I think it's due to costing and stuff as they travel all over the world meaning they would have to put in that extra effort just to bring in certain sets then again nowadays the screens all feel like there's more on stage as is when things felt unique and simple Raw 1997 - 2008 and Smackdown 1999 - 2008, Also AEW has since 2023 maintained a screen only presence and it sucks and doesn't make them stand out at all.
The fist being the best design isnt a hot-take by any means but it has to do with 2008 making every set literally the same that really puts me off and since then Smackdown has just never felt different enough
I grew up when I was a kid with the "oval" stage design (WWE was on TV for the first time in my country, Chile, from 1999 to 2002), being to me one of the icons of the beloved Attitude era. As a pre-teen, I grew up with the "fist" design, and I love it to this day (to me, the best design in terms of identity). When they switched to the HD stages, it felt so lifeless to me; until the 2019 redesign, which I liked so much when I watched live the premiere episode on Fox.
The oval tron was awesome. Had an industrial and 90's sci fi aesthetic. Sets matter, they are part of the show and create the visual battlefield so to speak.
Man 20 years time flies I truly love the OG set but man when the fist came WOW just AMAZING. I know you did a video game comparison of WCW video games Arena maybe a WWE one one day Awesome content as always from one creator to another keep up the great work my friend
Love the video man!!! Ilways enjoy your content, Also my favorite has to be the fist stage !!!! I remember seeing it live when I went to a smackdown recording as a kid and was amazed how big and kool it looked, and the pyro was amazing, thanks for this blast from the past man!!! take care and merry christmas
Great video! I remember randomly between 2004 to 2007 the Raw set design would be used for Smackdown from time to time it was really random. Always found it pretty weird seeing smackdown branding on a raw stage design!
The OG, Fist, and 2019 FOX arenas are all top tier for me. Hopefully they bring that 2019 set back when things go back to normal, I love how futuristic it looks, while also paying tribute to the OG with the arches center stage.
YESSSSSS! I've been waiting for this one since forever! Well worth the wait. Love your use of the BGM from the games. I never noticed they ditched the side vertical tron in 2007, nor the blue stripe on the aprons being added during this time. The oval tron and fist will always be my favorite Smackdown stage sets; I never liked the generic HD sets that were shared with all the arenas from 2008, but I liked Smackdown Live's set. I also liked the one that came after before the pandemic hit: it kind of reminds me of a modernized version of the first stage set with that structure at 13:02. I will say though that I really like the current logo they have for Smackdown, it's like they put the first logo from 1999 and the Ruthless Agression logo from 2002-2003 in a blender lol.
In some episode of Smackdown back in 2005-06, i remember clearly the arena is using RAW arena but more blue color. I remember watching Booker T with Finlay vs Chris Benoit. I've never seen smackdown using this arena before, still searching on google images, but i couldn't find. i'm still hoping i dont wrong...
Keep up the great work. Just subbed. I remember here in the U.K we didn't get Smackdown for a long while, i think it was a nearly year or maybe more. The Fist Stage is my favourite. Weirdly I thought that first set design was around longer. I'm glad they've brought back intros, pyros, stage set pieces as they are what makes Raw, Smackdown & PPVs feel special. Growing up i'd look forward to see what unique PPV set design they've come up with. I'm glad the wine glass arena sets have gone but to me Raws set still needs that wow factor. I know things had to be different/figured out, but when they started at the Performance Centre it felt like it hollowed me out & got filled in with a constant sick & upset feeling I had to stop watching all of WWE until the ThunderDome.
My favorite Smackdown set is the set from august 2001- May 2003. This is the Smackdown Fist with the ramp set. During late 2002 to early 2003 there would sometimes be shows where Smackdown had no ramp, but they got rid of the ramp officially in May of 2003.
