Since 1999, SmackDown has been a staple of WWE programming and has acted at times as an alternative to Raw. Although the company has never treated the show as an equal to Raw, the long list of memorable moments it has produced would argue otherwise.

Additionally, SmackDown has helped carve out the careers of several Superstars and even in recent years has given fans a reason to remain tuned in to the weekly programming. Raw may be WWE's flagship show, but the different feel SmackDown provides has always been a breath of fresh air.

Tuesday night, the blue brand is set to celebrate 1,000 episodes, and WWE will be going all-out for the occasion by bringing back names from the past. Stars such as The Undertaker, Edge, Batista and Rey Mysterio, who each played a part in making SmackDown what it is, will be in attendance for the event.

Before the milestone show, it's only appropriate we look back at the many moments that have defined SmackDown in its two-decade-long run. The blue brand will continue to raise the bar and produce memories for fans that will last a lifetime, but it will be tough for these seven moments to be topped.

Honorable Mentions

AJ Styles defeats Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship (Nov. 7, 2017): Mahal's lengthy reign as WWE champion was a dark period for the blue brand that Styles ended on an episode of SmackDown over in England. Not only did no one see the title change coming, it kicked off what has been a historic championship run from The Phenomenal One.

Edge cashes in Money in the Bank on The Undertaker (May 11, 2007): It would be difficult to not put Edge on the Mount Rushmore of SmackDown, if only for the stint he had on the show from 2007 through 2011. It all started with him surprising The Undertaker with a Money in the Bank cash-in and beating him for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle go the distance (Sept. 18, 2003): The ruthless rivalry between Lesnar and Angle dominated the better part of 2003 on the SmackDown side, and thus it was only fitting that it came to a head in an Iron Man match. The 60-minute classic culminated with Lesnar regaining the gold.

Rhyno spears Chris Jericho through the set (Aug. 9, 2001): While the Invasion is better off forgotten for many reasons, this moment in particular with Rhyno spearing Jericho through the signature SmackDown set is not one of them. Fans still remember that amazing visual to this day.

Arnold Schwarzenegger takes down Triple H (Nov. 11, 1999): SmackDown has hosted a slew of celebrities over the past 19 years, but perhaps none have been more memorable than Schwarzenegger, whose iconic shove to Triple H set the tone for what we would see on the show in the years that followed.

7. Daniel Bryan Announces He's Medically Cleared to Compete (March 20, 2018)

It should come as no surprise that Daniel Bryan has always regarded himself as a SmackDown guy. The run he had on the show from 2011 to 2012, along with the many great matches he contested on the blue brand from 2013 to 2015, would back that claim up.

Even after retiring from the ring in 2016, Bryan took the reins of SmackDown as its general manager. He was determined to make the show what he had always envisioned it being by going head-to-head with Raw every week, and on most occasions, he and his roster delivered the better product.

It wasn't until earlier this year that fans heard the news that they never thought would become a reality (in WWE, at least): Bryan had been cleared to compete again. The announcement was first made on WWE.com that afternoon, mind you, but Bryan's promo to the fans as they showered him with non-stop chants and cheers was emotional and moving.

His speech about never giving up on his dreams was the perfect follow-up to his farewell to the WWE Universe when he was forced to retire. It can be argued that WWE hasn't quite captured that same buzz with Bryan since, but this all-time great SmackDown moment was the definition of a dream come true.

6. Stone Cold Steve Austin Destroys the DX Express (April 27, 2000)

Needless to say, the Attitude Era was a wild time in WWE when virtually anything could happen. The unpredictability and excitement made the television shows must-see, including SmackDown in its early years.

Stone Cold Steve Austin spent nearly a year on the sidelines from 1999 to 2000, which was a big blow to WWE despite their stacked roster at the time. However, The Texas Rattlesnake still appeared on programming on occasion, especially when it mattered most.

In the weeks that followed WrestleMania 2000, Triple H and The Rock were embroiled in a heated feud over the WWE Championship. They were set to clash for the title one-on-one at Backlash in late April, but first, Rock had to overcome the obstacle that was the McMahon-Helmsley Faction.

Austin and Rock had been rivals on and off for years by this point, but that didn't stop Austin from joining forces with The Great One before Backlash and ensuring the odds were evened against the heel stable. In doing so, Austin targeted their coveted DX Express and blew it up outside on an episode of SmackDown while Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Mr. McMahon looked on from the ring.

Perhaps Austin and Rock playing mind games with the McMahon-Helmsley Faction and his cronies helped them gain the advantage over their adversaries and take the title from Triple H that Sunday.

5. Shawn Michaels Saves Triple H (Aug. 26, 1999)

It would be impossible to celebrate 1,000 episodes of SmackDown without remembering the first edition in 1999. The show is worth watching back for historical purposes, if only for the excellent main event for the WWE Championship between Triple H and The Rock.

