Vince McMahon To Kick Off Tonight's WWE SmackDown

The WWE Chairman will be in the house for tonight's ThunderDome reveal.

by Andy H Murray
Vince McMahon
WWE

In a move that's all but certain to result in a ratings boost, Vince McMahon will appear live on tonight's WWE SmackDown from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

The promotion tweeted to this effect minutes ago:-

Advertisement

WWE has rebranded the Amway Center as "ThunderDome" for the duration of its residency there, which runs through October. Tonight's SmackDown is the promotion's first show out of the basketball arena since switching back to live broadcasts following a lengthy pretaped stint at the Performance Center.

Other than opening the show, there's currently no word on what Vince might get up to on the SummerSlam 2020 go-home, which features an Intercontinental Title match between AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy, SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura defending against the Lucha House Party, and Big E vs. Sheamus.

Advertisement

WWE has described the ThunderDome as a state-of-the-art viewing experience. The company held a dress rehearsal of the elaborate setup last night, with numerous pictures of its virtual fans hitting the internet soon after, drawing a mixed response.

Nonetheless, Vince's appearance and the ThunderDome's debut make this one of the most intriguing episodes of SmackDown in months.

Advertisement
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.