5 Best moments in SmackDown Live history
SmackDown is set to open a brand new chapter, as the show will move to FOX next week and will be hosted every Friday evening. According to reports, the Blue Brand will officially be known as Friday Night SmackDown.
Even though SmackDown made its debut in 1999, the show has been telecast on live television only for a few years. In its earlier years, SmackDown was broadcast on Thursdays and was then moved to Fridays. However, on July 19, 2016, SmackDown officially became a live show and made its move to Tuesday nights.
In its three years as SmackDown Live, the Blue Brand has given us some memorable moments. We will take a look at the five best moments in SmackDown Live history.
#5 A Phenomenal triumph in the United Kingdom
After successfully defending the WWE Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura at Hell in a Cell 2017, Jinder Mahal challenged Universal Champion Brock Lesnar for a clash at the 2017 Survivor Series.
When Mahal was scheduled to defend his WWE Championship during WWE's 2017 UK tour against AJ Styles, merely a few weeks before Survivor Series, all odds were against 'The Phenomenal One.'
Prior to this match, only Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar had won the WWE Championship on an episode of SmackDown and no one had ever won the title outside North America. Styles, however overcame all odds and after hitting a Phenomenal Forearm, pinned 'The Modern Day Maharaja.' Realizing history had just been made, the crowd rose to the occasion and gave Styles a standing ovation.
Styles would go on to replace Mahal in the Survivor Series Champion vs Champion bout against Lesnar. Although he would lose the match, Styles would go on to become the longest reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history.