4:12 when i was looking at the Smackdown stage in 2002, I noticed a few changes. it got black ropes in March The WWE name change in May (not to mention the fact that the WWF logo was missing in the may 9th and may 16th episode and it would appear as the WWE logo in may 23rd) The silver apron and post would debut in August 29th not to mention the return of the blue ropes and finally the side tron in september 5th
The old Smackdown fist set is legendary but I always liked the original oval set from 1999. I started watching WWE back in 1996 up until 2008 so I saw all the set design changes as they happened. To be honest I always preferred the dark gritty industrial metal look that Raw and Nitro had back in the '90s as far as set designs go. I'm not a fan of all the multiple LED screens and over the top lighting effects and graphics for a weekly wrestling show but maybe just for a big event like WrestleMania or something.
My favorite WWF/E Smackdown arena is the first one that was used when it became a weekly TV series from 1999 to 2001 after the pilot episode with the same set as RAW IS WAR. The one with the oval shaped titantron on the left or sometimes right side of the stage. I also liked the Smackdown stage with the broken glass that WWE used from 2001 to 2008. When they changed everything to HD, the sets became generic and not fun to look at anymore and now it's even worse with all of those ridiculous LED lights all over the place, it's not just Smackdown, RAW was affected by this crap too.
@@DarrylKeithFord2ndChannel JBL's WWE Championship reign, Kurt Angle playing a pervert to Sharmell, Dominik storyline, Undertaker being mistreated, Dawn Marie having a affair with Charlie Haas etc.
7:45 One thing I always liked about the 2010-2015 graphics package for SmackDown was that the name badges kept the same look but were personalized to match the aesthetics for certain wrestlers (i.e. Kane's nameplate had a red/orange hue and was on fire, and all the Divas got a pink version).
Yes I’ve been waiting a long time for this hey are u ever going to do any more cheap game reviews by any chance as well as any more spotlight video game reviews for 2021 and another Q&A for 2021 by any chance because u know the new year is coming up and I wanted to hear if there are any video plans for 2021 do u have any ideas by any chance
I have a very large collection of cheap/budget titles, it’s always been a fascination of mine so it’s quite possible to see more vids. There are plenty of Spotlight reviews in the works as well.
@@NikateeN Thanks for the pin yes you did mentioned the side tron brought in 2002 & used till 2007. In the summer of 2006 there was another square shaped side tron used near to the right tita tron. It was a blink & a miss as it was used for just few weaks. You will find that in June & July 2006 episodes of smackdown. Also English is not my first language so apologies if I am hard to understand.
The oval set was sexy AF. I'm glad they included in WWE Wrestlemania x8 as an unlocked with other 2001 sets us Nintendo people missed out on after AKI and THQ split.
2006 they also had a small tron above the set on the right hand side if you type in wwe smackdown set 2006 its the second image...it only last a couple months
The Fist design was best. Partly biased because I watched WWE in that era, but it was so distinctive and better than the RAW arena (with the parallelogram titantron etc at the time). I also think it had a gritty feel, in a good way. Btw, I know it's in the pics, but one of the things you forgot to mention is that the Fist arena used to have a ramp in 2002. By 2003 (I believe) that was gone and they had a flat entrance.
The 2003-2008 smackdown had the best arena but should of had the turnbuckles silver color too. The refree’s shirts should of been blue & silver instead of blue & black.
What point in 2003/2004 did they ditch the ramp coming from the stage towards the ring. I assume it was for Eddie Guerrero to drive he's lowrider to the ring and they happened to ditch it at the same time?
I forget how little of Smackdown I actually saw. I was 16 when it debuted, and i stopped wat hing WWE in 2002 or 2003. So I really only remember the first 2 unique designs up to the fist. You forgot Smackdown Xtreme!! Which was the same as the first Smackdown oval set, but the logo had a red X on it
I just realised in the early aprons of the HD Era like ECW, there are some space left over black from the left and right sides of each apron, then later they made the design fill the entire apron
Just one problem for me: at some point during the run for the Fist stage, the stage and ramp themselves were downgraded to cut costs (putting the stage closer to the ground). Not entirely sure when this change happened.
