A WWE tradition that goes back more than two decades has officially been put into mothballs for the time being.
The company’s annual Tribute to the Troops specials are no longer, according to Dave Meltzer from the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. There was no formal announcement from the company, but a WWE source confirmed the news to Meltzer.
As noted by Meltzer, the show was a Vince McMahon and John Bradshaw Layfield-created tradition and one that started in December 2003 as the company brought a WWE show to Baghdad, Iraq, and aired it on Christmas as an episode of SmackDown.
It remained an overseas tradition through 2009 and then became a stateside occurrence at various military bases. It eventually was filmed at arenas and became standalone specials that aired on both NBC and Fox at various junctures.
There were 21 editions through 2023 with just one — 2019 — not airing on TV.
That follows the news that initially broke last week by Fightful and Bodyslam.net that NXT Level Up is also not moving forward. Its final episodes were filmed during last Thursday’s NXT TV tapings and will be replaced by the impending LFG reality-esque show that will debut on A&E in early-2025.
The successor to the shuttered 205 Live, Level Up debuted in February 2022 on Friday nights, designed to focus on mainly inexperienced NXT wrestlers who hadn’t yet made it to the main TV show. It aired on both Peacock and WWE Network with this Friday’s finale completing a 150-episode run.
A live musical performance is set to take place at this Friday’s special Tribute to the Troops edition of SmackDown.
WWE has announced that The War and Treaty, a husband and wife duo consisting of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, will perform at Tribute to the Troops this Friday night. The episode is taking place from the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
WWE wrote: “Two-time 2024 Grammy nominees @warandtreaty will perform LIVE on the #WWETroops edition of #SmackDown this Friday! Tune in to honor our U.S. service members, veterans and their families with this special performance.”
The War and Treaty are one of the nominees for Best New Artist in the 2024 Grammy Awards. Their song “Blank Page” is also nominated for Best American Roots Song.
This year’s Tribute to the Troops is the first time the show has been a special SmackDown episode. The event has taken place annually since 2003.
The updated lineup for Friday’s show is listed below:
CM Punk returns to SmackDown
United States Championship number one contender’s tournament first-round match: Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross
United States Championship number one contender’s tournament first-round match: Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar
CM Punk will return to WWE SmackDown on the Friday, December 8 Tribute to the Troops episode.
Punk’s SmackDown return will take place on next week’s show, a Tribute to the Troops-branded edition of SmackDown. Punk will presumably cut a promo on the show, as his WWE comeback match has yet to be announced.
Three matches have also been announced for the episode, including a pair of first round matches in the tournament to determine a number one contender to Logan Paul’s United States Championship.
In the tournament, Bobby Lashley will face Karrion Kross, while Dragon Lee will take on Santos Escobar. Kevin Owens, Grayson Waller, Austin Theory, and one NXT star yet to be announced are the other tournament participants.
The feud between Damage CTRL and the rest of the SmackDown women’s roster will also continue next week, as Asuka takes on Charlotte Flair.
While Tribute to the Troops has been a stand-alone special in prior years, this year’s edition will air as a SmackDown episode.
The announced lineup:
WWE SmackDown Tribute to the Troops, Friday, December 8, 8 p.m. Eastern time on Fox —
CM Punk returns to SmackDown
United States Championship number one contender’s tournament first round: Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross
United States Championship number one contender’s tournament first round: Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar
It was announced today that Tribute to the Troops 2023 will air live on Fox at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, December 8. WWE has confirmed that it will be a SmackDown episode branded as Tribute to the Troops. The show is being held at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
Tribute to the Troops has taken place annually since 2003. Over its first seven years, the show was held at military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. The show has taken place in the United States every year since 2010.
The 2019 edition of Tribute to the Troops was not televised.
WWE wrote:
Since its inception in 2003, WWE’s Tribute to the Troops has honored our U.S. service members, veterans and their families for their continued sacrifice and commitment to our country, and is widely considered one of television’s most patriotic and heartwarming shows of the year.
WWE has a multi-decade commitment to the U.S. Armed Forces, which includes visiting nearly 400 military installations throughout the world, offering all U.S. military personnel free tickets to WWE live events, and has partnered with military organizations, such as Hire Heroes USA. WWE currently supports the USO and tells stories of heroism and valor of our nation’s bravest through the company’s partnership with National Medal of Honor Museum to make an impact in the community.
WWE recently celebrated Veterans Day by raising “one of the largest American flags in the country” on top of the company’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. WWE has also extended a free ticket offer to all veterans during the month of November.
WWE had their 20th anniversary edition of Tribute to the Troops Saturday afternoon on Fox.
Featuring three wrestling matches, the tape delayed show also had video packages profiling members of the United States military. There was also a retrospective feature that highlighted the annual tradition of WWE honoring the US military.
Much of the wrestling on the show was not focused on current storylines. However, the main event trios match did relate to the current direction in some ways. It was also a banger compared to the other two matches.
