WWE Brings King of the Hill to Life With Branded Ring During August 15 SmackDown

WWE didn’t waste any time making its partnership with King of the Hill official. Just days after the news broke, the animated series took over Friday Night SmackDown on August 15 in Boston — and it was impossible to miss.

The ring featured a custom wrestling mat with the King of the Hill logo prominently displayed in the center. LED boards surrounding the arena and ring posts were decked out with digital signage for the Hulu revival, giving fans a full-blown animated Texas takeover during WWE’s live broadcast.

This partnership is part of a fast-moving Disney campaign to reintroduce King of the Hill on Hulu. WWE Superstars Sheamus and Johnny Gargano are also joining the fun by recreating classic scenes from the show in parody-style videos to be shared across WWE and personal social media accounts.

Variety first reported the crossover last week, confirming that WWE would be one of several major partners in this rollout. Shannon Ryan, president of Marketing at Disney Entertainment Television, shared why they chose WWE as part of this campaign.

“It’s been 28 years since ‘King of the Hill’ premiered, so our team set out to build a bespoke campaign celebrating the show’s legacy and targeting viewers of the original series, while also making it feel fresh and modern for a whole new generation of fans.”

Ryan also made it clear that this isn’t a one-off move.

“Our goal was to create a cultural moment as iconic as Hank Hill himself — with every touchpoint thoughtfully crafted to reflect the DNA of this beloved series. We wanted to go as big as Texas, so we focused on clever executions and bold partnerships that we felt would resonate and connect with fans of all ages.”

The new season of King of the Hill is now streaming on Hulu, and if Friday night was any indication, WWE was the right stage to kick things off with impact.

The show’s branding plastered across the ring may have raised some eyebrows, but WWE has never shied away from leaning into pop culture — and this time, they did it Texas-style.

What did you think of the King of the Hill branding on SmackDown? Does this kind of crossover work for WWE fans, or is it just corporate noise? Drop your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.