10 Ideas WWE Blatantly STOLE From WCW
2. SmackDown’s Presentation = Thunder
Sighs could probably be heard coming out of Eric Bischoff's office when Turner higher-ups told him Ted wanted a new two-hour primetime show every Thursday. Thunder was born in early-1998, and Bisch had to try and make the thing as different as possible from the already-established Nitro weekly. It was mission impossible.
The very next year, Vince McMahon debuted SmackDown. That show became a Thursday night staple too, which can't have been accidental. Also, and this is something nobody within WWE would admit, SmackDown's blue colour scheme was totally lifted from Thunder's cold, almost-icy aesthetic.
Red and black on Mondays, blue and white on Thursdays.
Nitro/Thunder and Raw/SmackDown had that in common. WWE can brag about introducing Raw before WCW's Nitro, but they can't claim with any confidence that Smackers didn't leech from Thunder. Hell, SmackDown is still using Thunder-esque vibes in 2023, and that'll probably never change so long as the program airs.