In the same year that Raw celebrated its 25th anniversary, SmackDown is also approaching a milestone of its own. Tonight the show will air its 1,000th episode and former WWE producer Bruce Prichard recently reflected back on the very first episode of SmackDown which aired in 1999.
The first seven years of SmackDown aired on UPN, and Prichard says that using that network didn’t come by accident.
“It was a big conglomeration with a lot of different things coming together at the same time, it was a perfect storm in a lot of ways,” Prichard says on Something to Wrestle With. “Part of the UPN deal also had to do with the XFL. The XFL was going to be debuting the next year, and Vince [McMahon] was getting out beyond that NBC bubble and was looking for different broadcast partners.
When SmackDown debuted on UPN, it became WWE’s first show on a broadcast network since Saturday Night’s Main Event ended it’s original run on NBC in 1992.
“The other thing was that UPN was a broadcast network,” stated Prichard. “It wasn’t cable cast. I don’t want to say that they were in dire straights at the time, but they were No. 5 of the 5 networks. It wasn’t like we were going to the strongest of networks, but they were looking for something to build them up. UPN-Viacom had seen what we had done for the USA Network and they felt that by bringing it onto a broadcast and putting it into a primetime slot it could be their signature show.
“We were reaching out and looking for partners for the XFL. Vince McMahon looks at all of the [UPN] programming and thought, what about pro wrestling? What about doing something else? Vince McMahon always wanted that broadcast spot; that primetime broadcast spot and when it became available he jumped at it.”
Prichard also talked about the possibility of making SmackDown an all-women’s show nearly 20 years before WWE Evolution became a reality.
“We definitely discussed it,” admitted Prichard. “We looked at it, but we just didn’t have the depth to do it on a consistent basis week after week. We really didn’t have enough talent to do that, and in addition to that, if you were going to do that maybe not do it on the broadcast show because Vince McMahon was looking at that the more eyeballs maybe if this broadcast show takes off to possibly make Raw an all-women’s show, but we definitely discussed that many times throughout the years.”
SmackDown stated on UPN and is currently on USA Network, but it also aired on four different networks in between. The show will then move to Fox in October 2019 and Prichard says many networks showed interest in becoming the home of SmackDown.
“We were talking to Viacom. We were talking to CBS, and talking to CBS and Viacom was when we came to terms with UPN,” Prichard revealed. “We were the prettiest girl in that dance. Here we are at UPN because they wanted us due to the fact that they knew what we could provide for their station, which we did. We were the #1 show on their station, and brought eyeballs to UPN and were able to help them with lead ins. If you wanted to do a new show on UPN you advertise on SmackDown; that was just the way it was.”
It looks like WWE has become a player in the ongoing diplomatic & proxy conflict between Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Dave Meltzer noted on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that the WWE World Cup tournament being held at Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia has to do with the Saudis being upset over Qatar landing the 2022 FIFA World Cup of soccer. The Saudis reportedly wanted the soccer World Cup but did not bid on it and couldn’t get it, so they went to WWE to hold their own World Cup of wrestling at Crown Jewel, according to the report.
The issues between the Kingdom and Qatar go back to the mid-1990s but have escalated in the past few years as the two countries fight for power in the region. The conflict is often referred to as the Second Arab Cold War and now it appears there is a WWE-related chapter to add to the history books.
You can read the latest on the controversy surrounding WWE, Crown Jewel and the Saudis at this link.
It looks like several WWE Superstars took to Twitter last night to vent on being in the Battle Royal at WWE Evolution. As noted, Torrie Wilson, Asuka, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Lana, Carmella, Naomi, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Ember Moon, Nia Jax, Dana Brooke, Alicia Fox and Tamina Snuka will do battle in the match to earn a future women’s title shot.
You can see what appear to be coordinated tweets from The IIconics, Naomi, Carmella and Lana below:
WWE has confirmed several more dates for Rey Mysterio, including the special Starrcade live event plus Survivor Series and TLC.
The former World Heavyweight Champion will return at tonight’s SmackDown 1000 episode in Washington, DC to face WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title WWE World Cup qualifying match. It’s been reported that Rey signed a two-year deal with the company.
Below is Rey’s updated list of confirmed WWE dates:
* October 16, Washington: SmackDown 1000
* October 20, Hartford – Supershow live event
* October 21, Boston – Supershow live event
* October 22, White Plains – SmackDown live event
* October 23, Newark: SmackDown TV
* October 30, Atlanta: SmackDown TV
* November 3, Cardiff: SmackDown live event
* November 4, Aberdeen: SmackDown live event
* November 5, Birmingham: SmackDown live event
* November 6, Manchester: SmackDown TV tapings
* November 13, St. Louis: SmackDown TV
* November 18, Los Angeles: Survivor Series
* November 20, Los Angeles: SmackDown TV
* November 24, Cincinnati: Starrcade
* November 27, Minneapolis: SmackDown TV
* December 4, Austin: SmackDown TV
* December 16, San Jose: TLC
* December 29, Pittsburgh: SmackDown TV
Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso posted an article titled WWE Talent Is Uncomfortable With Saudi Arabia Show—And They Should Be. In his piece Barrasso made his case for why, considering the current political climate, WWE should pull out of their planned Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. Included in his editorial was insight from anonymous sources on the talent roster that have, “expressed discomfort with the idea of performing in Saudi Arabia.”
