Did Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson invent and create WWE SmackDown 25 Years ago

WWE SmackDown has been a success ever since it was born. While the red brand is the longest-running show on TV, SmackDown has had a unique legacy of its own, often housing legends like The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and the Undertaker.  But did you know this 1999 brainchild was ideated by the one and only ‘Dwayne The Rock Johnson’?

Yes, the People’s Champion actually coined the term during one of his legendary promos.

The Rock, Vince McMahon, and the birth of Smacketh Down

On October 16, 2018, the WWE universe got a roller coaster ride in the form of the 1000th episode of SmackDown. The milestone event marked a thousand days of success for the blue brand. And the best part was the return of the people’s champ, Dwayne Johnson, which certainly added to the celebratory atmosphere of the event. But following the event, he shared an amazing fact about how he unknowingly threw an idea in the late 90’s to Vince McMahon.

He said, Huge “#SD1000 congrats to my @WWE family! Fun fact, in 1998, I said to @VinceMcMahon “I’m gonna use the word ‘Smackdown’ tonight in my promo”. He said what’s that mean? I said it means I’m gonna whup some ass. He belly laughed and said say it! The rest was history! #IfYaSmell”

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Thus, in a typical Dwayne Johnson fashion he used the word in his promo and this might have given the idea of introducing a new show back then called SmackDown.

How did Dwayne Johnson contribute to the journey of SmackDown?

SmackDown’s inception certainly helped the WWE bring new ideas to their storylines. This led to the brand split in 2002, where both Raw and SmackDown became distinct brands with separate rosters and storylines. Dwayne Johnson was also certainly an integral part of the Blue brand.

On SmackDown, The Rock participated in some of the iconic feuds against the likes of Triple H, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar to entertain the fans. Those gripping tales indeed got the fans on the edge of their seats. Most importantly, his feud with Stone Cold “Steve Austin” during the attitude era became a cult classic in the eyes of the wrestling faithful. However, when he achieved success in other areas, the gap between him and WWE grew, and as a result, his appearances inside the squared circle have since been intermittent.

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