WWE: Best Moments of the SmackDown on FOX Era

This week’s WWE SmackDown was the final one of the FOX era, as the blue brand will move to USA Network starting next week. WWE and FOX kicked off their partnership in 2019, and over the past five years there have been a host of unforgettable moments. It’s easy to forget all of the things that happened over the course of those five years, but just to put it into some perspective, SmackDown on FOX started in front of live crowds at the beginning of that run and then due to the pandemic had to shift things to the Thunderdome for quite some time. SmackDown on FOX was also the home base for one of WWE’s greatest stories ever in The Bloodline, a saga that is still moving forward as we speak. Heel turns, face turns, team-ups, talk shows, epic pops, and more all took place as well over the years, and we’ve included our picks for best moments of the WWE SmackDown on FOX era starting on the next slide.

During last night’s SmackDown, WWE released a video during the show thanking FOX for the past five years and showcasing some of the many highlights from that time. While this list includes some of those great moments, there are too many to count. That said, what I did want to mention was some of the WWE Superstars who have experienced big runs during this most recent era, including LA Knight, Sami Zayn, Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, Gunther, Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, The Rock, Bayley, and of course, Roman Reigns.

In fact, the entirety of the Bloodline saga could have made this list, though we did narrow it down to a few key moments to avoid that. While The Bloodline saga did extend to Monday Night Raw and even NXT at times, its home was clearly SmackDown, and it will likely forever be synonymous with Fridays on FOX.

A host of new superstars also made impacts on SmackDown during this time, including Tiffany Stratton, Bron Breakker, Dragon Lee, Roxanne Perez, Carmelo Hayes, and Jade Cargill, who has become a beast on the blue brand since she made her in-ring debut at the Royal Rumble. Now it’s time to welcome a new era on USA Network, but before that happens, let’s revisit some of the biggest moments that happened during the era of SmackDown on FOX.

What was your favorite moment of the WWE and FOX era? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!

Bayley Turns Heel and Destroys the Bayley Buddies

Bayley’s time as a babyface officially came to an end back in 2019, and was one of the first big moments during the FOX SmackDown era. After losing the SmackDown Women’s Title to Charlotte Flair, Bayley transformed her persona and stepped into a new chapter as a heel, and it was quite the introduction.

Not only did Bayley come out with a new haircut and a new-look gear, but she also slashed all of her Bayley Buddies before heading down the entrance ramp. It was quite the symbolic move, but then she headed to the ring and took care of business there too, defeating Flair and winning back her Championship. Bayley then scolded the crowd and let them know the old Bayley was gone, and she would go on to become one of the strongest heels in the company in the years after.

The Rock and The Man

The Rock would make one of his unexpected returns to SmackDown on October 4th 2019 for a memorable team-up with Becky Lynch, who had fully stepped into the era of The Man. This was a true rub for the Raw Women’s Champion, as they took shots at King Corbin. Lynch even got to have her own Rock moment by interrupting Corbin with the trademark “it doesn’t matter” line, and then they ended the segment with a bang.

They both hit Corbin with big strikes and then Lynch hit with the leg drop. Rock hit the People’s Elbow and then Lynch connected with a combo strikes and kicks that sent Corbin right into a Rock Bottom. The two superstars celebrated and the crowd couldn’t stop cheering, creating a pretty memorable moment for everyone.

NXT Invades SmackDown

On November 1st of 2019 WWE was in a bit of a jam, as much of the SmackDown roster not available due to travel issues. With Survivor Series coming up, Triple H then brought in NXT to fill the void, but they didn’t just fill in. Instead they practically invaded, planting a flag for the brand and showing what they could do with the main roster, and it gave us some unforgettable moments.

SmackDown got its first look at future stars like Shayna Baszler, Keith Lee, Rhea Ripley, Matt Riddle, Tegan Nox, Tommaso Ciampa, and Adam Cole, though that was just the tip of the iceberg from that run of NXT as we’ve all learned since. It was all capped off with a thrilling match between Bryan Danielson (then Daniel Bryan) and Adam Cole, which Cole actually won. While it was unplanned, it was easily one of the best SmackDowns of the era by far.

