Smackdown on Friday nights

[The Naitch]

Could this mean death?

Discuss

[ilt_undertaker]

I'd probably watch it, I rarely go out on Fridays (before 11pm, atleast)

[Innovator]

yeah Smackdown is pretty much dead now

[Pepsi Man]

Nah, I doubt it.

[The Naitch]

seriously, I never stay home on a Friday and I don't think I wanna waste tape recording it.

But if they had some really good feuds/programs going (ie. Orton vs Cena) then I'd probably stay home and then go out after it's over. But in the summer, it's guaranteed to be tumbleweed city

[loopydate]

Hey, it'll be something good on TV on Friday nights.

[Pepsi Man]

Meh, personally, I have to tape most shows anyway, and I tape anything all the way down to Velocity/Heat. Hell, even TNA Impact.

[The One]

If Christian goes to SmackDown I will throw a taper in the VCR when I remember, but other then that SmackDown is already fucked as far as I am concerned.

[Bischoff187]

I'm thinking death since Smackdown even sucked on Thursdays.

[darkpower]

I'm thinking this would make some sense since UPN basically was dead in the water on Fridays and since WWE SD is their highest rated show on their network still, something tells me they have some sort of hidden strategy planned for it that could be good.

Look at what they might be able to do on a more "obscure" night:

- Get away with censoring less stuff. Like if that Angle...well, ANGLE with Booker T took place after the move happened, we might've actually heard the word SLUT uncensored, and the word ASS might be heard unchallenged, as well.
- More viewers. Thursday nights can be killer for whoever seems to want to try to take on that juggernaut CBS on Thursdays. Fridays could be a better chance to watch the show since the young viewers which they need and want might just be free for the pickings.
- THE thing we might all be hoping for...SmackDown...LIVE!! Think for a minute. It's probably because of the advanced censoring need from UPN and the fact that the WWE's tour scheduals can be whacked up at times that SmackDown gets taped on Tuesdays. If you move it to Fridays, that makes it fall right into a good time for the WWE in terms of tour dates (doesn't SmackDown have Weekend dates or something like that). Now, part of the reason why I think SD gets to be "mediocre" is because of the tapings...AND THE SPOILERS!! I never read spoilers, and the show is THAT much more interesting when I don't know what happened, thus, another reason to watch. Take the ability to have the spoilers away, and be able to do more on network TV because it's on a more "obscure" day of the week, and who knows what may happen.

Is it death? I don't think so, since UPN would be dumb to remove what has been one of their "vehicles" for their other shows. It's still one of, if not THE, highest rated show ON UPN, and thus, I don't think it's going anywhere anytime soon.

[Pepsi Man]

Dude, you want to know why SmackDown! is taped? I have two words for you.

Production costs.

[darkpower]

Dude, you want to know why SmackDown! is taped? I have two words for you.

Production costs.
If that were true...then RAW would still be taped every other week like they used to do in addition to the SD shows being taped.

[Extreme Angle]

what? is that why they have no spoilers on any sites?
And I think smackdown! is better that RAW because RAW is just HHH and the championship belt its always the same person. And smackdown always changes.

[Kane Knight]

Dude, you want to know why SmackDown! is taped? I have two words for you.

Production costs.
Not really. It's simply easier to tape one show on Tuesday after doing the show on monday.

[The Lone Drinker]

I'd probably watch it, I rarely go out on Fridays because I am a fat loser

FIXED*.

[Pepsi Man]

If that were true...then RAW would still be taped every other week like they used to do in addition to the SD shows being taped.
Yup, because you're Vince McMahon and the WWE board, and you make their decisions for them.

[Gone Mad]

Looks like I have to tape SD! since I am so cool I go out on Friday nights. :shifty: So say bye to Smackdown, Friday and Saturday nights on TV only mean death.

