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The October 16th Episode of Smackdown Live is set to be the 1000th episode in the show's history. The show was started in 1999 and has been a staple of WWE Programming ever since. Only WWE's flagship show, Monday Night Raw has received more importance than Smackdown. Over the years, Smackdown has given us some of the most incredible moments and matches in WWE history. Some people even consider Smackdown to be the superior brand.
Raw 1000 was an incredible episode of Raw with several returning legends and great matches. We should expect the same from Smackdown 1000 as well. Three huge matches are already being advertised for the show. AJ Styles defends his WWE Championship against Samoa Joe. Daniel Bryan faces The Miz and Jeff Hardy faces Randy Orton. In addition to these, The Undertaker is scheduled to appear on the show as well.
When Smackdown first came about it was considered the 'Wrestling' show where in-ring work was given the first priority. Then it became the place where up and coming superstars were sent to experience main event success before they were brought over to Raw. As a result, several superstars made their name on the blue brand and became synonymous with it. Several of those superstars should make their way to Washington D.C in time for Smackdown 1000. Raw 1000 was an awesome episode and we should expect the same here.
So without further ado, let's take a look at 10 superstars of the past who should appear on Smackdown 1000:
10. Brock Lesnar
This is perhaps the unlikeliest one on the list. Brock Lesnar isn't part of the Smackdown brand nor is he a retired or semi-retired legend. Lesnar is an active member of the Raw roster and lost his WWE Universal Title recently at Summerslam. But given Brock's contribution to the blue brand over the past years, it won't be too much of a surprise if Brock appears on Smackdown 1000.
Brock joined the Smackdown brand after Summerslam 2002 where he became the youngest WWE Champion in history. He had amazing feuds with The Undertaker, Big Show and Kurt Angle on the blue brand. He also held the WWE Championship for most of his time on Smackdown. His 60 minute Iron Man match on Smackdown is still one of the best Smackdown moments of all time. His last feud on the Smackdown brand was against Eddie Guerrero to whom Brock lost his WWE Championship before starting a feud with Raw's Goldberg.
Brock is currently one of the most polarizing figures in WWE. He was recently denied a Universal Championship rematch against Roman Reigns and is not scheduled to appear for WWE in the near future. He will be facing Daniel Cormier for the UFC Heavyweight Championship sometime in early 2019. So, it is really unlikely that he appears on Smackdown 1000. But this is WWE where anything can happen, so I kept him on.
9. John Cena
John Cena is the biggest star in WWE today. Apart from the Rock, no one associated with WWE has more mainstream attraction than John Cena. WWE has shown time and time again just how valuable John Cena is to them. Summerslam this year was the first time in 15 years that John Cena has missed the biggest party of the summer. We haven't seen him since he was squashed by Undertaker at Wrestlemania. However, Cena has been closing in on a return as he was last seen in a video on WWE's Youtube channel where he looked to be in phenomenal shape. A return at Smackdown 1000 would be perfect.
Cena made his debut on Smackdown against Kurt Angle. Answering an opening challenge from the Olympic Champion, Cena had an impressive showing in a losing effort. Cena's career went uphill from there as his 'Doctor of Thuganomic' persona was over as hell. Cena beat JBL to end his record title reign at Wrestlemania and became Smackdown's WWE Champion before being drafted to Raw. He has been on Raw ever since returning to Smackdown in 2016 again where he became a record 16 time WWE Champion beating AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble 2017. Cena's contribution to Smackdown is immeasurable and he deserves to be on the 1000th episode.
Cena's appearance would attract a lot of mainstream attention towards the program. He can even begin a program for his next feud or maybe even a rematch with The Undertaker who is also appearing on the show. No matter what he does, Cena's appearance will be a welcome addition to the landmark episode.
8. Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio is perhaps the greatest high flyer of all time. He made his name in the early 90's but truly made a global impression after joining WCW in 1996. There he became a legend in their Cruiserweight Division. But he soon fell in Vince Russo's booking abyss as he was made to lose his mask in 1999. He joined WWE in 2002 on the Smackdown brand and has appeared on it ever since. His brief stint on Raw however saw him win the WWE Championship for the first time ever in 2011.
