The 1000th episode of WWE SmackDown Live took place at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on October 16th, 2018.
– This week’s broadcast opens up with a special video package looking at the first 1000 episodes of SmackDown. The video includes clips of Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Eddie Guerrero, Eric Bischoff and the Big Bossman.
– R-Truth and Carmella are in the ring to kick off SmackDown 1000 with the second-ever edition of Truth TV. Truth and Carmella have a dance break, and then Truth says it’s time for their guest tonight. Stephanie McMahon’s music hits and Stephanie makes her way down to the ring. Stephanie hugs Truth and Carmella, and then talks about being the first-ever GM of SmackDown. Truth goes to read Stephanie his first question for her, but then Shane McMahon’s music hits and Shane comes out to interrupt. Shane steps in the ring and thanks the fans for making this possible, and then he briefly exchanges words with Stephanie. Shane welcomes Stephanie to “the A show,” and Stephanie says while she loves SmackDown – RAW is the longest running show. Stephanie insults Truth TV, and when Shane goes to defend the segment, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon comes out to interrupt. Vince steps in the ring and tells Stephanie and Shane that no one came to see them bicker – they came to be entertained. Vince says the E in WWE stands for Entertainment, and that’s what they’re here to do, so how about another dance break? Vince joins R-Truth and Camella in dancing, and Stephanie and Shane join in.
– Still to come: Edge returns with “The Cutting Edge,” with his guests Becky Lynch and Charlotte. Plus: Batista is in the house to reunite with Evolution.
– AJ Styles & Daniel Bryan vs. The Usos: AJ starts this one off for his team and he controls the pace of the match until The Usos start double-teaming him. The Usos trade tags now, and Jey pummels on AJ in the corner. AJ starts to fight back, but he misses a shot in the corner and hits the turnbuckle hard. Uso misses a splash in the corner and AJ locks in the Calf Crusher. Jimmy runs in, but Bryan intercepts him and applies the Yes Lock. Jey reaches the bottom broke to break the Calf Crusher. Bryan and Jimmy tag in, and Bryan cleans house then hits a missile dropkick off the top on Jimmy. The Usos try to double team Bryan, but AJ runs in to even the odds. Bryan accidentally hits AJ in the face, which leads to The Usos hitting double superkicks on both AJ and Daniel. They pin Daniel for the three count.
Winners: The Usos
– We go to some still shots from SmackDown’s 1000-episode history, including shots of Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, The Rock, and the infamous Big Bossman/Big Show funeral segment.
– Paige is shown backstage hanging out with former SmackDown GMs Vickie Guerrero, Teddy Long, and Johnny Ace.
– Evolution comes out to the ring next: Triple H, Randy Orton, Ric Flair and Batista. The crowd chants for Batista and then Flair as Triple H starts to speak. Triple H talks about the first 1000 episodes of SmackDown, and Flair says he’s looking forward to the next 10,000 episodes. Orton says he got his start with Evolution, it was just the start, and Orton says he continued to evolve after Evolution. Orton says that while Triple H has been working in the back, Ric flair has been living vicariously through his daughter, and Batista has been sitting in makeup chairs — Orton has been fighting in the ring day in and out. Batista speaks next and gets a big ovation from his hometown fans. Batista says he’s a little nervous to be back in the ring, but he’s going to enjoy it and ignore what Orton said. Batista says the last place he wants to be is with this microphone in his hand, but he’s got four things to say. First of all, it’s the 1000th episode of a brand he helped to build. Second, they’re in his hometown tonight, and he bounced in nightclubs for 13 years down the street. Third, he’s here for the fans, whether they booed him or not, because he loves them anyways. Last but not least, he’s here for the other three members of Evolution and how special they are. Batista cracks some jokes with Flair and tells him to “keep that thing in your pants.” Batista then credits Triple H with changing this business and there’s nothing Triple H hasn’t done — except beat him. Batista and Triple H come face to face with Flair between them trying to cam them down. Triple H and Batista hug before they all leave.
– We see the shadow of The Undertaker backstage with fog around him. He makes his return to SmackDown tonight.
– WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle joins the broadcast table for color commentary.
– Rusev vs. The Miz: This one is a qualifying match for the World Cup. Rusev hits a spinning heel kick early on, and Miz rolls outside for a breather. Back in the ring, The Miz distracts the ref and Aiden English comes out and hits a cheap shot on Rusev. Miz rolls up Rusev with a fist full of tights for the three count after a very short match.
Winner: The Miz
– After the match, Lana gets in Aiden’s face and kicks him below the belt. Rusev climbs out of the ring and throws Aiden into the ring steps a few times. Rusev leaves Aiden laying and walks off with Lana.
– We see Edge backstage catching up with Curt Hawkins.