Yeah it was introduced sometime in 2003 and my guess it was most likely due to certain superstars who had vehicles during their entrances. (such as Eddie Guerrero & JBL just to name a few)
The fist is my favorite. Loved the green first for Velocity, too. I used to loooove Velocity. They're starting to put some episode of it up on Velocity now. The SD special/Raw set was used for HeAt at one point, too.
Was never the same after it went HD, stages became more like TV talent show sets. They need to bring proper titantron videos back
idk why just because it went hd everything had to become boring wish smackdown fist stayed longer
I think it's due to costing and stuff as they travel all over the world meaning they would have to put in that extra effort just to bring in certain sets then again nowadays the screens all feel like there's more on stage as is when things felt unique and simple Raw 1997 - 2008 and Smackdown 1999 - 2008, Also AEW has since 2023 maintained a screen only presence and it sucks and doesn't make them stand out at all.
The Smackdown! Ovaltron (1999-2001) and the Fist (2001-2008) arena sets are my childhood favorites.
Oval stage was by far the best. The pyro used to open the show for smackdown back then was absolutely amazing
Yes, that pyro was epic!
Also the fist stage
I think it’s nostalgia cuz the ruthless aggression stage is clearly better🤣
The fist being the best design isnt a hot-take by any means but it has to do with 2008 making every set literally the same that really puts me off and since then Smackdown has just never felt different enough
The fist stage will always be the best!!!!
Without a doubt the BEST stage ever! hands down 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Very ahead of its time
I grew up with the 2001-2008 Arena. Didn’t watch the Show before and after the Smack Your TV Fist Set. Memories makes me want to go back there
I grew up when I was a kid with the "oval" stage design (WWE was on TV for the first time in my country, Chile, from 1999 to 2002), being to me one of the icons of the beloved Attitude era. As a pre-teen, I grew up with the "fist" design, and I love it to this day (to me, the best design in terms of identity). When they switched to the HD stages, it felt so lifeless to me; until the 2019 redesign, which I liked so much when I watched live the premiere episode on Fox.
Yes, finally I been waiting for the History of Smackdown arenas (1999-2020). Thank you, Nikateen.
Love hearing that hctp music in the Background(:
also Wrestlemania XIX for Gamecube ;)
Added the 1998 rock theme in the intro. Nice
Fast forward to 2023, and the set is LITERALLY one giant screen... 😂
wonder if we'll get a substantial change once the show goes to USA Network this fall after the FOX era ends.
I loved the first SmackDown stage and the classic fist stage. I feel really old
I adore the original Smackdown stage. It was so unique. It gave me a sci-fi vibe.
The oval tron was awesome. Had an industrial and 90's sci fi aesthetic. Sets matter, they are part of the show and create the visual battlefield so to speak.
Please do these Arena Showcases!
Congratulations, it's really good!
The Ovaltron/original set will always be my favorite. So much nostalgia and such a great era to have been a fan.
Same and Agreed 💯
The original oval set will always be my favourite personally
This is the episode I’ve waited forever for :)
I miss when each show had a special looking design for that show
Please do an Arena ShowCase for Impact Wrestling!!!
Man 20 years time flies I truly love the OG set but man when the fist came WOW just AMAZING. I know you did a video game comparison of WCW video games Arena maybe a WWE one one day Awesome content as always from one creator to another keep up the great work my friend
Thanks man!
We’ve waited a long time for this epic topic Nikateen, Thank you, and the 👊🏻 Stage will always and forever be my Favourite of all time
Thanks!
Fannypack Rock will never get old
Love the video man!!! Ilways enjoy your content, Also my favorite has to be the fist stage !!!! I remember seeing it live when I went to a smackdown recording as a kid and was amazed how big and kool it looked, and the pyro was amazing, thanks for this blast from the past man!!! take care and merry christmas
Thanks man! Really cool experience you had, I was also lucky enough to attend a SmackDown with the fist stage and it was an incredible visual.