Wrestling Inc reached out to WWE in regards to the rumored discomfort amongst some talents. WWE responded with the following, “As always, we maintain an open line of communication with our performers, as we continue to monitor the situation.”
Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso has new piece on the controversy surrounding WWE’s Crown Jewel event scheduled for Friday, November 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We’ve noted how both Republican and Democratic Senators have expressed concern over WWE’s relationship with the Kingdom after the recent disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and US citizen. The Turkish government claims they have evidence of Khashoggi being kidnapped, tortured and murdered by the Saudis in a state-sponsored crime.
SI reports that under the condition of anonymity, multiple members of the WWE roster have expressed discomfort with the idea of performing in Saudi Arabia, especially considering the past human rights abuses in the Kingdom. WWE officials recently confirmed to the media that they were watching the situation but it appears that the event will go on as planned. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that it would take action from the US State Department or President Trump to stop Crown Jewel from happening. SI points to how the event will forever be tainted, if it happens, and how two big moments would be associated with a tainted event in the history books – WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement and the first WWE Title match between Daniel Bryan and champion AJ Styles, plus the WWE World Cup tournament.
Regarding WWE talents being concerned with the event, Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that talents on the lower end of the card can’t speak out because of how the media would latch on to them, and the top guys can’t speak out because they know it would really hurt the company. Meltzer said, “It’s like the freedom of expression, if you’re in WWE, this is one where you cannot express your viewpoint, no matter what it is. Even if you’re in favor of it, people are going to jump down your throat. This is probably the biggest conundrum that WWE has been in the middle of in a long, long time. You’ve got a situation where everyone knows it, everyone’s thinking about it, everyone’s got an opinion about it but nobody can say a word, and that’s really something when it comes to the nature of that culture. It’s really scary in a lot of ways, that you have that. You’re going to have a lot of individuals that are gonna have a lot of really negative feelings about this. Some will understand it, and justify it for the business reasons and some will just go, kind of like any normal person would go about it – we don’t need the money, it makes our business look absolutely horrible to the public. But bringing attention to it will only make it worse.”
Crown Jewel is the second event under a 10-year partnership between WWE and the Kingdom. WWE did discuss back-up plans when the controversy began but Meltzer reports that WWE officials are “bound and determined” to go through with Crown Jewel for fear of losing the deal with the Saudis. It’s believed that the first show under the deal, last April’s Greatest Royal Rumble event, brought in somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 – $50 million for the company.
Last night Impact Wrestling ended their biggest PPV of the year, Bound For Glory, by crowning a new Impact Wrestling Champion in Johnny Impact. Johnny captured the title by defeating Austin Aries in a match that was the culmination of a controversial and heated feud. Including Aries taking personal shots at Johnny’s wife, Taya Valkyrie, on Twitter.
Almost immediately after being pinned Aries leapt to his feet, stepped out of the ring, yelled a profanity at Don Callis and left while flipping off the crowd. It was a bizarre scene that left many at home, and in the ring, scratching their heads. Was this real? Or part of some outside the box story?
Bryan Alvarez notes in the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Live that Aries has, “gone home,” and will not be attending the Impact Wrestling TV tapings today, or tomorrow. Since Impact tapes weeks, sometimes months, in advance this means that Aries will not be included on Impact Wrestling TV for as long as the tapings are set to run.
To the best of Alvarez’s knowledge Aries has not been fired by Impact Wrestling. This led Alvarez to speculate that while aspects of the feud may have been real, Aries and Johnny are likely working together now. With that said, the press conference brawl that the two engaged in before BFG does appear to have gotten, “a little out of control.” Including one of the sponsors being pushed to the ground in the fracas. Apparently, Anthem and the sponsors had issues with how that press conference went down.
Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that Aries’ Impact Wrestling contracted allegedly ended at Bound For Glory.
Producer Petey Williams talked about everything surrounding the incident on the newest episode of Petey’s Wrestling Perspective Podcast that dropped on Monday. During the show, Williams revealed he was the agent for Aries vs. Impact and called everything in the production truck.
In regards to the finish of the match, Williams added: “Austin Aries’ contract is done. That’s all I’ll say. That match was his last match under contract with Impact.” Petey also claims Aries confirmed his contract status during a backstage conversation after the event where the wrestler explained he wouldn’t be at the next set of TV tapings.
For what it’s worth, Pro Wrestling Sheet spoke with multiple sources in the company following the incident who claim the no-sell moment was legit … not scripted.
Aries returned to Impact in early 2018 following his exit from WWE.
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