Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson used the word in the late 90s during the Attitude Era while cutting some of his most explosive promos against his rivals.
More specifically, The Great One warned his opponents that he will ‘layeth the Smackdown’ on them before a big encounter.
Johnson took to Twitter recently and described how he told McMahon that he will use that unknown term for the first time in WWE TV.
The wrestling supremo didn’t know the meaning of the word and so The People’s Champion explained it means “I’m gonna whup some a**”.
The Chairman loved the idea as he laughed his socks off without knowing what kind of impact that word would ultimately have in his company.
The Rock tweeted: “Huge #SD1000 congrats to my @WWE family!
“Fun fact, in 1998, I said to @VinceMcMahon “I’m gonna use the word ‘Smackdown’ tonight in my promo”. He said what’s that mean? I said it means I’m gonna whup some a**. He belly laughed and said say it!
“The rest was history! #IfYaSmell.”
The catch phrase was so successful that it inspired WWE to create a second brand and named it after it in 1999.
The Rock became the flagship of that show and helped build the career of many talented superstars as he shared the ring with the likes of Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero and Edge.
Smackdown recently celebrated its whopping 1,000th episode last Tuesday in a night that saw the return of The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Batista and many more legends.
The Brahma Bull didn’t attend the show but congratulated the brand that holds deep meaning in his heart via Twitter.
The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment stopped wrestling on a full-time basis since 2002 as he went on to become a household name in Hollywood.
The 46-year-old has featured in various blockbuster movies, such as the Fast & Furious franchise, and worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, like John Travolta, Jason Statham and Christopher Walken.
Many, however, believe he will come back for a big match soon and that is why he is the favourite to win the Men’s Royal Rumble Match on January 27 at the Chase Field in Pheonix, according to SkyBet.