SmackDown. The names that have been confirmed by WWE on wwe.com are those of Kurt Angle, Lita, Mick Foley, Booker T, Hulk Hogan, Trish Stratus, Goldberg, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Mark Henry, Ric Flair, and Sting. In addition to these names, other huge superstars are expected to appear on the show. Although there has been no official announcement, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker, and John Cena are expected to make their appearances on the show. Fox has advertised these legends in their promotional videos, so it is being speculated all over the WWE news channels that they might grace the premiere of SmackDown on Fox with their presence since they have had huge moments in The Blue Brand.
Apart from the special appearances from the superstars of the past, every major WWE Raw and SmackDown superstar will be present on the show. It has been announced by Staples Center that Brock Lesnar will be present on the show and he is also set to become a part of the Friday Night SmackDown roster after its move to Fox. This will be a huge addition to The Blue Brand and will definitely help with the TV ratings. Two matches have been confirmed for the event: singles match between Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe, and a Six-man Tag Team Match where The New Day will face the team of Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, and Erick Rowan. There might be some changes made to these matches, depending on the way the storylines develop leading up to the event. The competitors participating in the Six-man tag team match might change, since there has been a physical altercation between Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan this week on SmackDown Live. However, other huge matches will be added to the card of the 20th-anniversary show.
SmackDown’s move to Fox Sports is a big deal for WWE and it has been reported by several WWE news sources that this is the biggest deal that WWE has ever received and the deal amounts to an astonishing sum of $1 billion! Therefore it’s evident that both WWE and Fox will try their best to make the necessary amendments for keeping the ratings up for SmackDown. Most of the times, greater preference is given to Raw but now that SmackDown is all set to move to the Fox Sports network after signing a lucrative deal, it’s an absolute necessity for some big names to be present as a part of the brand – especially on the premier show, which also happens to mark the 20th anniversary of The Blue Brand.
