10 very quick ways to make Smackdown "watchable"

**jindrak** · 06-29-2004, 01:56 AM

1) Turn Cena heel.
Reason- Smackdown is in dire need of a hot act, and Cena was red hot when he was a heel. Re-introduce the heel aspects of his character, and basically follow the SCSA blueprint of 96/97.

2) Bring X-pac back, and have him in the Cruiserweight division.
Reason- Gives credibility back to the division. X-pac was a upper mid carder at his peak, and fans generaly liked him. Introduce him as a face, and have him compete for the Cruiserweight title. Also adds the possibility of him forming a stable (i.e the next DX?) Just a thought.

3) Bring in Sting.
Reason- A recognized star in a roster that is in dire need of formidable wrestlers. He is proven to draw, and easily be inserted in the World Title picture. Can also be used to get over future talent.

4) G-TV
Reason- Can be used to advance or create storylines.

5) Shane as GM.
Reason- Fans like him, and he could be no worst than Angle. This will bring interest, and he can shake things up, in a good way. Definately a better pick than Steph. Also, can work as a heel GM or a face GM.

6) Introduce new gimmicks.
Reason- See what sticks to the wall and go with it. So far, Zenzo Suzuki sucks, despite his tremendous build-up. Conduct weeks worth of vignettes to get fans interested in seeing something new.

7) Create stables.
Reason- What would Raw be like without Evolution?...Remember, the 96/97 years which developed into Attitude, there were several stables around. These stables had wrestlers with distinguishable personas' and being in a stable feud helped to create different dynamic elements. Think about it---> The Nation with the Rock, DX with HHH, Evolution with Randy Orton. There are several other examples, but these are the greatest success results from stable formation.

8) If its possible, have Smackdown LIVE.
Reason- Being live makes the viewer have that anything can happen feel. Nitro was a success because it was LIVE, and Raw followed on that trend. By being live, your creating a different atmosphere to which you are expecting more from the wrestlers. Typically, expecting more yields greater results. Also, having an overrun period wouldn't be to bad either because it adds to the 'anything can happen' aura.

9) Change the settings.
Reason- I could tolerate the blue and black...but silver and blue is just ridiculousy ugly. Also, changing the theme song wouldn't hurt either. I recommend Linkin Park's "Nobody's listeining". I think it would create a good opening feel to the show.

10) Have JBL feud at the mid-card level, THEN move up.
Reason- I love the JBL gimmick. I think its unique, and JBL plays the character perfectly. In all seriousness, I don't think his persona is too much of a stretch from his own personal ideology. Remember, after the 9/11 attacks he suggested that Afghanistan turned into a parking lot. Thats a radical thing to say. Anyways, the JBL gimmick wasn't initially well recieved was because JBL went from low mid-card to main event in a weeks time. That is unheard of, and fans didn't get the feeling that JBL was actually a threat to the title. Have JBL feud with a mid carder, then have him feud for the title. At least then he will seemingly be viewed as a threat.

06-29-2004, 01:56 AM	#1
jindrak HANDS OFF THE MERCHANDISE Posts: 4,453	10 very quick ways to make Smackdown "watchable" 1) Turn Cena heel. Reason- Smackdown is in dire need of a hot act, and Cena was red hot when he was a heel. Re-introduce the heel aspects of his character, and basically follow the SCSA blueprint of 96/97. 2) Bring X-pac back, and have him in the Cruiserweight division. Reason- Gives credibility back to the division. X-pac was a upper mid carder at his peak, and fans generaly liked him. Introduce him as a face, and have him compete for the Cruiserweight title. Also adds the possibility of him forming a stable (i.e the next DX?) Just a thought. 3) Bring in Sting. Reason- A recognized star in a roster that is in dire need of formidable wrestlers. He is proven to draw, and easily be inserted in the World Title picture. Can also be used to get over future talent. 4) G-TV Reason- Can be used to advance or create storylines. 5) Shane as GM. Reason- Fans like him, and he could be no worst than Angle. This will bring interest, and he can shake things up, in a good way. Definately a better pick than Steph. Also, can work as a heel GM or a face GM. 6) Introduce new gimmicks. Reason- See what sticks to the wall and go with it. So far, Zenzo Suzuki sucks, despite his tremendous build-up. Conduct weeks worth of vignettes to get fans interested in seeing something new. 7) Create stables. Reason- What would Raw be like without Evolution?...Remember, the 96/97 years which developed into Attitude, there were several stables around. These stables had wrestlers with distinguishable personas' and being in a stable feud helped to create different dynamic elements. Think about it---> The Nation with the Rock, DX with HHH, Evolution with Randy Orton. There are several other examples, but these are the greatest success results from stable formation. 8) If its possible, have Smackdown LIVE. Reason- Being live makes the viewer have that anything can happen feel. Nitro was a success because it was LIVE, and Raw followed on that trend. By being live, your creating a different atmosphere to which you are expecting more from the wrestlers. Typically, expecting more yields greater results. Also, having an overrun period wouldn't be to bad either because it adds to the 'anything can happen' aura. 9) Change the settings. Reason- I could tolerate the blue and black...but silver and blue is just ridiculousy ugly. Also, changing the theme song wouldn't hurt either. I recommend Linkin Park's "Nobody's listeining". I think it would create a good opening feel to the show. 10) Have JBL feud at the mid-card level, THEN move up. Reason- I love the JBL gimmick. I think its unique, and JBL plays the character perfectly. In all seriousness, I don't think his persona is too much of a stretch from his own personal ideology. Remember, after the 9/11 attacks he suggested that Afghanistan turned into a parking lot. Thats a radical thing to say. Anyways, the JBL gimmick wasn't initially well recieved was because JBL went from low mid-card to main event in a weeks time. That is unheard of, and fans didn't get the feeling that JBL was actually a threat to the title. Have JBL feud with a mid carder, then have him feud for the title. At least then he will seemingly be viewed as a threat.