Does Smackdown need a facelift.

[spinarooni]

Obviously the question is in the topic. Whenever ever wwe is mentioned in casual conversation, Raw is what is talked about. Smackdown, is not live and feels fake for a lack of a better word. The crowd noise WWE inputs into the programming is ridiculous. Smackdown has ran its course and needs to go. I think switching the show to Thursday nights and using Nitro for the show name would create buzz and interest. I think it would give credibility for a seperate show but same company. I know there unifying the shows and losing the draft and so on. I personally like Raw and Smackdown being seperate. My suggestions are purely a topic starter and not meant to be a Nitro thread.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

Eh, I don't think it needs to go or be replaced. I think there's two problems: the fact that it's not live, which means that a lot of people will read spoilers and not bother to watch the show, and the subsequent problem that because ratings are low, WWE tends to keep character/storyline development to a minimum and let all of the in-ring action do the talking (this isn't even necessarily a problem to every individual - personally I enjoy watching 60-90 hours of solid wrestling every Friday night but not everybody does which is understandable).

Would putting it live on a Tuesday night help matters? I think it probably would. For starters, I think the night is more convenient for a general public to watch the show. I work on a Friday night and typically get off in time to watch Smackdown, but if I didn't I definitely wouldn't be sat in front of my television on a Friday night. That factor coupled with the elimination of spoilers would probably increase viewing figures and give WWE a platform to put a bigger emphasis on Smackdown, bringing it closer to the level of Raw. It would be an interesting project, and it's something that I hope we see happen when these negotiations that we keep reading about have concluded.

At the end of the day, Monday Night Raw is WWE's main thing - there's never going to be another flagship, or something that can truly rival Raw for that spot.

 

[L@RISANO]

It depends on how much of a facelift.

I think SmackDown worked initially with the Brand Extension because there were top notch Superstars on each show and thus both had compelling storylines, to the point that SD might have actually been better for a small time period as well.

However, with less Top Stars on the roster in a full-time capacity and with the Brand Extension finished. It is understandable why SD has taken a back seat and is just an extra show to further certain storylines. Also, take into consideration that the likes of Cena and Orton,for instance, do not appear much, and the part-timers do not appear at all bar a one-off appearance for a ratings pop of sorts.

I think if WWE does build some new stars as they are in the process of doing, then automatically, SmackDown will gain interest again, as it will be difficult to fit all the stars(assuming the likes of Reigns, Bray, Cesaro and a few others are built up) on RAW in major storylines and leave SD for filler and weekly dirtsheet spoiler fodder.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I think SmackDown worked initially with the Brand Extension because there were top notch Superstars on each show and thus both had compelling storylines, to the point that SD might have actually been better for a small time period as well.

However, with less Top Stars on the roster in a full-time capacity and with the Brand Extension finished. It is understandable why SD has taken a back seat and is just an extra show to further certain storylines. Also, take into consideration that the likes of Cena and Orton,for instance, do not appear much, and the part-timers do not appear at all bar a one-off appearance for a ratings pop of sorts.

Small period of time? SmackDown was better than RAW almost every single week for about 5 years straight.

The problem was, starting in 2007, Vince started to sabotage SmackDown by moving all their top guys and all the most promising up & comers to RAW, and leaving SmackDown nothing but crap to work with. SmackDown only truly became a B Show again because Vince did everything humanly possible to make damn sure the fans saw it as a B Show. It was impossible for SmackDown to stay relevant when there was nobody on the show worth watching. WWE needs to understand that their core fanbase is going to watch RAW regardless of what's going on. If they want to improve their product, their ratings, and their PPV buyrates, they need to focus HEAVILY on SmackDown. Put the top stars on SmackDown EVERY week, book more title matches, and make SmackDown a must-see show every week again.

 

[resignedknight]

I would think WWE will do something different when the new tv deal gets done. The question is, what will that be (and the other question, likely with a different answer, what should that be)? I don't know if I would do Tuesday, but it definitely seems like it should come off of Fridays. It also probably needs to not be on SyFy. It should also go live, but I doubt it will. Is there any doubt Batista's heel turn happened on Smackdown because wwe editors could manage the situation and make sure it went over as well as possible? I bet they don't want to lose that ability.

Personally, I would feature the mid card titles more (not to say main eventers shouldn't show up and wrestle, too). If they want to start making it more relevant, it'll only take one huge thing happening to make us say, "Man, I should've watched Smackdown." As it is, I haven't said that in years.

 

[Marshyishere]

Small period of time? SmackDown was better than RAW almost every single week for about 5 years straight.

