10 Greatest Moments in WWE SmackDown history

SmackDown is tagged and treated as a ‘B’ Show in the modern Network era. It does not have the importance of Monday Night Raw nor does it have a rich history like it’s counterpart but the fans always have a special place in their heart for the blue brand.SmackDown celebrated its 15th birthday this week and took many fans into a ride that was far better than the one they put up on Monday Night.Despite the lack of time WWE writers are spending for the show at this moment, SmackDown gifted the fans with a lot of moments that are incredibly hard to forget. So as the WWE Universe is celebrating the 15 year anniversary of SmackDown, here is a look at some of the best moments that made the show stand out.

#10 The tribute Show

The United States was shell shocked after the 9/11 attacks. There was a certain amount of tension all around the nation as they didn’t know how to react to the situation. Almost all the shows and events were cancelled out but Vince McMahon had another idea.

He delivered a SmackDown just two days after the attacks which turned out to be one of the best shows in the history of the brand.

McMahon cut a promo in which he said that the Americans should be proud of their nation for having that fight in them and lifted up every soul that was in the building that night.

His words gave Goosebumps to everyone around the globe and the wrestler that followed the lead made sure that everyone went home inspired.

#9 Hounds take out the dead man

There hasn’t been a stable in the modern era that caused more havoc that the Hounds of Justice. Shield was at the epitome of the storylines while they were together and even after falling apart, they continue to rule the main event scene.

Taker was someone who the fans only saw at WrestleMania, but he made one rare appearance on the April 26, 2013 edition of SmackDown to face Dean Ambrose.

Ambrose couldn’t get a historic win under his belt but the Shield made their message clear when the destroyed the dead man.

The half broken old man was triple power bombed into the announce table and the fans who wanted to see the dead man rise were left speechless.

#8 Who needs a ring when you have the Supermarket?

The reason why we love to love Steve Austin is because of his unpredictability. So when he was put into a feud with Booker T back in 2001, the fans were sure about seeing some memorable moments.

Well, they weren’t disappointed. Austin and Booker fought it out at places like Church and bingo hall but what set the bar high was their brawl in a Supermarket. Austin made full use of the products that were available in the market.

This if one of those moments that is makes you laugh no matter how many times it is seen thanks to the brilliance of Austin, Booker and the story they told inside a public place.

#7 Gore ! Gore ! Gore

Rhyno had a good run in ECW back in the good old days but couldn’t replicate the same magic when he came into WWE. However, he did give a moment which was worth remembering.

He was feuding with Chris Jericho during 2001 and the two men took things to a whole new level when they made the SmackDown infrastructure, a casualty.

Rhyno gored Jericho right through the SmackDown set on the August 9 edition of the show and the move caught the fans off guard ensuring they scream out in excitement. There have been many replications of the breaking the infrastructure after that but SmackDown fans would always remember Rhyno and his Gore.

#6 Eddie, you beauty

The emotions that fans had towards Eddie were extreme. If he was a face, they loved him to the core and if was a heel, they saw no reason not to hate him. Back in 2005, Eddie executed a heel turn that redefined his career.

Eddie turned on Rey Mysterio and came out on the May 12 episode of SmackDown to give a promo that would go down in history as ‘the’ best in the history of the show.

It was evil as it could get and Eddie was radiating hate in all directions. The transformation from a crowd favorite to a top heel was made to look easy by the Latino heat who then went on to give an epic feud with Mysterio.

#5 Austin + fireworks = Fun

Being the ultimate Rebel in WWE, Steve Austin was credited for destroying many of Vince McMahon’s property. Most of those moments were restricted to Raw during the Attitude Era but SmackDown’s early days saw something similar.

An electrifying feud between Triple H and Steve Austin escalated in 2000 when Austin decided to blow up D – Generation X’s bus. Fireworks were always received with warm arms by the WWE fans and when Austin did it, fans went wild.

It came right after a segment with Rock, Triple H, Vince McMahon, and Shane McMahon which made it shine brighter. Having such legendary performers were the best part about those years as there is a certain lack of good segments like that at this point.

#4 The underdog celebration

The fans loved Eddie, but it took WWE ages to give Eddie a credible World Title reign. In the No Way Out pay-per-view in 2004, Eddie did the unthinkable when he dethroned the beast to become WWE champion.

Eddie went into the match against Lesnar as a clear underdog and when he won it, the landscape turned upside down.

What followed was a celebration worth watching. The entire arena celebrated with Eddie that night on SmackDown as emotions were running wild.

The champion was left with tears in his eyes during the celebrations and though the brand saw many champions celebrate their wins, no one reached the level to which Eddie went that night.

#3 And then Big Show and Brock Lesnar destroyed the ring

Lesnar and Show delivered a squash match on this year’s Royal Rumble but they had a much better time when they faced off in the June 12, 2003 episode of SmackDown.

The fans were into the match that was slowly built up but instead of getting a result, what the fans got was something more memorable. It was a ‘Holy crap’ moment as Big Show went on top rope with intentions of Chokeslaming the beast.

Instead of the plan, Show was superperplexed by Brock and as the two big men crashed into the mat, the ring collapsed making sure that everyone who missed the show would curse themselves afterwards.

#2 Beast who painted himself with blood

Brock Lesnar are known for doing some cruel things during his WWE career, but the August 8, 2002 edition of SmackDown took things to a different level.

Lesnar was facing Hulk Hogan on the show as the two men were fighting to get a shot at the WWE championship at SummerSlam that year. Paul Heyman’s client ended up destroying Hogan in the ring and made him pass out with sheer strength.

But the best part came when the match closed. Lesnar smeared Hogan’s blood onto his chest and looked like an evil monster that just killed off his prey, the fans never saw Lesnar the same after that moment.

#1 Superman Begins

The WWE landscape was never the same after June 27, 2002 as it saw the start of a career that turned into a phenomenon.

Kurt Angle came out to his ‘You Suck’ cheers as usual and issued an open challenge to anyone on the roster. A funny haired youngster came out through the curtain and said that his ruthless aggression earned him a chance to face the Olympic Gold medalist.

That youngster went on to lose against Kurt Angle but he got his big moment which laid the foundation for the Ruthless Aggression Era and a career which redefined the promotion altogether. And just for the information, that youngster was John Cena.