Original subtitles

The word SmackDown has become a show.

It's become an institution.

When a program is named after one of The Rock's

catchphrases, you know it's appointment television.

Oh, SmackDown.

And over the years, SmackDown has been home

to it all.

From the outlandish to the outstanding.

History has been made here on SmackDown Live.

The blue brand serves action and excitement

each and every week.

What an extraordinary night it's going to be.

Welcome, everyone, to SmackDown Live.

Today, we look back at the second decade of SmackDown.

Buckle up, Teddy.

Oh.

This is WWE's Greatest Moments.

If you smell-

Oh, my God, what the hell are you doing?

Absolutely unbelievable.

Hulkamania is here.

Welcome, everyone, to WWE's Greatest Moments.

I'm Michael Cole.

And on this edition, we're looking back at the very best of

a show that is near and dear to my heart, SmackDown.

Hey, everybody, at ringside, I'm Michael Cole.

He's Pat McAfee.

I had the privilege of being the lead announcer of the blue brand

for many, many years.

Oh.

And coming into its second decade in 2009,

things were raised to a whole 'nother level.

Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker were on a collision

course at the historic WrestleMania 25.

You have never beaten me.

And you never will.

Despite being two of the greatest in-ring performers

of all time, the differences of the two were quite apparent.

Michaels representing the light and goodness in the world

was the yin to The Undertaker's yang, dark,

ominous, and terrifying.

And in March of 2009, the Heartbreak Kid did what he

always did better than anyone else,

get under the skin of the Deadman.

The irreverent, defiant Shawn Michaels

is he flirting with disaster.

That segment was designed to get

into the head of The Undertaker.

And no one better than Shawn Michaels to do that.

Very rare that we see someone rent space

in the head of The Undertaker.

We leaned into the fact that Taker had never beaten me.

The man you have never beaten.

You add the heaven and hell aspect of it,

it was just phenomenal.

The Undertaker represents the purest form of evil.

He walks amongst the shadows where I thrive in the spotlight.

When he's cutting this promo, and-

no one's gonna out-mind game The Undertaker.

Hey.

Oh, what?

My God, it's The Undertaker.

I pop up through the ring,

so I think I got him dead to rights.

Michaels going for the ride.

Oh, my God.

What-

Michaels escaping.

And he still gets away.

Honestly, one of the best promos I think that he cut.

Not only the visual of the all white and the meaning behind it,

but the ability to get under The Undertaker's skin

was a huge win for him.

Long-time fans know the climb that legendary

performer Christian went through.

From his beginnings as a part of the menacing Brood

to one half of the tag team icons

with his best friend, Edge.

Christian had done it all except win the big one.

But Extreme Rules 2011, his dreams became a reality.

Christian is now the World Champion.

I've been waiting 17 long years to do this.

Just five days later on SmackDown,

Christian's first challenger immediately came knocking.

Christian versus Randy Orton

for the World Heavyweight Championship.

For Christian, he's been champion all of five days.

He's lived his dream for five days.

And here we go, back and forth they

go, champion and challenger.

The match with Christian,

one of my favorite opponents ever.

Christian is the heavyweight champion,

and he don't want to lose it, dawg.

Orton down, Christian looking to retain here.

Those two together, you know,

it's just a match made in heaven.

Both of those guys really understand

what the wrestling business is all about.

Randy Orton is starting to feel it.

Orton dialing it up.

Randy Orton was the golden boy.

He was the poster boy.

He was the guy that to this day they still want

to be the World Champion.

Oh.

Oh, RKO, RKO.

Randy Orton, lateral press.

And we have a new champion.

The Cinderella story is over.

It's shocking to see Christian just have a really

short reign, just five days.

Big moments like that will reinforce that you

need to watch this show because

you never know what could happen.

This is what SmackDown is all about.

Always expect the unexpected.

Four long years of being away from the squared

circle, "The Animal" Batista made his much-anticipated

return to WWE in 2014.

The return of the six-time world champion.

Despite winning the Royal Rumble in dominant fashion-

Batista's going to WrestleMania.

Batista was gaining less than favorable reactions

from the crowd.

Batista went out on SmackDown and let his animalistic

instincts take over.

The WWE fans sure have not been kind to Batista

since he won the Royal Rumble match last month.

A lot's changed since my last Royal Rumble win.

Let me start by stating that I did not come back to be liked.

I came back to be WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

At the end of the day, they want to be entertained.

They want a bad guy they can boo, and I think I am that guy.

You chant the names of 195-pound wannabes?

I mean, where are all the real men?

What happened to the attitude?

Now to see guys who were half his weight come

out there and people are wanting to see that,

he's able to show his frustration with that.

I mean, do you honestly think that your heroes

are as good as me?

The truth is, no, they will never be me.

He's not really known for being a promo

guy, but here I feel like he flipped it into another gear.

I will be systematically destroying each

and every one of your heroes on my way to become

WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

SmackDown's second decade, h

the women's revolution was in full force.

And with that came a brand-new women's championship.

The first-ever WWE Women's Championship.

