10 Things We Learned From WWE SmackDown's First Ever Episode

9. Literally Everyone Was Over

If there's one thing chief writer Vince Russo can crow about with credibility, it's the fact that everyone was over during the time he had the pen. On the first SmackDown, acts thrown out in front of the audience range from The Undertaker and Steve Austin to Val Venis, Ken Shamrock and Droz. Every single one of them got a reaction.

There was a sizeable pop or some heat for everyone on the card, and the fans kept that energy up all night.

It is a time capsule though. The raft of characters include a porn star (Venis), pimp (The Godfather), guy fixated with butts (Mr. Ass) and enough red-blooded, late-90s testosterone when it comes to ladies like Debra and Ivory for all. It's... jarring to watch now we've (thankfully) been conditioned to view women's wrestling as serious, valid and every bit as important as the male matches.

In fairness however, women like Debra weren't going to have the kind of matches Charlotte Flair can, for example, and neither was Nicole Bass going to cut blistering promos that could headline WrestleMania.