WWE announced that this week will be a special old-school edition of SmackDown. Wrestling fans are always clamoring for nostalgia (it’s why Sting is still around) so naturally we all got very excited by this announcement. What exactly is an old-school SmackDown going to look like? Well, Raw has had some old-school nights which give us a framework for what we might see. Here are five things WWE should definitely include in their old-school SmackDown night.
Tony Chimel
What would SmackDown be without the original voice of SmackDown. From 1999 to 2009, Tony Chimel announced all of our favorite superstars down to the ring. He was the one bringing out the likes of Eddie Guerrero, JBL, Rey Mysterio, Batista and Undertaker. Plus, who wouldn’t love to hear Chimel belt out another voice-cracking “Rated R SuUUperstar” for Edge? Chimel was released from WWE back in November of 2020, but if there is no bad blood he’d make for a great treat and tone-setter for the evening.
The Fist Set
WWE has been known to change the set & ring to reflect a retro night. Fans have been asking for a return to the fist set since it left in 2008. Every time there’s a SmackDown rebranding, fans ask to see the fist come crashing through the set once again. We know WWE has it – it’s been shown in the WWE Warehouse in 2014. It’s time to rig it back up for the stars of today to come through. Of all the things on this list, this is the one that should become permanent.
Teddy Long
The era of authority figures ruling over Raw & SmackDown is well played out by now. Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville are doing a good job, but they’ll never match the heights of one Theodore Long. That’s why it’s imperative they bring back Teddy for a night as the GM of Old School SmackDown. We’ll get all the Teddy hits, like making a run-in into a tag team match. Heck, we could even see a revamped version of going one-on-one with Da Undertaker (maybe The Fiend?). Give us some more Teddy Long.
A Cruiserweight Showcase
One of the defining aspects of SmackDown during the original brand split was the work of the Cruiserweight division. It was the home of the highflyers who would consistently wow audiences and steal the show. Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero, Shannon Moore, Jamie Noble, Tajiri and more were all fan favourites during SmackDown’s prime. Let’s revisit that magic and have KUSHIDA bring his Cruiserweight Championship to the show. He could battle NXT cruiserweights or SmackDown’s own Rey Mysterio or Murphy in a showcase. Now matter how it looks, an old-school SmackDown deserves some cruiserweight action.
Rapper John Cena
This is the one on the list that is least likely to happen. We haven’t seen Jonathon Cena in quite a while. When we did see him last in the Firefly Funhouse, he appeared as his Doctor of Thuganomics self briefly. It would be amazing to have him return one more time to the show that made him famous and spit some bars. Cena could just have a pre-taped promo where he spits some bars and plugs the new F9 movie, that would work. In an ideal world, rapper Cena would take out Sami Zayn during an in-ring segment. We can always dream, right?
That’s what I’d like to see from old school SmackDown. What things would you like to see? Let us know on Twitter at @FPC_Wrestling.