[Jorgha]

Friday night at 8:00 is UPN's kiss of death slot.
It's where they put the show they don't care about.
I think it really sucks that they are moving Smackdown there. I mean, after the draft, it could get interesting again...

I know that RAW is being moved back to USA, anyone know where Smackdown is getting moved to next year?

[darkpower]

Yup, because you're Vince McMahon and the WWE board, and you make their decisions for them.
You don't remember when they had one RAW live and then the next day taped the next week's RAW? When did you start watching it?

Oh, and I would WANT to be Vinnie Mac and the WWE board, because things would be ten times better, and I would fire Triple H immediatly.

[Fenix122]

and I would fire Triple H immediatly.

I wouldn't. I'd send him to Velocity and have him job to Shannon Moore.

[RawRocks]

The main reason Smack Down struggles so much is because it is taped and technology can get away with brining in the spoilers. Not to mention, its UPN we are talking about here. UPN has struggled ever since they lost a bid to bring the Sunday Night NFL package to the network in the mid-1990's. The reason Fox Television has been so successful was because they took the risk on the major sports packages and it started with the NFL then the NHL before its sharp decline. UPN has not figured that out yet. If they can get a major sports contract, then the network will begin to prosper. Cancelling Star Trek won't help them either, with Star Trek being their second highest rated program behind Smackdown.

Let's spin back in time when Turner owned WCW... There were several times out of a year where the WWE would pre-record Raw. Turner then got smart.. a few minutes before Raw would go on air with the pre-recorded program, Bischoff of all people would go on to TNT amd announce what exactly would transpire. That was before the major wrestling sites and the internet really took off. This really struck a blow into the WWE's flagship and competition.

Smackdown is in the exact same boat as a pre-recorded Raw was in the peak of the WCW Monday Nitro years. It's not quality and the storylines that is killing Smackdown making its seem like a second rate minor league show. It is the fact that spoilers can and will get out there because it is taped.

Furthermore, you can blame the accidental wardrobe issue with the Super Bowl, UPN is an over-the air free television network. The FCC is cracking down on broadcast networks that are considered as free-over the air networks (ie. ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS, The WB, UPN). The cable systems have more leeway here.

With the way the FCC is cracking down on things and the type of product that wrestling produces, it is really and truly a tough sell to keep shows like Smackdown on free television.

Smackdown in my opinion is a little better as a whole but they are limited with what they can put on the air because of the way free television networks are watch dogged over now. Furthermore, any curious idiot, who knows where to look on the internet, would look at the spoilers and easily decide whether they like what transpired and whether it is worth watching.

Moving it to Friday nights certainly doesnt help Smackdown because of two distinct reasons. High school football and its a trational night in which the target audience of the WWE is out and about in towns, parties, shopping malls, etc. Thursdays really didn't help the Smackdown's cause with it being a night where they are consistently going head to head with the major network's top programming. Move it to a cable network on a Tuesday night and as a LIVE show, then the Smackdown brand would be better off and have higher ratings than they have had in all the times they have been on UPN.

You don't have that issue with Raw being a live show. We don't have that benefit at looking at spoilers on the internet because we know at live events, things can change at the very last second.

enough of my two cents on this issue.

[The CyNick]

well written, but your off base

[Pepsi Man]

You don't remember when they had one RAW live and then the next day taped the next week's RAW? When did you start watching it?

Oh, and I would WANT to be Vinnie Mac and the WWE board, because things would be ten times better, and I would fire Triple H immediatly.
I started watching in 1994. Often, SEVERAL weeks in a row were taped. The reason then was production costs. Trust me, if it were anything other than financing, he would've been live every week at LEAST as early as Bischoff started giving away Raw results on Nitro.

[PorkSoda]

People usually go out on Friday nights I think...or do they? Hell if I know. This will be a reason to keep people inside and eat cheeseburgers at 8 at night.

I think Smackdown should be Thursday, but Friday might work. It just makes more sense on Thursday night. Its so hard to sign up for wrestling school :(