By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE issued the following press release on Monday.
STAMFORD, Conn., November 13, 2023 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that the 21st annual Tribute to the Troops will air Friday, December 8 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. The event will take place in Providence, R.I. at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.com.
Since its inception in 2003, WWE’s Tribute to the Troops has honored our U.S. service members, veterans and their families for their continued sacrifice and commitment to our country, and is widely considered one of television’s most patriotic and heartwarming shows of the year.
WWE has a multi-decade commitment to the U.S. Armed Forces, which includes visiting nearly 400 military installations throughout the world, offering all U.S. military personnel free tickets to WWE live events, and has partnered with military organizations, such as Hire Heroes USA. WWE currently supports the USO and tells stories of heroism and valor of our nation’s bravest through the company’s partnership with National Medal of Honor Museum to make an impact in the community.
Powell’s POV: They list Tribute to the Troops for the Smackdown time slot. I suspect they are going with a Tribute to the Troops themed edition of Smackdown rather than bumping the first hour of Smackdown for an actual Tribute to the Troops special.
I normally wish the WWE would stick to it’s own draft rules about talent not appearing on the other shows, but Tribute to the Troops is one of a very few times that cross promotion can and should occur.