Aug. 26, 1999 - SmackDown made its illustrious premiere as the WWE Universe witnessed WWE Champion Triple H reigning supreme over The Rock after special guest referee Shawn Michaels gave Rock some Sweet Chin Music just as he was about to deliver the People's Elbow to The Game.
Sept. 16, 1999 – With WWE officials on strike and WWE Champion Triple H ignoring “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s demand for a match, Mr. McMahon surprised all by defeating The Game for the WWE Championship, thanks to the Stone Cold Stunner by the emerging Texas Rattlesnake.
April 20, 2000 - WWE Champion Triple H triumphed over the visiting ECW Champion Tazz, after Tommy Dreamer interfered with a chair and accidentally hit the Extreme champion with it.
July 18, 2008 - Edge & SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero’s wedding reception was interrupted by Edge’s Great American Bash opponent, WWE Champion Triple H. The Game shocked all by producing a video of The Rated-R Superstar and wedding planner Alicia Fox kissing in his hotel room.
Oct. 3, 2008 – SmackDown celebrates its MyNetworkTV debut with a Superstar-packed All-Star Kickoff that saw WWE Champion Triple H reign supreme over World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho and ECW Champion Matt Hardy in a Champion vs. Champion Triple Threat main event.
Dec. 19, 2008 - Jeff Hardy celebrates winning his very first WWE Championship after overcoming both Triple H and Edge in a Triple Threat Match at Armageddon.
WWE Champion Triple H def. Cody Rhodes in an impromptu Steel Cage Match
In hindsight, Cody Rhodes probably should have known better. The second-generation Superstar faced off against arguably the most determined Superstar in all of WWE right now, Triple H. As Rhodes’ Legacy cohorts, Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase, looked on, The Game demolished his opponent and taunted Orton and DiBiase to join him in the ring. When Orton and DiBiase decided to take up the invitation, The Game grabbed his sledgehammer and backed the two down.
That’s when things got even more interesting. Triple H gave a signal as a steel cage was lowered around the ring. The WWE Champion then climbed inside and resumed his retribution of a hapless Rhodes. The remaining Legacy members attempted to scale the unforgiving structure, but Triple H fended them off and continued to send a punishing message to his WrestleMania opponent, Orton.
The mystery of who authorized the lowering of the cage was solved somewhat when, after the match when Triple H left the arena, he climbed into a Hummer with his wife Stephanie McMahon.
This week Triple H moves up to the #2 position of the Power 25.
Technically, The Game lost his Handicap Match against Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase on Raw, but in reality, the havoc he reeked at Randy Orton's home more than made up for any defeat.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With just a few weeks to go before the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, Raw was the site of some huge news regarding The Grandest Stage of Them All. In addition to Kofi Kingston earning a spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, John Cena also found himself becoming a participant in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. But while Raw was in Florida, the most shocking event of the night took place in St. Louis, where Randy Orton watched the program from his home. His viewing experience was interrupted however, when The Legend Killer’s WrestleMania opponent, WWE Champion Triple H, busted into the Orton household and attacked the 2009 Royal Rumble winner.
Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase def. WWE Champion Triple H in a Handicap Match via forfeit; The Game invades Randy Orton's home As announced earlier in the night, Orton’s “Legacy,” Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase prepared to team up against WWE Champion Triple H in Raw’s main event. But when The Game’s music played, the WWE Champion was nowhere to be seen. Rhodes & DiBiase demanded that they be declared the victors, since their opponent was a no-show. The two multi-generational Superstars received their wish, but their victory was interrupted by Randy Orton, making his voice heard from his home in St. Louis.
The 2009 Royal Rumble winner was furious that Triple H would fail to show up for a match, and worried that he could no-show his WrestleMania title defense, preventing Orton from winning the championship. As he ranted, the doorbell began to ring, with increasing urgency. Eventually, a furious Triple H smashed his way through the door. The Game chased Orton through the house, terrifying his wife and father along the way, before throwing his WrestleMania opponent through a window. As the fight spilled over into the front yard, police officers arrived and took the WWE Champion away in handcuffs.
This week's SmackDown will be true 500th episode of the program. However, the episode was the second show taped this past Tuesday at the double SmackDown taping. This week's episode will be a regular edition of the show. Instead, WWE will commemorate the milestone with the 501st episode, which is scheduled to air on March 20th. WWE's billing the show as "The Smackdown 500 Race to Wrestlemania" and wrestlers from all three brands are scheduled to appear. The show is set to be taped on March 17 in Corpus Christie, Texas at the American Bank Center. Wrestlers advertised to appear at the show include: Undertaker, Edge, Triple H, John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Matt Hardy, Umaga, The Great Khali, Carlito, MVP and more. A few weeks ago, MyNetworkTV ran a commercial promoting the station's offerings during the month of March, and the March 13th episode of SmackDown was specifically advertised as the 500th episode. This isn't the first time WWE has miscounted a milestone. On November 3, 2008, Raw celebrated its 800th episode with a three hour episode. The actual 800th episode aired on September 22, 2008.
This week Triple H moves up to the #2 position of the Power 25. 