WWE SmackDown has been on a pretty stellar run as of late, and tonight’s episode looks to continue the hit streak with a special retro-themed episode. FOX is doing other retro themes for sports such as Nascar, and if you’ve been watching SmackDown over the years, some things immediately come to mind when you think of older episodes. A few things definitely popped up for me when strolling down memory lane of the blue brand, and so we’ve collected a few things we hope to see on tonight’s big retro celebration.
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Now, your mind might immediately go to the return of big names associated with the SmackDown brand, and that could indeed happen. Unfortunately I’m not really holding my breath for that, mostly because those names include people like The Rock, John Cena, Big Show, and Christian.
Big Show would be an easy one, but he just recently signed with AEW. Meanwhile Edge and Christian reuniting would also be an easy pick, but Christian is over at AEW now as well.
As for The Rock and John Cena, both stars are in the midst of filming big movie and television projects, as Rock has Black Adam happening while Cena is in full Peacemaker mode fo the upcoming HBO Max show.
Still, you never know who might pop up, so WWE could surprise us. As for tonight’s actual matches, there are only two matches currently set for tonight’s SmackDown so far, including:
Cesaro vs Seth Rollins
Rey Mysterio vs Dolph Ziggler
As for what other matches we might see, we might see Nia Jax or Shayna Baszler in solo action and perhaps we’ll see Apollo Crews take on another challenger or get a rematch with Kevin Owens. We could also see Sasha Banks return and maybe we’ll get a return of Edge, as both stars haven’t been seen on SmackDown since their defeats at WrestleMania 37.
We’ll also likely get a promo from Roman Reigns after his defeat and exile of Daniel Bryan, but that remains to be seen.
You can check out our picks starting on the next slide and you can talk all things WWE with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
Edge: Return of the Hat
So this one is ridiculous, but I kind of want to see it. During Edge and Christian’s run as Tag Team Champions, the two fan favorites wore giant ridiculous hats to the ring, with Edge wearing a green one and Christian wearing a red one.
Now, yes, this is completely ridiculous and superficial, but wouldn’t Edge’s big return be even better with a big green hat? Yes, yes it would
The Fist
This one really seems like a no-brainer, and yet it might not actually happen. The Fist set is one of the most identifiable SmackDown elements ever, and even now kind of holds up. Sure it’s over the top, but it’s also so immediately recognizable, and seeing this back on the stage would be amazing.
Now, recent reports have said it wasn’t already set up at the ThunderDome as of yet, so who knows if we’ll see it, but fingers crossed.
The Oval Entrance Set
If we can’t get the Fist set in all its glory, then maybe we can settle for another easily identifiable set. Old SmackDown episodes used to have the oval-inspired entrance ramp, and while not as cool obviously as the Fist set, it is immediately synonymous with SmackDown, so it might make for a great alternate.
Original Intro Music
Another perfect way to bring the nostalgia and immediately set the tone for the rest of the night would be to start the show with the original introduction. If you haven’t seen or heard the original intro, it features stars like Stone Cold, The Rock, Edge, Undertaker, and more, and as for the music itself, well, it really couldn’t be more different than the theme we have now.
It seems they are already using the old SmackDown logo, so having the old theme would be quite fitting and a fun nod for longtime fans.
A Supermarket Brawl
These last two might be the most far-fetched…scratch that, they are the most far-fetched, but you would still pop in a big way if they happened. The first is a throwback to one of SmackDown’s most classic moments, which was a supermarket brawl between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Booker T.
Now, odds are Stone Cold isn’t making an appearance, but Booker T could, and you could do a fun homage in some way. You could also have Bayley’s Ding, Dong Hello take place in a supermarket-themed set and have some fun with it that way, having Booker T on and throwing someone through the set, but again, probably not going to happen.
Edge Brooding
Like I said, these last two aren’t realistic, but who knows, maybe we’ll see them. So on the first SmackDown ever Edge was part of the Brood with Gangrel and Christian, rocking the leather trenchcoat and the whole vampire vibe.
So, in honor of that, wouldn’t it be great if he came out in that same look for tonight’s SmackDown? It would make for a fun throwback and get fans talking on social media the minute it happened, so I’m putting this out into the universe.
