WWE Tribute to the Troops

WWE Tribute to the Troops
Created byVince McMahon
John Layfield
StarringSmackDown roster
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes20
Production
Running time120 minutes
Original release
NetworkUPN
ReleaseDecember 25, 2003 (2003-12-25) 
December 23, 2004 (2004-12-23)
NetworkUSA Network
ReleaseDecember 19, 2005 (2005-12-19) 
December 20, 2018 (2018-12-20)
NetworkNBC
ReleaseDecember 20, 2008 (2008-12-20) 
December 27, 2014 (2014-12-27)
NetworkFox
ReleaseDecember 6, 2020 (2020-12-06) 
December 8, 2023 (2023-12-08)

WWE Tribute to the Troops is a former annual American professional wrestling event that was held and produced by WWE and Armed Forces Entertainment. The show aired as a television special during the month of December (specifically during the holiday season), with the exception of the 2019 event, which was a special non-televised show, and the 2021 event, which aired in mid-November. As its name implied, the show honored and entertained United States Armed Forces members. From 2020 to 2023, the event aired on Fox and featured wrestlers primarily from the SmackDown brand. The 2023 event would be the final show as it was quietly canceled in 2024.

From 2003 to 2007, Tribute to the Troops aired as pre-taped episodes of SmackDown! and Raw, before being established as a standalone special in 2008. The 2023 edition, which was the final broadcast, was held as a live special edition of SmackDown. In the early years of the event, WWE put on shows for troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, with performers and employees traveling to these countries and interacting with troops, as well as visiting military camps, bases, and hospitals. Beginning in 2010, the show took place in the US, with events typically promoted at and near domestic military bases, as well as visiting sites such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital. The 2021 event was the first not to be held at or near a military base, and the only to not air in December.