This is a list of special episodes of the professional wrestling television series WWE SmackDown. Throughout its broadcast history, the show has aired editions that have different themes. Some of them are yearly events such as the WWE draft. Others include tributes to various professional wrestlers who have recently died or retired from actively performing.
Episode | Date | Location | Rating (in millions) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
SmackDown!'s pilot episode | April 29, 1999 | New Haven, Connecticut | 3.10/5.80 share[1] | Pilot episode[2] |
SmackDown!'s debut episode | August 26, 1999 | Kansas City, Missouri | 4.2[3] | Series debut |
SmackDown! Extreme | February 1, 2001 | Columbus, Ohio | 4.0 | Promotes the beginning of the 2001 XFL season |
SmackDown! Live | August 16, 2001 | Salt Lake City, Utah | 4.3 | First live episode of SmackDown! |
9/11 Tribute | September 13, 2001 | Houston, Texas | 3.6[4] | A live episode paying tribute to those impacted by the September 11 attacks two days prior. A regularly-scheduled taping for that week's episode was to occur on September 11, but was cancelled due to the attacks. WWF staff, including Vince McMahon, elected to go on with the episode as a live broadcast instead, which would feature exhibition matches with no effect on storylines. McMahon emphasized that the event was the first major public gathering of its kind since the attacks (as all domestic sports leagues had cancelled or postponed events in their immediate aftermath).[5] |
Christmas from Baghdad | December 25, 2003 | Baghdad, Iraq | 3.0[6] | A special episode filmed at Camp Victory, attended by United States Armed Forces members. |
SmackDown! 5th Anniversary Special | September 23, 2004 | Phoenix, Arizona | 3.2[7] | Celebrated the show's 5th anniversary and the 2004–2005 season premiere |
Christmas in Iraq | December 23, 2004 | Tikrit, Iraq | 2.9[7] | A follow-up to the Baghdad special, filmed from Camp Speicher. |
SmackDown! Night of Champions | December 30, 2004 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 3.9[7] | Featured championship matches |
Eddie Guerrero tribute | November 18, 2005 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 3.3[8] | Following the death of Eddie Guerrero, both Raw and SmackDown! paused their storylines and featured tributes to Guerrero. |
The SmackDown! Special[9] | November 29, 2005 | Cincinnati, Ohio | 2.35[8] | One hour special episode of SmackDown! airing on a Tuesday |
Best of SmackDown! 2005 | December 23, 2005 | Springfield, Massachusetts | 2.8[8] | Featured clips from 2005 |
Friday Night SmackDown! CW Season Premiere | September 22, 2006 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 2.4[8] | Premiere on The CW; 2006-2007 Season Premiere |
Best of SmackDown! 2006 | December 29, 2006 | N/A | 2.6[10] | Featured clips from 2006 |
SmackDown! 400th episode | April 20, 2007 | Milan, Italy | 2.5[11] | Celebrated the show's 400th episode |
WWE Best of 2007 | December 28, 2007 | N/A | 2.5[11] | Featured clips from 2007 |
SmackDown All-Star Kick-Off | October 3, 2008 | Green Bay, Wisconsin | 2.9[12] | Featured Champion vs. Champion matches Premiere on MyNetworkTV |
SmackDown 500th episode | March 20, 2009 | Corpus Christi, Texas | 2.7[13] |
|
Decade of SmackDown | October 2, 2009 | Boston, Massachusetts | 3.77/2.20 share[14] |
|
SmackDown Live Syfy Premiere | October 1, 2010 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 1.7[16] | |
Christmas on USA | December 21, 2010 | San Antonio, Texas | 2.5[16] | Special Tuesday live Christmas episode on the USA Network[17] |
SmackDown 600th episode | February 18, 2011 | San Diego, California | 2.1[18] |
|
SmackDown Milestone | October 14, 2011 | Dallas, Texas | 2.2[20] |
|
SuperSmackDown LIVE! Christmas Special | November 29, 2011 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 3.7 | A live holiday-themed SmackDown hosted by Mick Foley |