The problem was, starting in 2007, Vince started to sabotage SmackDown by moving all their top guys and all the most promising up & comers to RAW, and leaving SmackDown nothing but crap to work with. SmackDown only truly became a B Show again because Vince did everything humanly possible to make damn sure the fans saw it as a B Show. It was impossible for SmackDown to stay relevant when there was nobody on the show worth watching. WWE needs to understand that their core fanbase is going to watch RAW regardless of what's going on. If they want to improve their product, their ratings, and their PPV buyrates, they need to focus HEAVILY on SmackDown. Put the top stars on SmackDown EVERY week, book more title matches, and make SmackDown a must-see show every week again.

And how long have you been working backstage?

I think Smackdown was changed to become the show which could manipulated for Television as it was not live. Allowed editors time to change what actually occurred in real life and portray the show exactly how they want. There have been several times that parts of matches or promos have been re-taped on Smackdown.

With the introduction of the Main Event, Superstars, NXT, Backstage Pass, Pre-show, After-shows & the rest of the WWE Network, I think Smackdown may eventually become a 2nd live show later in the week, as they have plenty of other shows to fill the prerecorded segments they want. Not to mention, they are finally working hard to fill a star studded roster, they will need 2 shows to fit all the talent in. However, I am adamant that Smackdown will always be the B rated show.

 

[kumarjtk]

on my point of view wwe use Smackdown as developing the superstars and testing their skill and wrestling abilities. Brock, cena, edge, jbl, eddie, rey ect., are grown as superstar in smackdown. The show is labled as B show so people wont expect anything high.

 

[lil steroid meat]

Definitely would welcome something new for Smackdown.

Whether it's a logo/color/show graphics change . . .

A change with the night that it comes on . . .

A change in the type of show it is (personally I think it should become the number two show again, with the IC Title as the main belt being put back in the prestige that the WHC Title was, and have it as a show for upper midcarders who could use more exposure like Ryback, Ziggler, Barrett, Rhodes, Axel, Kofi, etc. etc. and you could also feature NXT guys about to get called up on the show too) . . . Personally I think is what it should be . . . and it was what it used to be with guys like Guererro, Rey, Edge, Benoit, Cena, JBL, Brock, etc.

They have Vince coming back to TV soon, presumably to do some type of power struggle thing with HHH and Vince. Hogan is back around. So you could even have Shane come back and generate interest in the brand by renaming it Nitro and coming with a new Orange/Grey color scheme. Who knows, it couldn't hurt.

A change for Smackdown would definitely be welcomed. Right now it's Diet Raw.

 

[Gibby]

I've been saying for a little while that the whole presentational style of all of WWE's TV could use a serious aesthetic update because they haven't travelled a whole long distance from 1999. From the logos to the music to the ring aprons to the ringside area to the voices on commentary to the things they have at the top of the ramp. Everything. A total rebrand like this costs anywhere up to seven zeroes worth of clams so it's something would take very seriously. It would mean scrapping some merch and designing new stuff.

This all spilled out of thinking that the action at ringside looked a bit sterile with those guardrail bumpers they have. They look padded and therefore it loses some veracity when action goes to the outside. There's no real danger and no threat to the loss of control, no matter how unlikely. And whilst that's probably great for PG and the workers, it takes me out of it when Wyatt does Sister Abigail onto the guardrail to Bryan and it's meant to be OH MY GOD and instead it's 'that probably hurt less than doing it in the ring'.

I'm sincerely glad they're moving beyond riff metal as a source of music conveyance and some of the newer themes have been a real return to form: sonic hallmarks have been a real plus point of WWE's broadcasts (the spelling out of Shield, the 'wtf' noise when the lights go out for the Wyatts, the themes of the Wyatts, Del Rio) but I'd like them to branch out even further. They used to be so far in front but now, not as much.

I'd also like to see more backstage stuff that doesn't necessarily rely on cheap laughs to get over with the in house crowd. They're broadcasting to millions and some characters can talk just fine, just not in that machine gun style that we've become used to. We're in a much more dramatically sophisticated age, and TNA have showed that some acting and subtlety (to wit: Samuel Shaw) can work just as well as having some muscly guy rant non-specifics. I also like press-conferences, which is possibly a bit NJPW, but at least we all know what they signify right?

True enough that aesthetic considerations alone won't make Smackdown watchable, or Raw any more watchable, and that they need to make interesting stars appear more than anything else. You won't find me putting the cart before the horse on that one. But a little more love and a little more ceremony around the presentation of action could only help. The panel is a good idea though and I quite like the kayfabe punditry.

