WWE to Honor Service Members Through ‘Tribute to the Troops’ Event
By Movieguide® Contributor
The WWE has announced details about their annual “Tribute to the Troops” event scheduled for Dec. 8.
“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,” the WWE stated.
WWE star Montez Ford added, “This is another way of WWE extending our thank you to the service members, men and women, to thank them for their service, their due diligence (and) their sacrifice.”
Ford served in the U.S. Marines before joining the WWE and shared how much the event meant to him as a service member.
“I actually went to one of the WWE ‘RAWs’ while I was still in the service because they were allowing service members to get a free comped ticket,” Ford told Fox News Digital. “It’s always exciting. It’s always a great time of the year. It’s right before the holidays so it’s always a perfect setting to do this tribute around this time.”
“It means everything, man. Without getting emotional, it’s just like the full circle of being in the shoes of a service member and also seeing the WWE extend their gratitude to myself. And now, being able to be on that platform to give back and to do the same thing the WWE did for me at the time. I think it’s the greatest privilege ever,” he added.
This year’s event will be different from previous ones.
Yahoo reported, “2023 will mark the first time a WWE Tribute to The Troops event will air live. It is also one of few times the event, now in its 21st year, has been open to the public. The event started as a private event on military bases. Some later ones were only open to veterans and active duty military.”
“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,” the company reported.
Movieguide® previously reported on the WWE:
The World Wrestling Exchange (WWE) will move to the USA Network, leaving Fox, its previous host.
Per a statement, the WWE and NBCUniversal have reached a five-year agreement “hat will bring Friday Night SmackDown back to USA Network beginning October 2024.”
The deal also stipulates that the WWE will produce four primetime specials for NBC to air, “marking the first time WWE will air on the network in primetime.”
“NBCUniversal has been a tremendous partner of WWE for decades. We are excited to extend this longstanding relationship by bringing SmackDown to USA Network on Friday nights and look forward to debuting multiple WWE special events annually on NBC,” WWE President Nick Khan said.
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