New Year's SmackDown | December 30, 2011 | Indianapolis, Indiana | 5.1 | A New Year's-themed episode of SmackDown |
Sin City SmackDown | January 20, 2012 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 3.7[21] |
|
SuperSmackDown LIVE: Blast from the Past | April 10, 2012 | Hampton, Virginia | 1.5[22] |
|
SuperSmackDown LIVE: The Great American Bash[24] | July 3, 2012 | Corpus Christi, Texas | 1.7[25] |
|
Friday Night ZackDown | July 13, 2012 | Denver, Colorado | 2.50/0.8 share[26] | The winner of The Great American bash 20-Man Battle Royal; Zack Ryder ran SmackDown as acting general manager for one night only |
SuperSmackDown LIVE: Commercial-Free | December 18, 2012 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 6.17 |
|
The Rock Return Show | January 11, 2013 | Miami, Florida | 3.7 | First SmackDown to feature The Rock in 10 years |
SmackDown 700th Episode LIVE! | January 18, 2013 | San Antonio, Texas | 2.88/0.8 share[27] | Celebration of the 700th episode of SmackDown |
Social Media SmackDown | March 1, 2013 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 4.1 | Special episode of SmackDown that features reactions from the superstars and the WWE Universe on Tout, Twitter, and Facebook |
SmackDown Thanksgiving | November 29, 2013 | Uncasville, Connecticut | 2.64/0.8 share[citation needed] | Special Thanksgiving-themed episode of SmackDown |
SmackDown 15[28] | October 10, 2014 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 2.67/0.8 share[29] | Celebrated the show's 15th anniversary |
SmackDown Halloween Special | October 31, 2014 | Houston, Texas | 2.21/0.6 share[citation needed] | Halloween special of SmackDown |
Super SmackDown Live: SmackDown's 800th Episode | December 16, 2014 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 2.03/1.51 share[30] |
|
Final Friday Night SmackDown 2015[31][32][33] | January 9, 2015 | Laredo, Texas | 2.43/0.7 share[34] | Final episode of SmackDown airing on Friday Nights |
Thursday Night SmackDown 2015 [31][32][33] | January 15, 2015 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | 2.68/0.8 share[35] | Return to Thursday Nights |
SmackDown Live! | January 29, 2015 | Hartford, Connecticut | 2.95/0.9 share[citation needed] |
|
SmackDown Halloween Special | October 29, 2015 | Phoenix, Arizona | 2.1/1.7 share | Halloween Special of SmackDown |
SmackDown Thanksgiving | November 26, 2015 | Indianapolis, Indiana | 1.3/2.0 share | Special Thanksgiving-themed episode of SmackDown |
SuperSmackDown LIVE! Christmas Special | December 22, 2015 | Des Moines, Iowa | 1.53 | A live holiday-themed SmackDown Aired on USA Network |
Final SmackDown on Syfy | December 31, 2015 | Washington, D.C. | 2.8 | Special New Year's Eve episode of SmackDown This was the final episode of SmackDown on Syfy |
SmackDown USA Network Debut | January 7, 2016 | Laredo, Texas | 2.75 | SmackDown debuts on the USA Network. |
Final Thursday Night SmackDown 2016 | July 14, 2016 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 2.06/0.6 share[40] | Final episode of SmackDown airing on Thursday Nights, on USA Network |
2016 WWE Draft and SmackDown Live Premiere | July 19, 2016 | Worcester, Massachusetts | 3.17/1.2 share[41] | SmackDown moves to Tuesday nights, renamed as SmackDown Live, airing live and marks the return of the Brand Extension and supplemental draft. This is also the first WWE Draft to air on SmackDown[42] |
SmackDown Live's 900th Episode | November 15, 2016 | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | 2.75 | Celebrated the 900th episode of SmackDown. Featured the return of The Undertaker and Edge on "The Cutting Edge" |
SmackDown Live's Wild Card Finals | December 27, 2016 | Rosemont, Illinois | 2.89[43] | Celebrating the final episode of SmackDown in 2016. Featured three championship matches and the return of John Cena |
