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Smackdown

Courtesy of WWE.com:

WWE aired a special 15th Anniversary episode of SmackDown this week. With nearly 800 original episodes, SmackDown is the second longest-running weekly episodic program in U.S. television history, only behind WWE’s other flagship program, Monday Night Raw®.  Averaging 3.1 million viewers each week, SmackDown beats all Friday primetime viewing on any cable network.

“DID YOU KNOW” FACTS ABOUT SMACKDOWN

The name SmackDown came from WWE Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s popular catchphrase, “Lay the Smackdown.”

SmackDown has been broadcast from 170 different venues, in 148 cities and towns, in seven different countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Japan, Italy and Mexico.

It would take more than two months of uninterrupted viewing to watch every episode of SmackDown back-to-back.

WWE Superstar John Cena® made his WWE debut in June 2002 on SmackDown.

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar® competed in a 60-minute Iron Man match on SmackDown in September 2003.

Brock Lesnar and Big Show® fought to a no contest when the ring collapsed after Lesnar superplexed Big Show on SmackDown in June 2003.

Stephanie McMahon was the first SmackDown general manager while Teddy Long has the longest total tenure as a SmackDown general manager.

Mr. McMahon won his only WWE Championship on SmackDown on September 16, 1999 when he defeated Triple H® with Shane McMahon as special guest referee.

The first Friday episode of SmackDown was on September 9, 2005 and featured Batista® defeating JBL® in a Bull Rope Match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.