Ding Dong Hello

During the Thunderdome era, Bayley debuted her very own talk show Ding Dong Hello, complete with a door in the ring that everyone had to go through before the conversation started. While they were all entertaining, the June 11th 2021 episode of the show was one of the best, as Bayley invited Seth Rollins on as a guest, and the two were comedic gold together.

Rollins would give a host of compliments to Bayley to start things off, and then they watched a clip of Bayley’s maniacal life all over the Thunderdome screens. Bayley and Rollins started laughing together and then things got awkward only for them to start busting out laughing again. Cesar would crash the party (and the door) to attack Rollins, but it was all great and frankly the show needs to make a comeback at some point down the line.

Sami Zayn Breaks The Bloodline

On the October 28th episode of SmackDown in 2022,  The Bloodline saga was in full swing with one of its most entertaining chapters thanks to a certain Honorary Uce. Sami Zayn’s time in the group was comedy gold, though the drama was all still there, perfectly embodied by this now infamous segment.

In the segment Jey Uso shows early signs of coming into conflict with Roman Reigns, and his not caring about Roman’s thoughts on the matter created a hilarious moment and reaction from Reigns. Then to save Jey, Zayn offerred up an excuse of Jey not feeling Ucey, which not only got the crowd laughing but also completely broke Reigns, Jey, and Jimmy throughout the rest of the segment. This is Bloodline history, and another example of how charming and hilarious Zayn continues to be in whatever role he’s in.

Jey Uso Turns on Roman Reigns

On the June 16th episode of SmackDown in 2022, The Bloodline saga hit another glorious turning point, as Jimmy Uso was out of the group and Jey had to choose between his brother or The Bloodline. While Jimmy was standing against the group, it was Jey who had become the heart of the story, and fans were waiting to see what he would do.

The two brothers had an intense discussion as Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, and Paul Heyman attempted to woo Jey with promises of being the second in command and the future Tribal Chief. Jey even looked to be choosing their side throughout, but then he shocked everyone and blew the lid off the arena by knocking Reigns out with a superkick. Fans had been waiting for this turn and it delivered across the board, with the brothers taking out Solo and then knocking Reigns out again with twin superkicks before leaving the group  for good (at least in Jey’s case that is.)

You Had Your Time

On the March 8th, 2023 episode of SmackDown, the stakes were incredibly high for WrestleMania 40, and everyone was on hand to play that up even further. Roman Reigns and The Rock stood opposite Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins for an epic exchange, and while everyone had a moment to shine, Rollins easily came asay from the whole segment with the most unforgettable moment.

After The Rock went over the stakes yet again, Rollins lit him up like a Christmas tree, calling him Mr. Midlife Crisis and then ending his amazing promo by telling Rock “you had your time, and you damn sure can’t have ours” before accepting the challenge for a Tag Team match at WrestleMania. That match would be the first part of a two-part epic at the biggest event of the year as well, and this was the SmackDown that broke the hype meter for it.

Roman Reign’s Return

This is the most recent addition to this list, but it had to be mentioned. On the August 9th 2024 episode of SmackDown, Solo Sikoa and his new Bloodline stood in the ring and tried to draw out Roman Reigns, who had returned at SummerSlam. They managed to get their wish, and Roman made his grand return to SmackDown to a massive pop from the crowd.

Along with his new music and OTC shirt, Reigns received a hero’s welcome after being gone since WrestleMania 40, and he would quickly deal with Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa before coming face to face with Solo Sikoa. Reigns would hit the Superman Punch and then go for the Spear, but Sikoa was saved, and The Bloodline would all swarm Reigns. Things didnt’ work out for htem though, as Reigns would knock out Loa and then Spear Tonga through the barricade to end his return.