2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up | April 11, 2017 | Boston, Massachusetts | 3.10[44] | Ten performers, including nine from the Raw brand, are announced as moving to SmackDown. |
Sin City SmackDown Live | September 12, 2017 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 2.7 | A special episode of SmackDown Live emanating from Las Vegas, Nevada. Featured three championship matches and Kevin Owens' attack on Mr. McMahon. |
Monday Night Raw invades SmackDown Live | November 14, 2017 | Charlotte, North Carolina | 2.60 |
|
SmackDown Halloween Special | October 31, 2017 | Norfolk, Virginia | 2.12/0.7 share[45] | |
SmackDown Live Christmas | December 26, 2017 | Rosemont, Illinois | 2.6 | Live Christmas-themed episode of SmackDown on Christmas Tuesday, held at the Allstate Arena |
SmackDown Live New Years Day | January 2, 2018 | Orlando, Florida | 2.7 | Live episode of SmackDown on the first Tuesday of 2018, held at the Amway Center |
Superstar Shake-up | April 17, 2018 | Providence, Rhode Island | 2.7 | Ten performers, including eight from the Raw brand and two from NXT, are announced as moving to SmackDown. |
SmackDown 1000 | October 16, 2018 | Washington, D.C. | 2.5 | Celebrating the show's historical 1000th episode |
Christmas Day SmackDown | December 25, 2018 | Fresno, California | 1.9 | Christmas Day edition of SmackDown taped on December 18, 2018 |
New Year's SmackDown | January 1, 2019 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 2.0 | New Year's Day edition of SmackDown taped on December 29, 2018 |
Superstar Shake-up | April 16, 2019 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada | 2.22 | Thirteen performers, including one from 205 Live, two from NXT, and the remainder from Raw, are announced as moving to SmackDown. |
Return to Madison Square Garden | September 10, 2019 | New York, New York | 2.06 | The second program of a two-night residence at MSG, marking WWE's first television broadcasts from the arena in 10 years.[46] Featured an appearance by The Undertaker. |
Final SmackDown on USA Network | September 24, 2019 | San Francisco, California | 2.09 | Final episode of SmackDown airing on Tuesday nights and on USA Network. |
SmackDown's Greatest Hits | September 27, 2019 | N/A | 1.39 | A clip show featuring highlights of noted moments from the 20-year history of SmackDown. It marked the first WWE program to air on Fox, and served as a prelude for the premiere of SmackDown on Fox the following week.[47] |
SmackDown's 20th Anniversary | October 4, 2019 | Los Angeles, California | 3.89[48] | First episode on Fox, returning to Friday nights and renamed as Friday Night SmackDown; the episode would also formally mark the show's 20th season.[49] |
2019 WWE draft | October 11, 2019 | Paradise, Nevada | 2.89[50] | The first night of a two-night draft between Raw and SmackDown.[51] |
NXT invades SmackDown | November 1, 2019 | Buffalo, New York | 2.54[52] | Due to travel delays returning from Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, most of the SmackDown roster was absent, prompting an extensive focus on the brand's women's roster (including a SmackDown Women's Championship match), and the introduction of an NXT invasion angle (as a lead-up to Survivor Series), concluding with Daniel Bryan being defeated by Adam Cole to retain his NXT Championship.[53][54] |
John Cena Appreciation Night | February 28, 2020 | Boston, Massachusetts | 2.69 | Special episode showing highlights of John Cena's career and featured his return. |
First episode from the WWE Performance Center | March 13, 2020 | Orlando, Florida | N/A | First Episode of WWE Programming in the WWE Performance Center
due to the pandemic. |
Undertaker tribute episode | June 26, 2020 | 2.17 | Special episode paying tribute to The Undertaker's career. | |
2020 WWE Draft | October 9, 2020 | 2.18 | The first night of a two-night draft between Raw and SmackDown. | |
Friday Night SmackDown Season 2 Premiere | October 16, 2020 | 2.12[55] | Special episode celebrating a year of SmackDown on Fox. | |