– Edge comes out to the ring next, and he talks about some of his greatest accomplishments on SmackDown. He leads the crowd in an Eddie chant for the late Eddie Guerrero. He mentions marrying & divorcing Vickie Guerrero in storyline on SmackDown. Edge says this show means a lot to him, and he still watches it. He says he has seen something happening on SmackDown recently, and he felt the need to come here and try to mediate it. Edge introduces his first guest tonight: Becky Lynch. Edge talks to Becky about the similarities he sees between them, and Becky compliments Edge and says she partly modeled her career after his. Edge gives Becky a pep talk about her attitude change and her behavior towards Charlotte. Edge says Becky must not like herself, but Becky answers that she loves herself. Becky tells Edge to stop being condescending and get out of her ring, and tells him not to break his neck again walking through the ropes. Charlotte comes out and interrupts. She talks trash to Becky from the ramp, then Charlotte hits the ring and starts brawling with Becky. Edge gets out of the way as referees and agents hit the ring to separate them. They finally pull apart the brawl as we go to commercial.
– Rey Mysterio is shown arriving backstage and he hugs Jeff Hardy in the hallway.
– The New Day comes out to the ring next. WWE Hall of Famers Jerry Lawler and Booker T are at ringside on commentary for this next Tag Title match.
– The New Day (c) vs. The Bar: The New Day’s Tag Titles are on the line in this one. Big E and Xavier woods are in this match while Kofi is at ringside. Sheamus starts off strong against Xavier, but Xavier fights back and stuns him with a forearm to the face and a headscissor takedown. Woods follows up with a dropkick for a two count. Sheamus and Cesaro hit a cheap shot behind the ref’s back on Woods, and The Bar trades frequent tags now to double team Woods. Big E finally gets the hot tag and he cleans house. After dumping Sheamus outside, Big E hits a suplex on Cesaro for a two count. Sheamus tags himself in and knees an unsuspecting Big E in the face. Sheamus looks for the big boot, but Big E dodges it, and then he spears Sheamus to the outside. Kofi tags in and hits the Shining Wizard on Sheamus for a two count. Big E tags back in and they look for the double team, but Sheamus reverses it and Cesaro tags himself in. Sheamus takes out Woods, and Big E takes out Sheamus. Cesaro comes in and hits the Neutralizer on Big E, but Woods breaks up the pin. Big E and Cesaro fight up to the top rope, but Sheamus tags himself in and breaks it up. Sheamus and Cesaro hit a Doomsday Device type double-team move on Big E. Sheamus pins but his feet are on the ropes, and Kofi knocks his feet off. Sheamus gets in Kofi’s face at ringside, then Cesaro nails Kofi from behind. Woods looke for a suicide dive on The Bar, but The Bar catches him and slams him down. Sheamus and Cesaro clear off the table Booker T and Lawler are at, but then The Big Show’s music hits. The Big Show comes out and walks over to The Bar at ringside. The Bar backs up, and Big Show helps up Kofi. Big Show then grabs Kofi by the throat and powerbombs him through the announce table. Big E looks on shocked from the ring, and Sheamus takes the opportunity to hit the big boot on Big E for the three count.
Winners & new SmackDown Tag Team Champions: Sheamus & Cesaro
– After the match, The Big Show steps in the ring and helps The Bar celebrate with their new Tag Team Title belts.
– We go to a pre-taped promo from John Cena, talking about SmackDown and his history on the show.
– Rey Mysterio vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: This one is a qualifying match for the World Cup tournament. The opening bell sounds and Nakamura starts off strong with knee strikes to Rey. Rey fires back with some leg kicks, but Nakamura shuts him down with a front face lock and more knees. Rey comes back with a hurricanrana, but Nakamura shuts him down with more strikes. Nakamura misses a shot and Rey looks for the 619, but Nakamura rolls outside. Rey kicks Nakamura down, and then Rey runs and literally slides out of the ring under the bottom rope with a splash on Nakamura laying on the ringside floor. Back in the ring, Nakamura tangles Rey up in the corner and kicks him in the face. Nakamura misses a shot and Rey fires back with strikes. They fight over to the turnbuckle and Nakamura looks for a Samoan Drop off the top, but Rey fights out. Rey ends up hitting a Frankensteiner off the top for a two count. Rey springboards off the top, but Nakamura catches him with a knee to the body and Rey is hurt. Nakamura hits another knee strike in the corner for a two count. Nakamura looks for the Kinshasa, but Rey reverses into a pin for a two count. Nakamura comes back with a spinning heel kick, and then he looks for the Kinshasa again but misses. Rey fights back with kicks and then he hits the 619. Rey follows up with a springboard frogsplash off the top for a three count.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
– Senior official Charles Robinson raises Rey’s hand and Rey celebrates qualifying for the World Cup tournament. Before Rey exits the ring, The Undertaker’s music hits. The Undertaker walks down the ramp and steps into the ring, as Rey and Nakamura separately make their exits. The Undertaker stands in the ring and looks out into the crowd before speaking. Taker says he has three words for D-X at Crown Jewel: Rest In Peace. The Undertaker slowly makes his exit up the ramp and poses on the stage as SmackDown goes off the air.
