During a shoot interview in 2005, Brian James took credit for coming up with one word that WWE still use to this day. 'Smackdown' may not be the show it once was, but there was a time when it was a huge deal. Monday Night Raw has always been the promotion's flagship broadcast, but Smackdown was an important part of the weekly output on television from the company. It's generally accepted that The Rock was the one who popularised the use of the word 'Smackdown'. Even looking at WWE video games, his face was emblazoned all over the Smackdown series. Back during his heyday as a heel, The Rock also used to encourage opponents to check into the 'Smackdown Hotel', in other words offering them a beating. According to Road Dogg, he was the one who first started using the word on the live mic, not The Rock. Dwayne Johnson has never really taken credit publicly for the phrase, but it's more commonly associated with him. It's worth noting that during the infamous segment during which DX mocked The Nation in 1998, Road Dogg does use the word.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
