5 Huge Surprises we could see at SmackDown 1000

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SmackDown 1000 will be huge!

Well, with SmackDown is approaching its 1000th episode, there's no doubt the celebrations will be monumental. After seeing what WWE pulled off with the Raw 25 celebrations earlier this year, the bar has been set for SmackDown's millennial celebration.

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We know WWE will try to pull out all the stops to make this the most memorable and historic SmackDown of all time and, with Undertaker already confirmed to appear, you've got to imagine there are only more huge announcements to come.

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Undertaker is confirmed for the show on WWE.com

SmackDown has been on a 19 year rollercoaster, from creating stars to being pre-recorded and living in the shadows of Raw, to then going live again and becoming possibly WWE's most watchable and entertaining show over the last year. But that's all about to change on a monumental scale, with the blue brand's move to FOX next year set to make it WWE's flagship show broadcasting on a Friday night.

So, while SmackDown 1000 will be a celebration of the history of the show, you've got to think that WWE will know the eyes of the world, and their new broadcasters, will be on the product - so it has to be massive.

RAW's 1000th episode and RAW 25 were both monumental, and even SmackDown 900 was filled with special segments, so you'd have to think we're in for a treat on October 16th.

So, what can we expect to see? I'm counting down five huge surprises WWE could pull off at the October special.


#5 Tazz and Michael Cole return to commentary

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Could Tazz return for one night only?

Okay, so this may be the least likely of all to happen. We know WWE loves a three-man booth on commentary and Tom Phillips has made the play-by-play role his own, flanked by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton - but the voices of SmackDown for many is undoubtedly Tazz and Michael Cole.

We've heard Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler quite a few times this past year, notably in the Manhattan Center portion of Raw 25, so there's no question that WWE is happy to revert to a two-man team for special occasions.

Now, Michael Cole is already on Raw and there's no doubting his commitment to WWE, so I'm sure he'd have no qualms about showing up on the blue brand for the night.

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One big question is whether Tazz would return. Now known under his ECW moniker Taz, the Human Suplex Machine has transformed to Human Podcast Machine and now Human Broadcast Machine. Taz does a morning drivetime sports show for CBS called Taz and The Moose, as well as his very own The Taz Show where the ECW legend covers all things wrestling.

Tazz was in the building for SmackDown 900, having filmed for WWE Network that night and said he wasn't asked to do commentary for a match, but would have been open to the idea to add to the nostalgia.

If WWE reaches out, this really could add something special to the atmosphere of the night - even if it was just for one match.

#4 The Undertaker is in action

Will Taker
Will Taker be in action?

Well, we already know that Undertaker is confirmed to appear, and we've already saw The Deadman in action twice this year - winning impressively over John Cena at WrestleMania and against Rusev in a Casket Match at the Greatest Royal Rumble - but could he wrestle on SmackDown Live?

It definitely has to be on the table. With Taker appearing at Raw 25 to cut a promo in his first appearance since Roman Reigns' win to seemingly retire the legend at WrestleMania 33, it looked all but over for The Deadman. Now we're looking ahead to the WWE Super Show-Down where Undertaker will take on Triple H for what's being billed as the final time.

With Undertaker's role for SmackDown 1000 not yet defined, there's every chance we may see one more match - or even one final appearance alongside Kane if reports are to be believed that Jacobs will now solely focus on his political role as the Mayer of Knox County.

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#3 The WWE Championship changes hands

Could the big
Could the big one change hands?

Well, one match being advertised for the event is WWE Champion AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe at the 1,000th edition of the show - and what would be bigger than the main strap changing hands?

Arguable the best match on the card.
Will the Champ still run the camp after SummerSlam?

Joe, of course, has a shot at the title at SummerSlam - so it could very well change hands before October, but I predict that AJ Styles will retain at SummerSlam, and Joe will get his rematch and walk away with the gold at SmackDown 1,000 - mirroring Styles' win over Jinder Mahal when SmackDown rolled into London last year.

Needless to say, this card, as always, is subject to change - so it may not even be Samoa Joe who faces AJ Styles on the show, and the match set isn't confirmed to be a title match. Even if so, it could be a dark match, which wouldn't be unusual. To have the title defended on the show, though, would be huge, and to have it change hands would be monumental.

This could be huge.

#2 A huge star returns

Could
Could we see The Rock or Batista?

Well, The Miz faces off against Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam with the match advertised for SmackDown 1000 as well, although this again could change or may not be televised, but Miz isn't the only A-Lister to have spent considerable time on the blue brand.

With The Rock even giving the names to the SmackDown video games many moons ago, like Just Bring It and Lay The SmackDown, and still being on great terms with WWE, you can bet rumours will always fly around as to a return for the People's Champion. A return at SmackDown 1,000 would help further boost it into the mainstream media and no doubt appease Fox officials watching on if WWE could bring in arguably the world's biggest star right now for an appearance.

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Finally, The Rock could come...home

Of course, one other huge star whose return is always rumoured is Batista. Could we see The Animal make a return off the back of his huge Hollywood stint? The stumbling block, bizarrely, is that Batista has always stated he wants a full-time run if he returns to "do it right" and with matches against Randy Orton and Triple H. Of course, Orton is on the blue brand but is advertised to face Jeff Hardy that night - but a return could definitely plant some seeds for a future rivalry.

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Batista could shock the world

One other huge name you'd have to throw in is Brock Lesnar! While Lesnar is the red brand's current Universal Champion and looks like he may be focusing on UFC sooner rather than later, a return to SmackDown could be huge - particularly if Tazz returns and we can hear, "Here comes the pain!" one more time.

#1 A nostalgic stage

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The fist could return

Well, we all know WWE has recently cut down on sets and pyro outwith WrestleMania, but RAW 25 had its own unique retro set in the Manhattan Center, so you never know - the fist may make a return!

Many Superstars have graced this stage, and to see it be revamped but maintain the retro elements like on Raw 25 would be great - and some retro SmackDown themes would even set the tone perfectly.

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The Manhattan Center was a throwback!

This stage set may be one of the most iconic SmackDown images anyone of a certain age remembers, and it really would make the whole night so much more special. I'm sure we'll see it in video packages leading up to the milestone episode, but to see it physically represented during the show would be incredible.


What would you like to see at SmackDown 1000? Let us know in the comments.