Ranking Every WWE SmackDown Stage From Worst To Best
A fistful of memories from the blue brand.
WWE's blue brand has officially aired 1000 episodes. It's an impressive achievement that very few TV shows ever manage to accomplish, but despite the odds, SmackDown did the impossible and it now joins the company's flagship program as one of the elite shows to make it happen. But it didn't get there without adapting.
Evolution was the key to SmackDown's success. Over the years, the show has undergone countless reinventions, all of which have helped reinvigorate it and sustain it for another generation. These reinventions are evidenced through the ever-changing talent, with new superstars arriving and old ones leaving every year due to the annual shake-up. However, they've also been physical.
On the surface, SmackDown Live looks very different to how it looked back in the late '90s. The current stage is a far cry from the original set, highlighting just how much the show has changed since then. During that time, there have been six different designs (four of which were permanent). Some of them have gone down in history for their legendary appearances while others were so forgettable that its hard to remember anything specific about them.
6. The PG Era's HD Stage
In January 2008, WWE began broadcasting all of its content in high definition and the-powers-that-be decided to use the opportunity to redesign all of the sets to give each arena that larger-than-life look. An interesting idea in theory but unfortunately, the execution left a lot to be desired.
All of the TV (and eventually, many PPV) stages were pulled and replaced by a standard set that was used across the majority of WWE programming. The design was incredibly uninspired, consisting of nothing more than a giant screen above the ramp and a large WWE logo to the left. However, there were two curved LED panels (one above and one below the screen) that could be altered to showcase each respective brand's logos and colours.
In its defence, it was physically impressive at least. In that sense, it was perfect for the transition into the HD era, but it stripped each show of its own individuality and all in all, it was a rather bland design that grew stale amongst supporters very quickly.