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WWE Friday Night SmackDown on FOX recently marked the return of live fans to regular WWE programming for the first time since March 2020. The show also marked the return of WWE to regular touring in front of a live audience.
The show featured several major matches, including Roman Reigns and The Usos facing off against Edge and The Mysterios. The show also featured major returns, with former NXT Champion Finn Balor making his return as a main roster competitor.
But SmackDown also featured some aesthetic changes too. The broadcast on FOX featured the debut of a brand new SmackDown set.
There had been rumors and reports of new sets coming in for both RAW and SmackDown with WWE's return to touring. The new set features a giant video wall that also incorporates several augmented reality elements.
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With WWE debuting a new set for Friday Night SmackDown, let's take a closer look at the five best WWE SmackDown sets.
#5 WWE SmackDown post-pandemic set (2021 - present)
SmackDown on FOX recently marked WWE's return to full-time touring and the return of live fans to WWE programming.
To celebrate the return of the WWE Universe after 16 months away, WWE made some aesthetic changes to their weekly broadcasts. One such change was the emergence of a new set for Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown.
The new set is largely simplistic and plain when compared to previous versions of the blue brand's sets. The set is centered around a giant video wall/titantron which displays graphics and videos for the crowd in attendance and the viewers watching at home.
The set also incorporates WWE's use of augmented reality too. When WWE Superstars make their entrance graphics seemingly appear mid-air, whilst also appearing on the video wall, thanks to WWE's state-of-the-art augmented reality software.
Some fans were underwhelmed by the simplicity of the new SmackDown and RAW set when it debuted several weeks ago. Nevertheless, one can't argue that it does look impressive during live broadcasts.
#4 WWE SmackDown LIVE set (2016 - 2019)
WWE conducted its second-ever brand extension in 2016. After merging rosters for Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown in 2011, the WWE roster was once again split in two.
WWE Superstars were drafted to either Monday Night RAW or SmackDown LIVE. Both shows aired on consecutive nights on the USA Network, with RAW airing on Mondays and SmackDown LIVE airing on Tuesdays.
To mark the start of a new chapter in SmackDown history, SmackDown LIVE received its own unique set. This would allow the show to appear distinctively different from Monday Night RAW.
As was the case for most modern day WWE sets, the SmackDown LIVE set featured several sleek LED boards. This allowed WWE to switch the graphics to a specific WWE Superstar when making their entrance.
The new set also featured an LED staging area, meaning superstar and show graphics could also be switched on the entrance ramp. In comparison to the set for Monday Night RAW in 2016, it is mostly agreed that SmackDown LIVE had the better entrance set during that time period.
#3 WWE SmackDown on FOX set (2019 - 2020)
WWE SmackDown moved back to Friday Nights in 2019 when it debuted on FOX.
FOX agreed a much publicized deal to air SmackDown on their network in 2018 worth a reported $1 billion over five years. Due to the move to network television and the substantial television rights fees, WWE felt the need to go all out for the blue brand's debut on FOX.
For the debut episode of SmackDown on FOX in October 2019, WWE debuted a brand new set to mark the occasion. The set incorporated LED boards used before in WWE sets but also featured a large titantron and prong-like objects similar to the WWE Backlash set used in the Attitude Era.
The new set also featured an elevated ramp which also used LED boards to display entrances, shows and WWE Superstar graphics when a particular wrestler made their way into the arena.
Unfortunately, this version of the Friday Night SmackDown set was not featured on WWE television for very long. Due to the global pandemic, WWE was forced to relocate to an empty Performance Center in March 2020.
WWE subsequently moved to the WWE ThunderDome for the remainder of the year into 2021 and eventually debuted the new set the WWE Universe sees on RAW and SmackDown today.
This means that the initial SmackDown on FOX set was only seen on WWE television for roughly five months. Which is a huge shame considering how great the set truly looked.
#2 WWE SmackDown Ovaltron set (1999 - 2001)
WWE's pilot episode of SmackDown aired on April 29, 1999.
The inaugural show featured the same set that the company was using for Monday Night RAW at the time, featuring the giant titantron and stage set up.
However once the show began to air regularly on cable television in September of that year, the show incorporated a brand new set to distinguish itself from it's Monday sister show.
Dubbed the "ovaltron," SmackDown's debut stage and set featured four oval metallic strips, with a fifth strip incorporating a much smaller SmackDown graphic screen.
The oval theme did not stop there though. The left hand side of the stage also featured a giant oval titantron that displayed WWE Superstars entrance videos and also displayed the action to the crowd in attendance.
Considerably smaller than today's modern stages and set-ups, the ovaltron is still a fan favorite set for many today. Its simplicity and its uniqueness has really struck a chord with many professional wrestling fans at home.
It is also associated with the early days of the blue brand during the attitude era. Leading many fans to have fond memories of the SmackDown Ovaltron.
#1 WWE SmackDown Fist set (2001 - 2008)
The WWE SmackDown Fist stage is one of the most iconic and popular sets/stages in WWE history.
The SmackDown fist debuted in August 2001 after Chris Jericho was gored through the previous "ovaltron" set by Rhyno. In reality, WWE had planned to debut the new fist stage. Therefore, Jericho being Gored through the old set provided a good excuse to change sets.
The SmackDown fist debuted on SmackDown's second anniversary episode. The set featured a semi-circled entrance way that featured the SmackDown logo and graphics behind it.
Above the entrance was the centerpiece of the entire set. A giant fist, positioned to give the impression it was smashing an entire wall of glass. The fist also featured two large titantron screens on either side, showing entrance videos and matches to the live crowd in attendance.
The set was highly complex, unique and very different to the set that Monday Night RAW was using at the time. The SmackDown fist is still reminisced about fondly to this day. It is also widely considered to be the best SmackDown set in the history of the show.
