Smackdown! issues...

[PullMyFinger]

Ok, I know this has been done numerous times..but I'm gonna add in my two cents into this..and you can all tell me if I'm an idiot or I have a good point...

I think the biggest problem with Smackdown! is its design. Raw looks good on TV, but Smackdown! is just terribly produced. Blue and gray/silver doesn't look too appealing at all. The whole show looks dead compared to Raw.

If they revamp the settings on that show and potentially go live...that'll probably fix up most of the problems with it. Then of course, there's the lack of talent..but I believe that the lack of production leads to wrestlers not giving a damn (kinda like what Batista said).

[Aussie Skier]

OK, several things.

1stly, me personally, i like the Smackdown set. I love the fist and the pyros that come out of it, and I like how its looks totally different to Raw. If anything, I prefer to Smackdown set more than the Raw set, because the Raw set looks too generic.

In regards to going live, this is purely a logisitcal problem. Generally Raw and Smackdown are recorded near each other, one night after the other because I THINK the ring crews for Raw and Smackdown are the same. If they recorded it on thursday, then the ring crew would set up on monday, pull down the set Tuesday, go home wednesday, then go BACK again on Thursday.
Also, the way the Raw roster works is:

Raw: 2 house shows between Friday and Sunday, and the raw taping on monday
Smackdown: 2 house shows between Saturday and Monday, and SD! taping Tuesday.

Therefore, the workers on both brands work similar days. If they recorded smackdown on Thursday, then raw would work the normal days, and Smackdown would work Monday to THursday.

I think these are the major problems when they record live.


With regards to lack of talent on Smackdown, Smackdown's main-eventers and upper-midcarders are potentially just as big as the Raw guys. The problem stems from the midcarders, guys like Nunzio, Kenzo Suzuki, bashams and some of the cruiserweights, who are just not as over as the raw guys.

In saying that however, I'd still say that Kenzo Suzuki is in a far better position in Smackdown than Simon Dean is on Raw - both the number 1 challengers for the # 2 belts on their shows

[John la Rock]

When you have Heidenreich placed in a main-event program you know you have problems

[Aussie Skier]

as opposed to having Lita in the main event?


I personally like her alot, but alot of ppl don't

[John la Rock]

Lita? when the hell did Lita ever main-event anything in the WWE?

[Aussie Skier]

Lita? when the hell did Lita ever main-event anything in the WWE?

when she won the women's title on raw

[John la Rock]

ah that doesn't really count though. It's not like she was the focal point of the show or anything like that. It was only the main-event because of the title change

[Aussie Skier]

Lita? when the hell did Lita ever main-event anything in the WWE?

when she won the women's title on raw

[PullMyFinger]

I also gotta admit that Rey Mysterio was cooler in the WCW than in the WWE for some reason.

[Aussie Skier]

I also gotta admit that Rey Mysterio was cooler in the WCW than in the WWE for some reason.

i loved his WCW music

[Londoner]

Er, when did heidenreich main event anything on smackdown? Its been JBL/angle and Big Show feuding for the title lately...

[tucsonspeed6]

Er, when did heidenreich main event anything on smackdown? Its been JBL/angle and Big Show feuding for the title lately...

Anything against Taker might as well be a main event match. You can be sure it'll be hyped MORE than the title match, and it'll probably be a gimmick match too, while the title match would be a straight singles match.


I noticed something about Smackdown that I hadn't before.

1: They treat the audience like they're idiots. Somebody mentioned before that the WWE explains their plotlines too much, but last night I watched Smackdown, and prior to the commercial break they had an angle involving Kurt Angle being afraid that Undertaker would win the Number one contender's qualifying match that night. Later, during the Taker/Dupree match, Angle's buddies came to ringside, and Michael Cole says "Hey, look at the tournament brackets here. Maybe Kurt Angle would rather face Rene Dupree than Undertaker." No shit, Cole. We're not that stupid. WHen they showed the Tournament brackets earlier in the show, I pretty much knew that they were gonna have some angle involving Angle telling his goons to interfere in the match, what makes you think we were too stupid to figure that out AFTER the angle where Kurt pretty much spelled it out?

