The tradition of WWE’s Tribute To The Troops event seems to be disappearing as the company decided not to tape their yearly program this year.
Established in 2003, this marks the first time that a Tribute To The Troops has not been filmed for the special telecast.
Wrestling aficionado, Dave Meltzer, expressed his concerns about the show’s future while speaking on “Wrestling Observer Radio.” With a change of stewardship this year in the company, Meltzer is left wondering.
“The tradition has ended. Ever since the year began wrapping up, there were whispers questioning when the recording would take place. But it simply never happened. Their schedule had too many competing priorities. I’m not certain if it’s stopped for good, but this year is a first for not producing the event,” Meltzer explained.
“In 2019, they didn’t develop a full TV show, yet they still organized events and captured some footage. However, 2023 witnessed nothing. It’s all Vince McMahon’s conception, but as he’s not heading the company anymore, we are left in the dark. It’s not something they’re going to openly announce that they are discontinuing, but silently, the tradition faded this year.”
WWE began hosting Tribute To The Troops events on military bases in 2003, a tradition that continued until 2009. Following this, from 2010, the shows were held domestically in the U.S. Through these events, WWE showed its support and appreciation for the troops and cheered them up with entertaining wrestling matches.
As of December 8, 2023, a special issue of SmackDown was themed with a Tribute To The Troops.
The WWE Hall of Famer, John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield is regarded as the brain behind the event, which he pitched to Vince McMahon in 2003. He conceived the idea of hosting a special tribute event to honor the troops, which has been a heartwarming tradition until now.