Backstage Update On WWE's SmackDown Anniversary Show

WWE looking to assemble an all-star show for the blue brand's 20th anniversary.

Jul 16, 2019 July 16th, 2019

Hot on the heels of next week’s Raw Reunion being announced, WWE has reportedly got major plans for its blue brand as SmackDown gets set to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The early word – as per Dave Meltzer – is that the anniversary celebrations will see plentiful WWE legends appearing on this special episode of SmackDown Live. When this 20th anniversary offering will air, however, has yet to be confirmed.

Previously, SmackDown’s big anniversary shows have aired between September 23rd and October 10th, although the very first SmackDown episode actually aired on April 29th back in 1999. What’s interesting here, is that SmackDown is of course set to move to the FOX network.

The first FOX episode will air on Friday, October 4th, which opens up several possibilities. If WWE runs its 20-year SmackDown anniversary before October 4th, the show would be broadcast on the USA Network. Then there’s the possibility that WWE’s first ever SmackDown as part of this new FOX deal would be the monumental all-star anniversary special.

Looking at it from the outside, one would have to think that SmackDown premiering on FOX will be enough to draw a strong rating for that debut episode. As such, WWE may be better served using the 20-year SmackDown anniversary on another episode of SDLive rather than blowing both the FOX premiere and the anniversary on the same show.

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

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