In order: here are the top designs for Smackdown IMO:
Smackdown Fist (02-07)
Smackdown Oval (99-01)
Smackdown on FOX (19-20)
Smackdown Live (16-19)
Agreed
You forgot the Smackdown HD stage from 2008 through 2012, and the Smackdown HD 2012 through 2015.
@@SSJ491 You mean the 1000 stage
Great video! I remember randomly between 2004 to 2007 the Raw set design would be used for Smackdown from time to time it was really random. Always found it pretty weird seeing smackdown branding on a raw stage design!
Awesome vid and dedication, attention to the smack down brand. Definitely deserves more views.
That 2019 one was the best they had since the fist.
Awesomeness video please do more thanks
Yeah, some of the sets look absolutely frickin' magnificent...🤘🏼💯✔️
Damn I musta missed this in my sub box because I had no idea you finally uploaded this.
Well time to sit back and enjoy a long awaited video from ya!
The oval and the fist stage will always be my best smackdown arenas.
I stop watching wwe when the HD and pg stuff came around.
Sweet video dude. I hadn't noticed all the subtle and sometimes not so subtle changes since the HD sets.
The day the ring aprons went was the day WWE died for me
That initial SD! Live setup was basically the old TLC PPV setup minus the props.
The OG, Fist, and 2019 FOX arenas are all top tier for me. Hopefully they bring that 2019 set back when things go back to normal, I love how futuristic it looks, while also paying tribute to the OG with the arches center stage.
YESSSSSS! I've been waiting for this one since forever! Well worth the wait. Love your use of the BGM from the games.
I never noticed they ditched the side vertical tron in 2007, nor the blue stripe on the aprons being added during this time.
The oval tron and fist will always be my favorite Smackdown stage sets; I never liked the generic HD sets that were shared with all the arenas from 2008, but I liked Smackdown Live's set. I also liked the one that came after before the pandemic hit: it kind of reminds me of a modernized version of the first stage set with that structure at 13:02. I will say though that I really like the current logo they have for Smackdown, it's like they put the first logo from 1999 and the Ruthless Agression logo from 2002-2003 in a blender lol.
I remember when I first seen the fist stage and I was like "is this a ppv?" Lmao arena showcase rules
Thanks! I agree, it was definitely on a PPV level.
Man, you deserve waaaay more subscribers. Such good shit pal.
Thanks Will!
In some episode of Smackdown back in 2005-06, i remember clearly the arena is using RAW arena but more blue color. I remember watching Booker T with Finlay vs Chris Benoit. I've never seen smackdown using this arena before, still searching on google images, but i couldn't find. i'm still hoping i dont wrong...
I’ll have to look into that!
@@NikateeN nah I found it mate.. th-cam.com/video/XhTe2OXMD4U/w-d-xo.html
Keep up the great work. Just subbed. I remember here in the U.K we didn't get Smackdown for a long while, i think it was a nearly year or maybe more. The Fist Stage is my favourite. Weirdly I thought that first set design was around longer. I'm glad they've brought back intros, pyros, stage set pieces as they are what makes Raw, Smackdown & PPVs feel special. Growing up i'd look forward to see what unique PPV set design they've come up with. I'm glad the wine glass arena sets have gone but to me Raws set still needs that wow factor. I know things had to be different/figured out, but when they started at the Performance Centre it felt like it hollowed me out & got filled in with a constant sick & upset feeling I had to stop watching all of WWE until the ThunderDome.
I agree, It does feel like the oval design was around for longer than 2 years. Thanks for the sub!
My favorite Smackdown set is the set from august 2001- May 2003. This is the Smackdown Fist with the ramp set. During late 2002 to early 2003 there would sometimes be shows where Smackdown had no ramp, but they got rid of the ramp officially in May of 2003.
The ovaltron and fist stage are my favorite designs of all time. I also love the logos, graphics and theme songs used from 1999-2010
Same!
Fun fact they used the tlc stage set for smackdown before summerslam in 2016 and the old summerslam 2009 2010 and 2011 stage for raw
My favorite Smackdown design was the giant fist. Very nostalgic.
The Oval, Fist, and Fox are what personify SMACKDOWN!
