It is a tradition that WWE is now celebrating for its 13th consecutive year. In order to honour the men and women who serve in the military, WWE decided to take the action to them, having an exhibition for the soldiers to enjoy.
The first show occurred on December 25, 2003, as a special episode of SmackDown in Baghdad, Iraq. Created by JBL, the event featured a main event that had John Cena defeating the Big Show.
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Thirteen years later, Tribute to the Troops still remains one of WWE’s most anticipated events of the year.
In October, Military Times reported that Tribute to the Troops would be airing in mid-December. Per the release, this year’s event will be held in Washington D.C. at the Verizon Center.
Vince McMahon said about the return of Tribute to the Troops,
“Our servicemen and women work tirelessly and selflessly for our freedom, and it is an honor to continue the 'Tribute to the Troops' tradition for them this year in our nation’s capital.”
Maj. General Bradley Becker, head of Joint Force Headquarters – National Capital Region and the Army Military District of Washington, added,
“The National Capital Region is ... an ideal location for the upcoming 'Tribute to the Troops' because of the large number of military personnel and their families that live and work in the DC-Metro area."
"I know that our service members are big fans of WWE and are excited to participate in this wonderful event.”
The previous announcement had stated that it will air on Tuesday, December 13 at the Verizon Center. However, as per a release received today from WWE, it will be airing on Wednesday, December 14 instead. Ticket sites are confirming that the event will be taped before the 12/13 episode of SmackDown Live.
This means that the WWE viewer will have an action-packed week, with Raw on 12/12, SmackDown Live on 12/13, Tribute to the Troops on 12/14, and WWE Roadblock the following Sunday, December 18, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Last year, the show ended in Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Ryback, Kane, the Usos and the Dudley Boyz defeating the two factions of the Wyatt Family and the now-defunct League of Nations.
While there are no matches announced as of yet, Tribute to the Troops typically takes a break on current storylines to provide an exciting showcase of wrestling. This year should be no different.
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