2: THe matches were boring. Throughout all of last night's show, we saw a no contest between Taker and Dupree, we saw a Squash match between Big Show and the Boring Brothers, Mysterio vs. Jindrak was hardly worth anybody's time, Angle squashed Nunzio, and I didn't even bother to stick around for the main event by that point. Frankly, the only thing that kept me watching was my curiosity as to who they were adding to the Hall of Fame.

[Corkscrewed]

I vouch for innovation in matches. Come up with new moves for crying out loud! Just one or two modifications per show. Or per two weeks.

Because yeah... it is all the same thing. Over and over again.

[addy2hotty]

I think that the only way I can see SD being saved is by a mini-interpromotional battle. Say at Judgement Day or something, have a 1 off PPV between the brands and SD comes off the winner. Lesnar could come back and win the day for them or something like that in a battle of the champions match between Cena and Batista.

[The CyNick]

I liked SD on Thursday, the match quality wasn't the best, but as a show I thought it flowed really well. And who the hell would have thought Taker owuld sell so much for Dupree. Okay he erased any good he did in the match at the end with the TOmbstone, but for a few minuts there he seemed like a team player.

Smackdown down should go live because its common knowledge that ratings will double or triple when you go live instead of being taped. This can be backed up by examples from RAW, SD THunder and Nitro. Yeah, some of these people who think they know stuff will dispute that and say there are more costs associated with going live, and the schedule would force an already stretched TV staff to have to give up any type of life outside of wrestling, but hey being live is "cool" dammit! Anyway, like I said, they should go live, that will solve everything!

BTW, evening up the rosters and ending the practise of making RAHHHW look superior might help, but I really htink it comes down to being live!

[PullMyFinger]

It does come down to not being a live show. On top of that, Raw is an entertainment show with so many great angles and stories. Smackdown! resembles something like WCW Saturday Night or 80s WWE. It's just a simple wrestling program, and doesn't have the edgy storyline, angles, characters, etc.

[PullMyFinger]

i loved his WCW music
yep! agreed.

[darkpower]

Anything against Taker might as well be a main event ...match. You can be sure it'll be hyped MORE than the title ...match, and it'll probably be a gimmick match too, while the title match would be a straight singles match.


I noticed something about Smackdown that I hadn't before.

1: They treat the audience like they're idiots. Somebody mentioned before that the WWE explains their plotlines too much, but last night I watched Smackdown, and prior to the commercial break they had an angle involving Kurt Angle being afraid that Undertaker would win the Number one contender's qualifying match that night. Later, during the Taker/Dupree match, Angle's buddies came to ringside, and Michael Cole says "Hey, look at the tournament brackets here. Maybe Kurt Angle would rather face Rene Dupree than Undertaker." No shit, Cole. We're not that stupid. WHen they showed the Tournament brackets earlier in the show, I pretty much knew that they were gonna have some angle involving Angle telling his goons to interfere in the match, what makes you think we were too stupid to figure that out AFTER the angle where Kurt pretty much spelled it out?

2: THe matches were boring. Throughout all of last night's show, we saw a no c...ontest between Taker and Dupree, we saw a Squash match between Big Show and the Boring Brothers, Mysterio vs. Jindrak was hardly worth anybody's time, Angle squashed Nunzio, and I didn't even bother to stick around for the main event by that point. Frankly, the only thing that kept me watching was my curiosity as to who they were adding to the Hall of Fame.
1: I think he was answering something that Tazz mentioned just before (they've been doing this alot lately, which is growing on me, it's actually quite funny hearing the two rip on each other), in which he had no idea why they were out there during the match. I'll take Cole/Tazz over the crap-infested annoyance that is a JR/King commentary anyday.

2: It's usually that way with a Taker match, although it's not the no-sell thing I was fearing when the gimmick was resurrected, I think the Show/Basham match was to sell the JBL match, trying to say that Big Show is on a roll or something and could make JBL's life hell, and I liked the Rey/Jindrak match (I've been impressed with Jindrak, and they are actually USING him more than they did with him when on RAW). And you missed a pretty good Eddie/Booker match because you didn't see it.