For the better part of a decade, WWE has put on special shows as a thank you to the military serving and have served whether at home or at abroad. Originally called Christmas from Baghdad, the show has been since renamed Tribute to the Troops. Airing around Christmas every year since 2003 (the first one aired 11 years ago today), the special event has produced more than a few memorable moments.
From 2003, any time you hear the glass, it's somebody's ass no matter what part of the world regardless of where the WWE is.
I know the band Creed gets a lot of bad rap (and deservedly so), but some of the best WWE promo videos were from the early 2000s set usually to Creed music. Here's one from 2004's Christmas from Baghdad special set to "Higher" by Creed.
One of the most intense rivalries of the 2000s were frenemies Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Here's another chapter from the 2005 Tribute to the Troops special. If you have WWE Network, you can see the whole thing here.
Another intense beef from last decade was John Cena vs. Edge. Here's their battle from the 2006 Tribute to the Troops. And the whole episode if ya wanna watch it, courtesy of WWE Network.
When WWE's Biggest Little Man takes on the World's Strongest Man, somebody gonna get their ass kicked. Somebody gonna get their wig split.
In 2008, Tribute to the Troops began airing on both USA as a two-hour special, and on NBC with a one-hour edited down for time version. Here from that show in its entirety is the six-man tag team main event.
2009's Tribute to the Troops has an interesting bit of trivia: the WWE Championship changed hands by the time the show aired. This video does not have that match, but it does have a video tribute to the WWE's visit to those stationed at the Joint Base in Balad, Iraq.
2010's edition was from right within American borders, this time from Fort Hood, one of the largest Army bases in the country. Over 50,000 were in attendance for the event. Above is the one-hour version of the special, featuring John Cena, Randy Orton, and Rey Mysterio taking on The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, and Wade Barrett.
2011's edition of the event was the first one taped indoors, this time from Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina, near Fort Bragg. The show was attended by the military stationed there and their families. Here's the two hour version of the event as aired on USA.
2012 was the tenth edition of Tribute to the Troops, so appropriately, WWE's Youtube channel released a tenth anniversary video on the day of the broadcast.
The 2013 Tribute to the Troops event made headlines with host Michelle Beadle getting into a confrontation with then-WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee behind the scenes. My guess: this was probably AJ's punishment: losing a battle royal to a Total Diva. A battle royal that made neither the USA nor NBC versions of the show. Watch at your own risk, I suppose.
And here's this year's show. Watch it while you can. Or you can read the results. And the live blog. Your call.