Smackdown came to us live this week from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas; the night after what was the best Raw in weeks. While the show moved along at a nice pace, there was no way it could compete with a Raw where a new Universal Champion was crowned.
And soon enough, it did begin to feel flat and vanilla. While it wasn’t a bad show by any means, it was also by no means a must-watch show. However, there was enough on Smackdown Live to justify a best/worst article, and therefore, here comes our analysis.
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THE GOOD: We did genuinely like a few things about this show
1- We love the new passionate Miz
Many were dismayed when The Miz won the Intercontinental Championship from Zack Ryder, the night after Wrestlemania. And while a lot of fans have wanted a new champion since then; The Miz has managed to stay interesting, relevant and in his latest avatar, continues to do so.
Gone is the A-list movie star shtick; The Miz delivered a promo last week on Talking Smack that was a borderline shoot. And this time, he was confronted by Dolph Ziggler, who also brought the fire. Now that an IC Title match has been confirmed at Backlash 2016, we can’t wait to see how the two of them, put on an encounter for the ages. This is ‘awesome’.
2- Heath Slater is ‘over’ and how
Heath Slater is a star. He is so over right now that ‘Slater’s Kids’ is officially a thing. Be it in a skit, or against the returning ‘Headbangers’ or even on Talking Smack; Slater comes across as someone who’s been overlooked by the company since forever, and has a lot to offer now that he has a chance to shine.
3- The 2-hour format
Even though a lot of the show did not honestly matter, what made it tolerable was the fact that it did not drag out too long. The 2-hour format makes the blue brand relatively enjoyable and fun. And in comparison, while Raw hit it out of the ballpark with the closing segment, the rest of the show was starting to drag, a wee bit. The 2-hour format benefits Smackdown immensely, keeping it fresh.
4- The return of Kane
A lot of the Smackdown roster lacks legitimate senior workers, who can put over younger talent to make them relevant. And the tease of a feud between Kane and Baron Corbin can truly achieve that. Well, as opposed to a 50-50 feud with Kalisto, which helps neither competitor really. And hey, if you think he’s outdated, at least it’s not Corporate Kane.
THE BAD: And yes, there were things we hated about the show. And that’s putting it mildly.
1- The Ads
There were so many ads throughout this week’s show, that every time we began to get invested in a segment, we would break into commercials. To the point where we had to restart and refocus, every time that we came back from breaks.
And hence, the show really felt watered down. We realize that ads are a good source of revenue, but when they’re affecting your show’s eventual quality and output, they are a big problem.
2- Lack of depth in the Smackdown roster
Let’s face it. Smackdown does not have the same level of mid-card talent that Raw does. And the lack of genuine star power affects the show. To put things into perspective, let’s look at the Backlash card. Sure there’s Ambrose vs Styles, Orton vs Wyatt, the 2 new title matches and The Miz vs Ziggler. But that’s pretty much all the stars they have in the brand, and while the rest of the card hasn’t been decided yet...it’ll be hard to book matches that matter.
Especially if there’s supposed to be a match on the Backlash pre-show as well. Because of the weak roster, even today’s show felt unimportant.
3- JBL and David Otunga
Corey Graves has elevated the Raw announce team to a new pinnacle of excellence. Mauro Ranallo hasn’t been able to do the same for Smackdown, unfortunately. JBL and David Otunga constantly stop him from calling moves, with comments that add nothing to the show. Can we have Jerry Lawler back, please?
In conclusion, Smackdown Live was a 6.5/10 show where nothing really happened. So to close the piece, we leave you with a picture of Alexa Bliss.