A college basketball game on Fox went long, delaying the scheduled start time by almost 25 minutes in some markets. Already airing on a delay, the show was taped last month on Veterans Day at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The show opened with a USA chant from the live audience with many of them waving American flags. The Military Department of Indiana Ceremonial Unit provided the Color Guard and singing “The Star Spangled Banner” was Chief Warrant Officer Dennis White from the US Army. Notably, White attended Tribute to the Troops in 2009 at a military base in Iraq.
After the anthem, a canned intro highlighted the history of Tribute to the Troops. The video package began, drawing inspiration from USO shows with celebrities like Bob Hope, and then featuring WWE footage from their various Tribute shows from over the years.
Michael Cole was on commentary alongside JBL, who is credited with having the initial idea for Tribute to the Troops. Cole called it “the most important show WWE does all year.”
Braun Strowman defeated LA Knight
Knight tried to target a leg during the short match, but the monster was too strong. Strowman hulked up and booted Knight in the gut. Strowman delivered a Monster bomb and stood over Knight with a boot on his chest for the pin.
Despite being taped last month, commentary tried to make the show seem current by briefly mentioning Bray Wyatt during Knight’s entrance. No mention of Uncle Howdy. Probably better off that way.
Inserted into the show was a video package profiling Midshipman 1st Class Morgan Prigmore, who was selected to be brigade commander at the US Naval Academy. She leads 4,400 people within the U.S. Naval Academy Brigade of Midshipmen. Upon graduation, Prigmore plans to join the US Marine Corp.
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler defeated Tamina & Emma
Baszler submitted Tamina to win the match, with an assist from Rousey.
Piped-in crowd reactions were evident as the live crowd appeared rather indifferent at first. The women in the match still worked hard to win them over. Emma leaped off the top turnbuckle with a flying crossbody to the outside on Rousey and Baszler.
Rousey suplexed Emma when the show returned from the break. Emma fought out of a corner for a hot tag to Tamina, and then Baszler and Tamina traded near falls down the stretch.
Tamina and Baszler fought on the turnbuckles when Baszler was knocked off the ropes. Baszler then distracted the referee while Rousey tripped up Tamina. Baszler slammed Tamina off the turnbuckles, and Baszler applied the Kirifuda Clutch for the tap out.
Next on the show was a feature profiling Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Matthew Williams, a Green Beret in US Army Special Operations. The vignette detailed Williams’ heroics during a 2008 operation in Shok Valley, Afghanistan.
Also airing was a retrospective video package narrated by John Cena. He described going overseas for the first Tribute to the Troops as footage aired showing the WWE talent and Vince McMahon traveling to a war zone for the inaugural Tribute show at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq.
The retrospective feature shifted into a music video as it showed highlights of WWE talent interacting with US military personnel over the years on Tribute shows.
Drew McIntyre, Sheamus & Ricochet defeated Imperium (WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
Ricochet scored the winning pinfall after a shooting star press as his renewed push continues. The babyface team all got to hit their finishers in the closing moments of what was arguably the best match on the show.
Despite being taped last month, this match still complimented the current direction as it followed a great title match from Friday night on SmackDown as Gunther retained the Intercontinental Championship in a banger against Ricochet.
On this show that aired the next day, Ricochet got a measure of revenge by scoring a clean pinfall, even if this show was taped out of order.
The heels got heat on Ricochet during the match as they worked him over. He was cut off from making a tag until eventually doing so. Imperium bumped and fed and it is a Gunther match, so there were also lots of chops — stiff looking ones, too.
Sheamus delivered his Brogue kick in the closing moments, followed by McIture delivering a Claymore. Ricochet then leaped off the top rope with a shooting star for the finish.
This was a really good match to end a feel good show.
WWE has revealed when the 2022 Tribute to the Troops special will air.
The event will be broadcast on Saturday, December 17, 2022, beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time on Fox. Matches for the show were taped on Friday, November 11, 2022, from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
“In what is considered WWE’s most patriotic and heartwarming show of the year, the company began Tribute To The Troops to honor our servicemen and women and their families and thank them for their continued sacrifice to our country,” reads WWE.com.
The 2022 Tribute to the Troops will be the 20th such show WWE has produced. The first event took place on December 20, 2003, from Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq.
The lineup for this year’s show is as follows:
Imperium (Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci) vs. Drew McIntyre, Sheamus & Ricochet
SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Emma & Tamina
On Veterans Day, WWE taped the 20th annual edition of its Tribute to the Troops event.
Tribute to the Troops 2022 was taped in conjunction with Friday night’s episode of SmackDown at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The show will feature three matches:
– Drew McIntyre, Sheamus & Ricochet defeated Imperium (Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
A video honoring Veterans Day was shown during SmackDown last night. Michael Cole stated on commentary that WWE will continue to honor the United States armed forces with Tribute to the Troops airing on Fox the week before Christmas.
Tribute to the Troops debuted in 2003 with the event taking place at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. Tribute to the Troops was held overseas for its first seven years before being moved to the United States starting in 2010.