Mysterio has won several Championships as part of the Smackdown Roster. He has won 2 world titles, 3 Cruiserweight Championships and 4 Tag Team Titles on Smackdown. He even won the 2006 Royal Rumble where he set the record for the longest time a participant has survived in the Rumble match. That record was broken earlier this year when Daniel Bryan outlasted him in The Greatest Royal Rumble. Mysterio has had incredible rivalries and matches with the likes of Kurt Angle, Edge, Batista and Eddie Guerrero on Smackdown.
Mysterio has been rumored to join WWE ever since he appeared at the Royal Rumble in January. But a deal hasn't been signed. After he was announced to be part of the WWE 2k19 Video Game, people again expected him to announce signing with WWE. But as of now he hasn't and is even scheduled to fight at the All In PPV this week. But if he was to return, Smackdown 1000 will be the perfect place to do so.
7. Kane
Kane was last seen on TV at the Extreme Rules PPV where he and Daniel Bryan lost to The Bludgeon Brothers in a match for the Smackdown Live Tag Team Championships. He hasn't been seen since. But outside the ring, Kane is now the mayor of Knox County and has an important career in politics ahead of him. He has been a part of Smackdown Live from 2006 when he first joined the brand. He has won the World Heavyweight Championship multiple times on the blue brand as well as the Tag Team Championships.
Ever since Kane joined Smackdown in 2006, he has been involved in several main event level feuds with the likes of The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio and Booker T. In 2010 Kane won the World Heavyweight Championship after winning the Money in the Bank contract and cashing it in on Rey Mysterio on the same night. He went on to have another feud with The Undertaker which also became the first Kane vs Undertaker feud that Kane won convincingly. He was drafted to Smackdown again in the 2016 draft.
Kane won't be the first full time politician to appear on WWE programming. Jesse Ventura did so in 1999 when he was the special guest referee of Summerslam's main event between Mankind, Stone Cold and Triple H. Ventura did this as the governor of Minnesota. Kane can easily appear on Smackdown in a non wrestling segment and we will be all the more happy for it.
6. Batista
Dave Batista is on Cloud 9 as of now. His movie career has taken off like a Roman Reigns push. His latest movie Avengers: Infinity War has also become one of the biggest films of all time. He is a mainstream juggernaut for WWE and can bring a lot of money and publicity with him does he chose to return to the Squared Circle. He is a WWE legend and is considered one of the all-time greats. He made his debut for WWE in 2002 on Smackdown.
He had sporadic appearances and storylines before finally joining Evolution. With Evolution, Batista slowly began his rise to the top and went on to headline Wrestlemania 21. He became a multi-time champion and was part of the Smackdown main event before moving to Raw in 2009. He would return to Smackdown and win the World Heavyweight Championship again before leaving WWE. He returned in 2013 and main evented Wrestlemania 30 again. He had several top-level feuds on Smackdown against the likes of Undertaker, Booker T and Randy Orton.
Batista's return can certainly attract a lot of media and Hollywood attention. A lot of eyes will turn towards Smackdown 1000 if he is advertised for the event. Batista is also one of Smackdown's all time greats. Smackdown's during the late 2000's had become synonymous with Batista and The Undertaker and we will be happy to see him back again.
5. John 'Bradshaw' Layfield
John 'Bradshaw' Layfield or simply JBL was one of the best career reinventions in WWE history. After becoming stale as the muscle bound Bradshaw, he changed his gimmick to that of an obnoxious Texas Billionaire. This worked magic as he was made the Champion of Smackdown for almost a whole year. His reign went down in history as the longest World title reign in Smackdown history until it was broken by AJ Styles very recently. JBL as a heel was also responsible for John Cena's rise to the top in WWE and it happened on Smackdown.
JBL has forever been a huge part of WWE. He has been a commentator, a panel host and whatnot. He is likely still signed to the WWE to this very day and an appearance would simply require a phone call. It is in all likeliness he will appear on the show either as a special commentator for the historic episode or simply making an on screen appearance. His rivalries with Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and The Big Show on Smackdown are legendary. He even had one of the most iconic Undertaker feuds during his time on the blue brand as well.
Although fans are divided on their opinion on JBL, most are against his appearance on WWE TV owing to the bullying claims against him from former announcer Mauro Rannallo. The claims have never been proved and just might be a case of false accusations. Whatever might be the case, JBL's addition to Smackdown 1000 will certainly add to the historical significance of the event.