The Oval stage will always be my favorite.
4:12 when i was looking at the Smackdown stage in 2002, I noticed a few changes.
it got black ropes in March
The WWE name change in May (not to mention the fact that the WWF logo was missing in the may 9th and may 16th episode and it would appear as the WWE logo in may 23rd)
The silver apron and post would debut in August 29th not to mention the return of the blue ropes
and finally the side tron in september 5th
Great video, favourite smackdown stage set up is the old school oval set up
The first Smackdown stage is the best. The simplicity, the gritty aesthetic of the attitude era will never be matched.
The old Smackdown fist set is legendary but I always liked the original oval set from 1999. I started watching WWE back in 1996 up until 2008 so I saw all the set design changes as they happened. To be honest I always preferred the dark gritty industrial metal look that Raw and Nitro had back in the '90s as far as set designs go. I'm not a fan of all the multiple LED screens and over the top lighting effects and graphics for a weekly wrestling show but maybe just for a big event like WrestleMania or something.
They got to bring back the fist I honestly like the smackdown live logo they should have kept that one but ditch the word live
Fun fact! Two 18 wheelers were used for the Smachdown fist 👊 alone! Thing was massive!
Damn! Didn’t know that.
Now...
I can't wait for NXT arena showcase!
My favorite WWF/E Smackdown arena is the first one that was used when it became a weekly TV series from 1999 to 2001 after the pilot episode with the same set as RAW IS WAR. The one with the oval shaped titantron on the left or sometimes right side of the stage. I also liked the Smackdown stage with the broken glass that WWE used from 2001 to 2008. When they changed everything to HD, the sets became generic and not fun to look at anymore and now it's even worse with all of those ridiculous LED lights all over the place, it's not just Smackdown, RAW was affected by this crap too.
The original ovaltron will always be my favorite
1999-2001 was the best smackdown stage
I miss the FOX Smackdown stage
I miss the first Smackdown stage.
Once the pandemic is over the Fox stage and the half pipe stage for Raw would return
I miss the world of wrestling pre 2008.
When WWE went "HD" and "PG" then they didn't became more creative for Each Brand.
I liked the 1999 and the 2006 Smackdown stages. For the next arena showcase let's do WWF Superstars and WCW Saturday Night
The Smackdown fist stage will always be the GOAT! So much fun so many memories and was the best one hands down!
The graphics from 2004-2006 are IMO the best Smackdown! broadcast graphics.
One of the BEST SmackDown! graphics of all time in WWE history period!
@@DarrylKeithFord2ndChannel Despite Smackdown! sucking 2004 and little bit in 2005, their broadcast graphics and intro was the best part of each show
@@smoothst9303 I know right?
@@DarrylKeithFord2ndChannel JBL's WWE Championship reign, Kurt Angle playing a pervert to Sharmell, Dominik storyline, Undertaker being mistreated, Dawn Marie having a affair with Charlie Haas etc.
The 👊 logo and the old 1999 SD logos was my favorite all time
I barely remember Rich Brennan, and I definitely don't remember him being a Smackdown announcer
1:10 Big Show's 1999 Entrance Video.
7:45 One thing I always liked about the 2010-2015 graphics package for SmackDown was that the name badges kept the same look but were personalized to match the aesthetics for certain wrestlers (i.e. Kane's nameplate had a red/orange hue and was on fire, and all the Divas got a pink version).
WWF/E SmackDown! '99 - '08 will always be the goat 🔥 🔥 🔥 .
Yes I’ve been waiting a long time for this hey are u ever going to do any more cheap game reviews by any chance as well as any more spotlight video game reviews for 2021 and another Q&A for 2021 by any chance because u know the new year is coming up and I wanted to hear if there are any video plans for 2021 do u have any ideas by any chance
I have a very large collection of cheap/budget titles, it’s always been a fascination of mine so it’s quite possible to see more vids. There are plenty of Spotlight reviews in the works as well.
2003 with the “very dangerous looking design” was definitely my favorite
2019 stage is sorely missed, it was the best one we've had in years.