Christmas Day SmackDown 2020 | December 25, 2020 | St. Petersburg, Florida | 3.30[56] | Christmas Day edition of Friday Night SmackDown featuring:
|
New Year's SmackDown 2021 | January 1, 2021 | 2.01 | New Year's Day edition of Friday Night SmackDown | |
WrestleMania SmackDown | April 9, 2021 | 2.25 | Special WrestleMania 37-themed episode (taped April 2, 2021), featuring the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and a match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. | |
Throwback SmackDown | May 7, 2021 | Tampa, Florida | 2.28 | Old school-themed episode, as part of Fox Sports "throwback week" promotions for the 2021 Goodyear 400 NASCAR race the following Sunday,[57] |
Return to touring broadcasts | July 16, 2021 | Houston, Texas | 2.31 | First SmackDown held live with fans since March 6, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marking WWE's resumption of live touring. |
SmackDown at Rolling Loud 2021 | July 23, 2021 | Cleveland, Ohio
Miami, Florida |
2.14[58] | Two matches were broadcast from the Rolling Loud hip-hop music festival in Miami. The remainder of the show aired from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.[59][60] |
Super SmackDown: Return to Madison Square Garden | September 10, 2021 | New York City, New York | 2.38[61] | A special episode of SmackDown from the Garden with appearances from Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and the Raw roster.[62] |
2021 WWE Draft Night 1 | October 1, 2021 | Baltimore, Maryland | 2.25[63] | First night of the annual WWE Draft (the first night of which was the October 1 episode of SmackDown), where wrestlers are drafted between the Raw and SmackDown brands. |
2021 season premiere | October 8, 2021 | San Jose, California | 2.14[64] | Featuring the first rounds of the 2021 King of the Ring and Queen's Crown tournaments.[65] |
Supersized SmackDown | October 15, 2021 | Ontario, California | 0.86[66] | Special two-and-a-half-hour edition of SmackDown which featured an appearance from Brock Lesnar, as well as SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks in a non-title match. Aired on FS1 due to the MLB playoffs airing on Fox.[67] |
Thanksgiving SmackDown | November 26, 2021 | Greensboro, North Carolina | 2.15[68] | Special Thanksgiving-themed episode of SmackDown |
Christmas Eve SmackDown 2021 | December 24, 2021 | Rosemont, Illinois | 1.96[69] | Taped after the December 17, 2021 episode.[70] Featured a "12 Days of Christmas gauntlet match" to determine the top contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.[71] |
Best of 2021 | December 31, 2021 | A year-in-review episode, which aired on FS1 due to Fox's New Year's Eve programming.[72] WWE initially announced plans to air a live SmackDown for New Year's Eve in Charlotte, but these plans were scrapped.[73][74][75] | ||
Brock Lesnar's 20th Anniversary | March 18, 2022 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Show aired on the 20th anniversary of Brock Lesnar's debut in WWE. Lesnar made an appearance during the episode. | |
WrestleMania SmackDown | April 1, 2022 | Dallas, Texas | 2.23 | Special WrestleMania 38-themed episode, featuring the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and a match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.[76] |
SmackDown 1200 | August 19, 2022 | Montréal, Quebec, Canada | Celebrates the show's 1200th episode. | |
Friday Night Raw | September 30, 2022 | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | Due to Hurricane Ian impacting Florida where the majority of the SmackDown wrestlers reside, some of the talent from the Raw brand were featured in the program.[77] | |
SmackDown 2022–2023 season premiere | October 7, 2022 | Worcester, Massachusetts | The third season premiere of WWE SmackDown on Fox featured a face-to-face from Logan Paul & Roman Reigns as well as Triple H opening the show. |