SmackDown's Takeover as WWE's Leading Brand

Even though WWE's RAW has been around longer than SmackDown over time, the latter became the popular show of the two, thanks to its strategic focus on the most skilled and widely known wrestlers' fights against each other for the champion's title. We have gathered some interesting facts you probably didn't know about the WWE show that airs live matches.

The Initial Intention to Have All-Women Cast

Believe it or not, SmackDown was initially intended to be a show with an all-women cast competing against each other. Even though the idea was unique and would certainly have drawn a large audience, back in 1999, when the show was making its debut, there weren't many professional female wrestlers.

Even if WWE had gotten a few women wrestlers, soon enough, the show that aired weekly would have gotten boring as it would have to keep bringing on the same people. Considering the latter, the network ended up casting male wrestlers as the concept seemed more sustainable in the long haul than the first one.

A PG Rating That Proves Thoughtfulness

Children are sponges; what they see and hear is what they will do without thinking much about the consequences of their actions. This is why when Monday Raw instantly became a hit in 1996 when it made its debut, it was rated TV-14, with AEW's goal to appeal to a younger audience in mind.

Even so, when there was a split in the WWE brands, SmackDown was classified under the PG category, where it remains to date, even after more than two decades of airing. That's not all; the program also tones down its content so that it isn't as gore as would be expected of a wrestling show.

Still Reaping Big and Committed to Growth

For a show as big as SmackDown Live, it's no surprise that everyone would want a piece of it. The program was previously aired on The CW, then MyNetworkTV, and is now on Fox, which became its home network in 2019.

Words have it that Fox had to part with a whopping $1.025 billion to get SmackDown on its platform and pay a yearly sum of $205 million to WWE. With this new money, the show has seen major improvements, including a new and improved theme and a more visually appealing entrance ramp, which we're sure all provide an even better viewing experience for the audience.

The Champions Don't Easily Let Go Their Titles

Compared to Monday Night Raw, SmackDown has fewer male and female wrestlers. This explains why the latter's WWE championship title has only been passed around five times between competitors within twenty years. Thank goodness for a fighter like Vince McMahon, who beat Triple H in 1999, becoming the first wrestler to dethrone H because, at some point, the show was getting too predictable.

We're sure even those who are always winning enjoy a challenge that will force them to work harder than they normally would. Otherwise, they may like winning, but soon enough, it's no longer enough.