I miss the Rings😭
I remember the smackdown fist great times for especially in shut your mouth game it was climbable!! Great arena showcase man.
Thanks!
Vince McMahon slowly became obsessed with leds
The beautiful people still gets me hype!!!
Hit of nostalgia right here
Rich brennan on commentary? I remember booker and king but Where was I at during that time 😬
Nice video but you missed the extra side tron used breifly in 2006.
I mentioned the one on the side, was there an additional one?
@@NikateeN Thanks for the pin yes you did mentioned the side tron brought in 2002 & used till 2007. In the summer of 2006 there was another square shaped side tron used near to the right tita tron. It was a blink & a miss as it was used for just few weaks. You will find that in June & July 2006 episodes of smackdown. Also English is not my first language so apologies if I am hard to understand.
I loved old Smack Down the blue showcase arena.
Thats memorable
The oval set was sexy AF. I'm glad they included in WWE Wrestlemania x8 as an unlocked with other 2001 sets us Nintendo people missed out on after AKI and THQ split.
Great video thank you for this !
2006 they also had a small tron above the set on the right hand side if you type in wwe smackdown set 2006 its the second image...it only last a couple months
@NikateeN can you do a HEAT 1998-2008 arena showcase?
April 29, 1999 I turned 6 that day.
The Fist design was best. Partly biased because I watched WWE in that era, but it was so distinctive and better than the RAW arena (with the parallelogram titantron etc at the time). I also think it had a gritty feel, in a good way.
Btw, I know it's in the pics, but one of the things you forgot to mention is that the Fist arena used to have a ramp in 2002. By 2003 (I believe) that was gone and they had a flat entrance.
I love this video. Thank you
Thanks!
The 2003-2008 smackdown had the best arena but should of had the turnbuckles silver color too. The refree’s shirts should of been blue & silver instead of blue & black.
The Oval Stage and The Fist are my favorite! The Fist is #1 for me!
What point in 2003/2004 did they ditch the ramp coming from the stage towards the ring. I assume it was for Eddie Guerrero to drive he's lowrider to the ring and they happened to ditch it at the same time?
It was probably for Eddie, as well as JBL. It was also a cost cutting measure but I’m not quite sure the time frame on that one.
Imagine being one of the many technicians to set up all of the lights and screens for the fans
I forget how little of Smackdown I actually saw. I was 16 when it debuted, and i stopped wat hing WWE in 2002 or 2003. So I really only remember the first 2 unique designs up to the fist.
You forgot Smackdown Xtreme!! Which was the same as the first Smackdown oval set, but the logo had a red X on it
I just realised in the early aprons of the HD Era like ECW, there are some space left over black from the left and right sides of each apron, then later they made the design fill the entire apron
Everybody On The Ground! Was My Favorite Theme Plus The Beautiful People My Second Favorite And Born To Run, Third!
Can you do one with WCW ppv pyro or the best WCW pyro
I’m lucky enough to have memories of watching smackdown with the fist stage even though I was like 6 when they went hd lol
Just one problem for me: at some point during the run for the Fist stage, the stage and ramp themselves were downgraded to cut costs (putting the stage closer to the ground). Not entirely sure when this change happened.
early to mid 2003
Yeah it was introduced sometime in 2003 and my guess it was most likely due to certain superstars who had vehicles during their entrances. (such as Eddie Guerrero & JBL just to name a few)
May of 2003
I was addicted to that oval structure as a kid. Heck even today I still am. That was the best simple structure they had.
2003 was my favorite year of smackdown
Mine too
How about the raw or smackdown episode they mixed both sets? It was half fist one and the raw titan tron
The original Stage was my fav
The fist is my favorite. Loved the green first for Velocity, too. I used to loooove Velocity. They're starting to put some episode of it up on Velocity now. The SD special/Raw set was used for HeAt at one point, too.
They're finally going Old School this Friday for Friday Night Smackdown which set should they bring back? The Ovaltron or the 👊.