10 shocking moments from WWF (WWE) 1999

#6 The birth of Smackdown

Layeth the Smackdown!

During the Monday Night Wars, professional wrestling was operating on a level previously unheard of in the US. There was even speculation that wrestling viewing figures were having an impact on the NFL's ability to hold the Monday night spot, which, as today's fans will know, is practically impossible in 2017.

Due to the rise in popularity and demand for wrestling, WCW decided to broadcast a show on Thursday nights to accompany Nitro. The show was called Thunder, and after a brief period of hype, the WWF decided it had no choice but to respond. On April 29th, 1999, history was made when the first ever showing of Smackdown graced our screens.

The WWE were, in many ways, able to learn from the mistakes of WCW. Thunder never really had a proper direction, and this was a big part of its downfall. To the company's credit, this additional show was supposed to help younger talent make a name for themselves, but with such a stacked main event scene across both companies, this was always going to be a risky move as far as viewership was concerned.

Smackdown, on the other hand, decided to showcase its main event talent across both platforms, doubling the amount of exposure fans got towards their favourite wrestlers like Stone Cold, Triple H and The Rock. The Thursday night show also had some memorable moments and big name wrestling bouts to help things move along successfully.

A few years later, when WCW was eventually bought by WWF, Smackdown became a real blessing in disguise as Vince was able to spread an enormous roster across both shows.

Over the years, the show has seen its fortunes rise and fall, but when does well, Smackdown always has that ability to offer fans something different from the RAW monopoly.