WWE SmackDown! is the Friday night professional wrestling TV show for World Wrestling Entertainment.
The structure of every episode of SmackDown! has changed very little since it began in 1999.
At the top of the show, a wrestler involved in an ongoing storyline goes to the ring to talk on the microphone. In his/her speech, the wrestler will call out an opponent, thereby instigating a match. That match usually becomes the main event of the evening.
Subsequent storylines between other wrestlers continue throughout the show as well.
When the WWE bought out rival organization WCW, it effectively eliminated its only competition in major professional wrestling. To maintain fan interest in the company, WWE owner Vince McMahon proposed a brand extension, where certain wrestlers would appear only on one of the company's three shows: SmackDown!, ECW and Raw.
Though often seen as a second-tier show to Raw, SmackDown! currently features several big names on its roster, including The Undertaker, Batista, Rey Mysterio and Michelle McCool.
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