In 2003, WWE became the first entertainment group to visit Ground Zero, two years after the initial 9/11 attacks. That visit, where JBL wanted to expand his philanthropic/patriotic duties, prompted Tribute for the Troops to launch.
"Right after 9/11...WWE was the first group to go down to Ground Zero...I was watching this stuff on the news, and I thought, 'Man, I just want to go help,'" JBL recalled. "So I called the WWE office in Stanford, and I said, 'Hey, can I go down to Ground Zero? All I want to do is help.' Vince and WWE, like everybody else in New York, was helping any way they could...Vince got word that I wanted to go to Ground Zero, and he said if you're going, the whole company is going with you. So, we planned the whole company trip off of that."
Despite the warm reception, it brought many active service members and viewers at home, the Tribute to the Troops programming has officially been canceled. According to veteran pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, WWE is gearing up for its debut on Netflix with its longest-reigning flagship show, "Raw," heading to the platform on January 6. Meanwhile, with McMahon out of the picture and the company now being owned by Endeavor as part of TKO Group Holdings, it's safe to say that creative visions have changed since this event last aired on a special edition of "WWE SmackDown" on December 23, 2023.
