Smackdown!

Kansas City, Missouri
August 26, 1999

The debut episode of SmackDown! kicked off with a bang as new World Wrestling Federation Champion Triple H came down to ringside to talk about his title win. As The Rock watched from backstage, Triple H ran down Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind and the rest of the Federation's superstars. This proved too much for the People's Champ, causing The Rock to make his way into the arena in order to confront the Greenwich native. A verbal sparring match ensued, only to be broken up by Commissioner Shawn Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid decreed that a title match would occur between the two superstars later in the evening, with HBK serving as the special guest referee! Never one to be left out, Shane McMahon appeared, only to be told that he would be facing Mankind later in the show. A war broke out, with all of the aforementioned superstars taking part!

Before SmackDown! went to break, Jeff Jarrett, Miss Kitty and Debra were seen entering the arena. Mr. Ass was then spotted walking in the backstage area, preparing for his match against the Tennessee native.

As one would expect, the contest between these two superstars was brutal, even though it was a non-title affair. The tide turned back and forth, until Miss Kitty tried to put Jarrett's guitar into play. The six-stringed weapon was intercepted by Chyna, and immediately used on Debra. This momentary distraction allowed Gunn to take the win from Jarrett. Gunn's victory was short lived, as the Ninth Wonder of the World laid him out with a low blow, in retaliation for his actions regarding her Intercontinental title quest on Raw.

Backstage, Al Snow made a heartfelt plea to the Big Boss Man to return his dog Pepper.

Jerichomania was running wild, as Howard Finkel continued his idolatry of Chris Jericho, as the Federation mainstay was spotted cleaning the boots of Y2J backstage.

Test was then spotted pacing frantically backstage, awaiting Stephanie McMahon's response to his marriage proposal.

Next up was a triple-threat match for the Federation Tag-Team Championship between Kane & X-Pac, Big Show & The Undertaker and The Acolytes. The Lord of Darkness opted to use this match as a display of "hard love" for his charge, providing color commentary rather than stepping between the ropes to take part in the war. The Undertaker admonished The Show over and over again, a winning tactic, as the gargantuan superstar managed to pin X-Pac after a monstrous chokeslam.

Stephanie McMahon then arrived at the arena, grinning from ear to ear.

The Big Boss Man then made his presence felt, entering the ring to call out Al Snow. The Cobb County native made it clear that he had no qualms about sending Pepper "straight to hell," offering to trade the diminutive canine for a shot at Snow's Hardcore Championship. Snow accepted, setting up an ensuing match between the two.

Snow was at a definite disadvantage in the contest, as his mind (such as it is) was focused on Pepper's well being. The Lima native did his best to get into the swing of things, employing an impressive array of weapons against the former corrections officer. Unfortunately, Snow couldn't overcome the outside distraction, falling prey to the Boss Man's nightstick, with the challenger taking the Hardcore gold for himself. By the time Snow managed to make it backstage, the Boss Man and Pepper were long gone.

X-Pac was then seen leaving the arena, with a confused and dejected Kane following behind him.

Chris Jericho, pledging to "save" SmackDown! was up next, competing for the very first time in a Federation ring. His opponent was none other than the D-O-Double G himself, The Road Dogg, a formidable opponent to be sure. The Road Dogg took control as the match wore on, but his momentum was stopped cold by the timely intervention of Howard Finkel, who sprayed a carbonated beverage into the eyes of the DX member. This allowed Jericho the time to bring a table into the ring, with the Dogg soon finding himself powerbombed through it. Jericho was DQ'ed for the assault, but the Winnepegian didn't care, placing the Dogg into a modified crab submission hold.

Backstage, Jericho continued to pump up Howard Finkel, encouraging him to prove himself as a warrior. The Fink then rushed the ring, shaking the ropes like a madman. The Fink then threw ring announcer Tony Chimel to the mat, leading to a battle between the two golden throats! Eventually The Fink was driven out of the ring, causing Jericho to come to ringside to collect his disciple.

Next up was Ken Shamrock, who took special care to bump into Jericho as he headed to the ring. This caused Jericho to send The Fink after The World's Most Dangerous Man, distracting Shamrock long enough to fall prey to a Y2J chairshot. Jericho and charge then ran to the back, followed close behind by the UFC veteran.

Stephanie McMahon then made her presence felt, coming down to ringside. Test again proposed to the Federation co-owner once again, an offer that was gleefully accepted. This brought out Shane McMahon and his Mean Street Posse who attacked Test. The beating continued until Mankind ran into the ring to make the save.

After driving off the Posse, Mankind declared that the match between he and Shane was to take place then and there. The Hardcore legend told McMahon that he would be allowed one free shot with the chair, a shot that was shrugged off by the former Federation Champion. The match then began with Shane taking an incredible amount of punishment from Mankind. As would be expected, the Posse tried to interfere, but they were thwarted by Test, who was still at ringside. Mr. Socko then made an appearance, but before Mankind got the win, HHH and Chyna interfered in the proceedings, giving the win to Shane-O-Mac.

Chris Jericho and The Fink tried to make a quick getaway, but Y2J pulled away from the arena before Finkel was able to get into Jericho's car. Ken Shamrock then confronted The Fink, but backed off after the ring announcer seemingly soiled himself.

Tori was then shown getting ready for her evening gown match against Ivory, but rather than getting dressed for the contest, she chose to strip down to her skivvies!

A quick update was given on the condition of Stone Cold Steve Austin, with the Texas Rattlesnake suffering from a torn ligament in his knee. The condition was aggravated by Triple H's brutal attacks at SummerSlam, and Austin swore that he would "kick his ass, and take his belt away from him."

The Evening Gown match was then set to begin, but Federation officials forced Tori to put on some measure of clothing before stepping into the ring. The match then began, with Tori quickly stripping Ivory down to her bra and panties. Tori continued to attack her opponent after the match until Luna ran into the ring to end the assault.

Backstage, Triple H made it clear that he expected Shawn Michaels to be fair in his officiating, or else the Champion would make sure that HBK never walked again.

Al Snow's search for Pepper vainly continued into the night, as it was clear that the Boss Man had left the arena.

The main event of the evening then began between The Rock and Triple H. As was announced at the top of the broadcast, Shawn Michaels served as the special guest referee, a development that played heavily into the outcome of the match. The war between the two superstars was nothing short of epic, with The Rock eventually taking the advantage, hitting the Champion with the Rock Bottom. However, before The People's Champ could hit his coup de gras, the People's Elbow, Michaels hit him with Sweet Chin Music, allowing Triple H to retain his gold. As SmackDown! went off the air, Triple H, Michaels, Chyna and Shane McMahon celebrated their union on the rampway!