But as our powerful women always proudly state

to their male counterparts, anything you can do,

we can do better.

The first-ever women's Hell in a Cell match.

So, in June of 2017, SmackDown was host to a historic women's

Money in the Bank ladder match.

This is what it is all about.

The first Money in the Bank ladder match

ever on SmackDown Live.

The experience of being in Money in the Bank

was just awesome.

Nobody had seen women have a ladder match

before on SmackDown Live.

Five women will battle for the Money in the Bank contract.

Not wasting any time.

I'm not going to lie,

I was so scared for this ladder match.

Oh.

Oh, face first.

Oh, and a boot to the ladder.

None of us had any experience with ladders.

Whoa, oh.

Oh, my God, geez.

Those ladders hurt.

Oh, good grief.

When did you ever think that women were going

to be jumping off ladders?

Becky Lynch has her opportunity.

Oh, and a steel chair.

Carmella using any means necessary.

There you have it.

Miss Money in the Bank.

It was so surreal.

I still don't believe it.

I'm going to go down in history because I was the first-ever

Miss Money in the Bank.

History has been made here on SmackDown Live.

CM Punk is no stranger to memorable moments

in WWE history.

As he says, he's the best in the world

and makes sure that everyone knows it.

In 2010, Punk was more of a bragger than ever before,

claiming that his straight-edge lifestyle was the only way to

live, and vowed to be the savior of those looking for a change.

The youth of today will come together

as one straight-edge society.

One particular instance saw a woman named

Serena pleading to be cleansed of her sins.

We are straight edge.

CM Punk was always known as being straight edge,

which meant that he didn't smoke, drink, or do drugs.

But I know that I can wash away all your problems,

and I, and only I, can save each and every last one of you.

At this point,

he started the Straight Edge Society,

which took those ideals but formed

them into a kind of a hybrid religious cult.

Who is sick of living--

Whoa, whoa.

Here was a girl who was the hardest-working person

at the OVW amateur class.

I need you.

This young lady needs me.

I can tell.

She did everything she needed to do to get hired.

What's your name?

Serena.

Are you ready to pledge allegiance to me and my

Straight Edge Society?

I'm ready.

I've been ready.

I needed to strike a nerve.

I needed somebody to really go out of their comfort zone.

I'm gonna shave her head.

This is symbolic in the Straight Edge Society of

shedding your iniquities.

That was unbelievable.

I mean, the audience, just look at some of their faces

while that was going on.

Here's a pretty girl, who's a hell of an athlete,

great wrestler, and she shaved her head.

It was pretty wild.

I give you Serena, the newest member

of my Straight Edge Society.

derived from the most(n

electrifying man in Sports Entertainment, The Rock.

You two jabronis decided to check both your candy

asses into the SmackDown hotel.

The Great One had some of the most iconic moments

in the history of the blue brand.

And after several years away from the squared circle,

The Rock returned home in January 2013

to the delight of almost everyone.

It's a special night.

The Rock is back on his show tonight

in front of his hometown, SmackDown.

The Rock would make his triumphant return.

It was an incredible reaction.

You wanna make a name for yourself?

Interrupt The Rock.

Obviously, somebody has to be there to ruin the

party, otherwise it wouldn't be wrestling.

Why don't you get out of this ring before you

don't have any choice?

I just gotta say something.

I mean, sweet tap-dancing Jesus, what is on your face?

I don't think anyone's excited if you're gonna find out

that The Rock is gonna rip you to shreds,

'cause he will rip you to shreds.

He'll go for it.

And speaking of which, you know, just like your

19th-century beard, your big buggy eyes, it looks like what

would happen if Abe Lincoln got busy with a gremlin.

Look at Lillian, she's afraid.

Don't worry, Lillian.

If he gets near you, I will slap that caterpillar

right into the eighth row.

Silence.

He'd be in the middle of something,

and then he'd call me out, and immediately I'm, like, blushing.

And, uh, the fans would eat it up.

But to see how he captivated the audience was so much fun.

Coming back like this, the best part about it was

the connection with the audience.

And a People's Elbow for Cody Rhodes.

And to watch them respond the way they did

was very, very special.

If you smell what The Rock is cooking.

They say don't bite off more than you can chew.

And in 2017, the WWE Champion found that out the hard way.

Jinder Mahal shocked the wrestling world when he defeated

Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.

I am the most powerful man

in the entire WWE.

But is it better to be arrogant or phenomenal?

SmackDown emanated from Manchester, England.

AJ Styles challenged Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship.

A title that had never changed hands outside North America.

But never say never.

Right?

Here we go, Manchester.

Welcome to SmackDown Live.

That was a very interesting match.

The crowd was very pro-AJ Styles.

It is all about the most prestigious prize

in Sports Entertainment.

(crowd chants "AJ Styles}

WWE Universe here in Manchester

solidly behind AJ Styles.

I've wrestled in Manchester before.

These fans are always amazing.

Khallas, Khallas.

Planning Styles.

The cover.

One, two--

Oh.

No, no, no, no.

Styles got his foot on the rope.

Jinder is beside himself.

This place is rocking.

