'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABf/aAAgBAQAAAAAcH//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL/2gAIAQIQAAAAX//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT/2gAIAQMQAAAAb//EACEQAAICAQIHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIEAQMxAAUREhMUISNR/9oACAEBAAE/ANoVouRTrX9UXmA1l044hiCnOcabWTrauDu355TKPMD91//EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAiEi/9oACAECAQE/AJZpH//EABgRAQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAAQMR/9oACAEDAQE/AMyWeqp//9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What's the story?
WWE's official Instagram account recently posted a series of stories on the eve of 20 years of SmackDown Live.
The series commemorates the top 10 moments from the very first episode of SmackDown.
In case you didn't know...
At the peak of the Attitude Era, WWE began producing another TV show, as a counterpart to its flagship show, Monday Night Raw. The show was called SmackDown, and aired its first episode on April 29th, 1999.
SmackDown was WWE's answer to WCW's Thunder, and was originally planned to be a 2-hour show featuring the WWE divas. This didn't work out though, and it ended up becoming a traditional wrestling program. During the early days of the show, The Rock consistently dubbed it as "his show", as the name 'SmackDown' was taken from The Rock's famous catchphrase, "lay the smack down".
The first episode of SmackDown used the Raw set, which is evident by the signature red ring ropes and the entrance stage in the video series
The heart of the matter
To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the blue show, WWE put out a video series on its Instagram story, chronicling the Top 10 moments from the first episode of SmackDown.
Here's the link to the Instagram story, and following is the list of the 10 moments that are featured in the list.
#10 The Big Show's impressive drop kick to put down Test.
#9 The Brood's eerie entrance.
#8 Mark Henry saves D'Lo Brown.
#7 Ken Shamrock tries to hit Bradshaw with a baseball bat, misses.
#6 Mankind defeats The Big Boss Man with Big Show's help.
#5 X-Pac & Kane defeat The New Age Outlaws.
#4 The crowd sings along with The Rock.
#3 The Corporation joins The Ministry of Darkness.
#2 The Corporate Ministry interferes in the main event.
#1 Stone Cold stuns The Undertaker and Vince McMahon.
What's next?
With The Big Dog, Roman Reigns, now being a member of the blue brand, plus the show boasting talents like Kofi Kingston, Daniel Bryan, and Finn Balor, the immediate future looks nothing but bright for the blue show.
What are your thoughts on the list? Did they miss any moment? Sound off in the comments!