It had already been a crazy week in WWE with Mankind winning the top title at SummerSlam on Sunday, Triple H beating him for the belt the next night on Raw, and The Rock vying for the gold on Thursday's SmackDown. The Game was determined to keep the title in his possession at all costs while still proving himself to be a championship-caliber competitor.

The interesting X-factor in this match was Shawn Michaels, who served as the special-guest referee. A year-and-a-half earlier, Michaels had been unceremoniously booted from D-Generation X by Triple H, so there was still that bad blood, and it was unknown how that would factor into the finish of this bout.

After playing it straight for most of the matchup, The Heartbreak Kid nailed Rock with the superkick heard around the world just as Rock was closing in on the championship. Michaels' sudden betrayal left the audience in awe, allowing Triple H to capitalize and retain his title.

One would think that Michaels vs. Rock would have stemmed from this, but that dream match never came to pass.

4. Stone Cold Steve Austin Brawls with Booker T in a Supermarket (Dec. 13, 2001)

It's worth noting that Stone Cold Steve Austin is hardly remembered for his time spent on SmackDown during the Attitude Era, yet he finds himself in two of the top moments on this list for a reason.

Shortly after The Invasion angle wrapped up, Booker T found himself mixing it up with all of WWE's top talent, including Austin. In fact, Booker was responsible for putting The Texas Rattlesnake on the shelf with an injury earlier on that year, so Austin was out for vengeance and aimed to make Booker's life as miserable as possible.

Speaking of vengeance, it was at that event in December 2001 that Booker cost Austin the Undisputed Championship against Chris Jericho. Unfortunately for Booker, Austin embarked on rampage to get even with him, and nowhere was safe.

That led to one of the most entertaining scenes in SmackDown history when Austin followed Booker into a supermarket and brawled with him all around the store. They surely made the most of their surroundings and turned something that should have been silly with anyone else into an all-time amazing moment.

Austin was among the most intimidating wrestlers on the roster back then, but when he did comedy, few were better at it than him.

3. John Cena Debuts Against Kurt Angle (June 27, 2002)

Many Superstars have gotten their start on SmackDown since the show's inception, but John Cena's 2002 debut could not have been better booked knowing what would become of him in the years that followed.

At that point, Kurt Angle was in a position on SmackDown where he was elevating younger talent such as Edge and Rey Mysterio. Cena looked to join that elite group as well when the then-unknown competitor answered Angle's open challenge on an episode of SmackDown.

Upon being asked by Angle what makes him so special, Cena responded by saying "ruthless aggression" before striking Angle across the face. The subsequent match they had against each other was well-wrestled, and even in defeat, Cena gained a ton from going toe-to-toe with the former WWE champion.

It can be tough at times for a debut to be done right, but WWE got it right with Cena from the get-go. Granted, it took a while for him to find his footing and come into his own as a singles star, but he was off to the races once he took Angle to his limit and proved he could hang with the best of them.

Cena then played an important role in helping SmackDown establish an identity for itself over the next three years.

2. WWE's 9/11 Tribute (Sept. 13, 2001)

WWE's heartfelt tribute to the victims of the September 11, 2001, tragedy two days removed from it on SmackDown cannot be talked about enough. Unlike the aforementioned moments on this list, it may not have been storyline-related, but it still ranks high as one of the classiest things the company has ever done.

It would have been easy for WWE to cancel their taping that day and wait until the next week to deliver a show for its fans. Instead, Vince McMahon felt it was necessary to give the world a bit of a break from everything that was going on at the time by delivering some old-fashioned sports entertainment.

This was no ordinary episode of SmackDown, however. The night kicked off with McMahon addressing the audience in attendance as all the Superstars stood on the stage to honor those affected by the events of that Tuesday.

WWE is often criticized for getting certain storylines wrong and failing to follow up on angles properly, but shows such as this one serve as prime examples that they are indeed doing what they do for the fans. Wrestling, after all, should act as the ultimate escape from reality, and this edition of SmackDown succeeded in doing just that.

1. Brock Lesnar and Big Show Break the Ring (June 12, 2003)

Throughout 2003, Brock Lesnar was the centerpiece of SmackDown and shined in every high-profile match he was a part of. After knocking off Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 19, he shifted his sights toward Big Show, who was the toughest opponent Lesnar had faced up to that point in his career.

Lesnar had already lost once before to Big Show at Survivor Series 2002, and the latest incarnation of their rivalry in the spring of 2003 featured even more unforgettable moments.  They went to war over the title once again on the June 12 edition of SmackDown, though the match they had paled in comparison to what happened at the end with Lesnar delivering a monster superplex to Show that caused the ring to collapse.

Up to that point in WWE history, fans had seen nothing like it, leading some to question whether it was real or not. Of course, it was evident almost immediately that it was staged, but the fact fans thought otherwise means WWE succeeded in what they set out to do by creating an organically awesome moment.

WWE has since repeated the spot two other times with Big Show in 2011 and 2017, respectively. That just goes to show how influential this was in the history of SmackDown, and also how WWE desperately craves that same buzz that stemmed from this awe-inspiring stunt.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.