The WWE Universe, the more excited they are,

the more energy that you have.

And it sounds crazy, but it-- that's how it works.

I feed off the energy.

Eyes on the champion here.

AJ Styles.

Phenomenal Forearm.

Styles has done it again.

For the first time in history, the WWE Championship

has changed hands outside of North America.

I was very proud of that match,

and the fans were unbelievable.

The reaction was unbelievable.

I loved it.

One of the all-time greatest performers

in WWE history is-

The Rated-R Superstar himself, Edge.

His accomplishments are second to none.

Tag Team Champion, Intercontinental Champion,

King of the Ring, Royal Rumble winner-

Oh.

Edge has done it.

Edge has done it.

World Champion.

And Edge retains his championship.

But just days after his successful

World Championship defense at WrestleMania XXVII,

Edge made an announcement that none of us were prepared for.

Rumors have been swirling,

the 11-time World Champion has an announcement

to make that will shock the entire WWE Universe.

It's all on SmackDown,

and I basically just went out and talked as Adam.

Eight years ago, I-I broke my neck.

I've been losing feeling in my arms.

And it's true, I am, uh, being forced to retire.

As a personal friend,

I know it was very, very tough for him.

A lot of people are-are sad and disappointed that my-my

career is forced to come to an end.

I watched Edge's retirement, and I cried.

I cried because I felt for Adam Copeland, the human being,

and as a fan, I cried that I'm not gonna get Edge anymore.

But you know what?

I think- I think everybody's actually happy and very positive

the WWE and our-our team of doctors caught this

before I was in a ladder match,

and I landed and couldn't get up.

It doesn't matter how much you want this.

Being able to get up and walk around is more important.

But now it's time for me to-to come out here

and do what I-- what I have to do.

Having to relinquish the title

and have to walk away from it, I mean, how devastating.

It's been one hell of a ride.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

l

rivalries in SmackDown's history is unquestionably

between CM Punk and Jeff Hardy.

You're all slaves to Jeff Hardy.

You couldn't find more polar opposites than these two.

Jeff Hardy battled many demons in his life,

and CM Punk was not one to hold back on judgment.

It's typical of Jeff to screw everything up in his

life like he always has.

It was clear that WWE wasn't big enough

for both of them.

An unforgiving steel cage match was made where the loser would

be forced to leave WWE.

World titles are big enough,

but careers perhaps are even bigger.

The loser of this match tonight leaves WWE.

Being in a cage, man, with a match like this,

naturally, we-we wanted to raise the bar

like we always did back then.

Punk from behind.

This is par for the course for CM Punk.

I'm trying to kill Jeff Hardy.

He's like a cockroach, though.

Hard to kill.

A whisper in the wind by Jeff Hardy.

Hardy could go to sleep.

No, he counters.

It's a Twist of Fate.

Hardy known for his passion, his desire, his recklessness.

It's a daunting task to know I have to beat this guy,

and it's probably going to take years off of my career, and

that's the only way to accomplish the goal.

It's a big ask.

No. Oh.

No.

A superplex.

Punk is the winner.

It was too late for Jeff Hardy,

as CM Punk escapes the cage, retains the world title.

The idea that I may never go back to WWE,

that was just, uh, overwhelming.

But it's-it's pro wrestling, man.

Anything's possible, and anything can happen.

This is not goodbye forever.

This is only goodbye for now.

As we've seen, SmackDown has been the home

to so many memorable moments in WWE history.

One of the most shocking, however, came in May of 2007.

The Undertaker held tightly to the coveted

World Heavyweight Championship.

You will rest in peace.

After a brutal steel cage match,

The Undertaker was assaulted

by "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry.

The World's Strongest Man assaulting the champion.

With the World Champion out for the count,

nobody could have predicted what would come next.

The Undertaker had nothing left.

No.

Come on, Edge.

No, not this way.

What a perfect time to cash in.

I've already had a cage match.

I've run into Mark Henry.

Please tell me this is not happening.

As the dastardly, conniving, manipulative Edge,

why wouldn't he wait until after the champion has been through

an absolute war to cash it in?

The referee is disgusted.

I'm disgusted.

Here's the cover.

Hook of the leg.

And Undertaker kicked out.

Come on, Taker.

And Undertaker.

You're kidding me.

The beaten Undertaker.

Undertaker tried to sit up.

He couldn't quite do it.

Incredible moment for Edge

in-in his bad guy persona to come and pick the bones.

It was perfect for his character.

Spear.

The cover.

Not this way.

Damn it.

To see him cash in against The Undertaker

on free television, it was very shocking.

You know, regardless of who you're supporting, to see the

world title change hands on SmackDown

it's always special when that happens.

Damn it.

This is Friday Night SmackDown, Michael.

Anything can happen.

Edge steals the title.

The blue brand was and continues to be the

destination of some of the greatest stars in professional

wrestling, with countless matches and memories that fans

remember for a lifetime.

Well, that'll do it for this edition

of WWE's Greatest Moments.

I hope you've enjoyed this look back at the jaw-dropping

memories that came with the second decade of SmackDown.