Ronda Rousey And Other WWE Stars Announced For Tribute To The Troops

WWE will present the 20th anniversary of "Tribute to the Troops" at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 17. This year's special, which was pre-taped on November 11 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, will air on FOX and will feature several top WWE superstars from the "SmackDown" brand. The poster includes "SmackDown" Women's Champion Ronda Rousey, Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER and Imperium, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Shayna Baszler, Braun Strowman, Ricochet, Emma, Tamina, and LA Knight.

"In what is considered WWE's most patriotic and heartwarming show of the year, the company began 'Tribute To The Troops' to honor our servicemen and women and their families and thank them for their continued sacrifice to our country," WWE noted in their press release. It was also revealed that the 2021 event drew over two million viewers on FOX, which made it the most-watched "Tribute to the Troops" since 2014. Last year's card featured Big E defeating Dolph Ziggler, Bianca Belair beating Liv Morgan, and Roman Reigns pinning Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event.

Out of the advertised names, Sheamus has had the most "Tribute to the Troops" appearances with six dating back to 2010. Rousey last appeared on the 2018 show when she successfully teamed with Natalya in a triple threat tag team match. As for Strowman, this will mark his first match at the event since 2015 when he was part of a 16-man tag team main event. This year will mark the first time Baszler and Knight have competed at the holiday special.