4. Kurt Angle
The Olympic Gold medalist and the current Raw General Manager on paid vacation, Kurt Angle is one of the all time greats. His in ring career is a thing of legend as he went from rookie to main event talent within a couple of years. His contribution to Smackdown's success is almost unparalleled thanks to his in ring work with the likes of Eddie Guerrero and Brock Lesnar. Angle has done it all on Smackdown even being the General Manager for a while.
Angle's biggest moment with Smackdown might also be Smackdown's biggest moment in history as he and Brock Lesnar wrestled a 60 minute Iron Man match on Free TV. The match was incredible and received universal praise from fans and critics alike. Such was Angle's contribution to the brand, Smackdown became known for its work horse style in ring action and it became the show for the wrestling purists. Angle is currently on paid vacation after Stephanie McMahon removed him from his position as General Manager of Raw. They can work out a storyline deal where Shane McMahon allowed Kurt to appear for one episode on Smackdown owing to his history with the brand.
Fans have been quite sad on seeing Angle removed from TV on Raw. But if rumours are to be believed it is all for good as Angle is reportedly training for a return to regular in ring action. We will all be glad to see Angle back in the ring sometime soon. But as of now, a once off appearance on Smackdown won't hurt and will give us a feel good moment as well.
3. Edge
The Rated R Superstar is one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. With over 10 World Titles to his name, Edge is one of the most successful pro wrestlers to ever step foot inside the ring. He has won everything possible from Money in the Bank briefcases to Royal Rumble matches. Also, he has been associated with the Blue brand at almost every stage of his career. Always switching between Raw and Smackdown, he has always resumed his spot as Smackdown's top heel whenever he stepped foot in that brand.
With only one babyface run on the Blue brand at the very end of his career, Edge is one of Smackdown's all time greats. His importance with the Blue Brand was even showcased during Smackdown 900 a couple years ago when he appeared for a 'Cutting Edge' segment with Smackdown's team for their match against Team Raw at Survivor Series. Although the segment will be remembered for The Undertaker returning to the show, Edge's importance did not go unnoticed.
The fans should all enjoy a returning Edge as he had been one of the most popular superstars of his time. After he was forced to retire due to neck injuries, Edge has made several appearances for the WWE and it is quite possible for him to appear again. If he does, he is sure to make a lot of fans happy.
2. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho is one of the biggest superstars in all of Pro Wrestling. He was a WCW original who gained a lot of success and popularity there. He came to WWE and 'broke the walls down' there as well. He has had multiple runs with the WWE and has been a master of gimmick changes and character work. But most of his work during the mid 2000's and early 2010's has been on the blue brand. He was Smackdown's top heel for years and gave us some of his best matches as part of the blue brand.
Jericho is currently New Japan Pro Wrestling's IWGP Intercontinental Champion. That might cause a problem but probably won't as Jericho appeared on Raw 25 fresh off a feud with Kenny Omega in New Japan. Hell, he might even bring the IWGP Intercontinental Championship with him to Smackdown Live. Jericho's relationship with WWE has always been good and the door for his return will always be open. Whether Vince allows the New Japan star to make an appearance as IWGP Intercontinental Champion is yet to be seen.
The most ironic fact here is Jericho is a part of the Smackdown roster as of now. He was put off screen back in 2017 as part of an angle with Kevin Owens. He might just return to the ring at Smackdown 1000 for all we know. Whatever might happen, it is for sure that everyone involved will be glad to see Y2J back with WWE.
1. The Rock
As I am writing this, rumors have began circulating that The Rock is close to making a deal with WWE to appear at Smackdown Live. Does the deal go through, a lot of eyes will be turned towards the blue brand's 1000th episode. The Rock is the most marketable superstar in the world. He was Forbes' highest paid actor of 2018 as well. With the Rock making an appearance, WWE can print a lot more cash than they would have without him.
The Rock was Vince McMahon's first pick for Smackdown Live when the very first brand extension took place. It was the Rock's catchphrase "Smackdown Hotel" which gave the show its name and also put the word in Webster's Dictionary. The Rock appeared on the very first episode of Smackdown in 1999 and made it clear it was his show. From incredible world title matches with Triple H to amazing promos, Rock has done it all in Smackdown.
Given Smackdown celebrates its 1000th episode, it would just not be the same without The Rock appearing to celebrate with the crowd. Certain things in life are never a letdown. A Rock promo is one of them. We will all enjoy the Great One coming down the ramp and cutting a 15-minute promo with the crowd serenading him all the time. WWE, make it happen.