 

[RedRegan1005]

I don't think it needs to go, but i do agree it needs some more love from WWE. They don't put as much meaningful storyling or character development on it. Also, it being taped does have its effect. The first thing i think they should do is make it live. The only thing is I think Tuesday is not a good day. They already have a three hour Raw on Monday and I think throwing Smackdown in the next day would be too much on back to back days for a more casual wrestling fan. A good thing for WWE to do in order to get more viewers would be to put some big angles on the show to make people feel like they have to watch it to see whats going to happen. I think having the Batista heel turn promo on Smackdown was a good start.

 

[H33LTurn]

First of all, Vince would never name a show Nitro. The hatred that man has for WCW despite it being dead for over a decade is astounding. To your point, I think the main problem with Smackdown is it's schedule and the fact that its not live. No one wants to sit down on a Friday night and watch a taped wrestling show, especially if the show is considered the B brand of the product. Moving Smackdown to Tuesday and having it live would make a world of difference. The show also needs to be rebranded. Smackdown has long held a reputation of being the non-storyline show with a largely lower card roster. Its true that a wealth of talent has left Smackdown (Punk, Del Rio, Edge, Undertaker, Jeff Hardy, Triple H, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Batista) over the years, but you can have an interesting show with storylines without necessarily adding anything too important to what happened at the RAW prior. I know thats what they're afraid of, having a big moment on Smackdown and not enough fans seeing it, so they settle for lackluster matches that sort of continue the storylines you see on RAW without making you feel like you missed something if you didn't tune in.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's always been difficult to tell exactly what Vince McMahon wanted Smackdown to be. In many ways, it's a glorified house show, meaning there will be some attractive match-ups offered, but little would get accomplished in terms of title changes or new directions for individual characters......and it's okay because we've got Raw for that. The fact that Smackdown runs on Friday always made it a "can-miss" event since I'm darned if I'll stay home on a weekend night just to watch TV......and the fact I wouldn't miss anything if I didn't tune into Smackdown seemed okay. (Usually, we tape it and watch at our convenience).

So, it could be the way to "upgrade" Smackdown is to make it more like Raw, no? Offer more original stuff, including changes if direction in the storyline. Make it something even the casual fan doesn't want to miss. Of course doing this might mean having to take the show away from the weekend; perhaps air it on Thursday while the viewers are still home during the week.....and possibly cleaning TNA's clock in the process.

Otherwise, the facelift isn't really necessary. WWE may be happy with things the way they are....and the SyFy channel surely is, too.

 

[haydo 434]

The problem with smackdown is that it is taped and not live, I mean the noise level in the crowd is ridiculous and a good crowd really adds to the event. If this situation is not addressed then I would suggest that they drop smackdown and bring back wcw or something. Just think about it if nitro were to air live on a friday night it would generate a great buzz and anticipation from raw that monday. On the roster you could have a number of nxt guys fit into the fray of wcw perfectly, also with hogan back and the imminent debut of sting this notion could become a reality.

 

[James]

The funny thing about all of this is that people don't realize that if Vince wanted to make a statement he could move Smackdown back to Thursday and make it live. Thursday would give the superstars enough time to recover and if there's a PPV on Sunday it also gives them a nice stretch.

Move NXT to Tuesday.


Make Wednesday the night for WWE originals on the network and Main Event.


I'd have Friday be a 2 hour recap of Raw and Smackdown hosted by someone. It would possibly be on ION or something of that nature.


Vince could completely destroy the "competition" if he does this.


In other words, do it.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I guess this really depends on what you want out of Smackdown. Raw is live,it's the "flagship", and its three hours long. As a result, Raw is where the storytelling gets done. Smackdown, on the other hand, only really exists to reinforce the story's that Raw is telling, and offer some more wrestling "for the sake of wrestling" than Raw ever does. I actually enjoy that approach for the secondary show.

Another nice thing about Fridays is that it occasionally gives extended promo time to the younger guys that aren't at the very top of the food chain. That valuable promo time is only lent to the very top of the card on Monday nights, and that's definitely understandable.

Guys like The Shield and Bray Wyatt get to to cut the majority of their extended in-ring promos on Friday night. When Wyatt talks on Mondays its typically nothing more than 1-2 minutes of tron time. On Smackdown he will occasionally get several minutes to cut promos in the ring. Also this past Friday night's "Shield summit" was a very good segment, but not one they would have gotten the chance to execute live in the ring in front of a Raw crowd.

 

[The Perfect Max]

My OCD may be affecting my judgment here, but the colour blue sucks ass. Maybe it's just me, but the colour in its self seems washed out, bland and depressing. Aesthetics are all important, and it's not that the SmackDown logo sucks or the presentation (except the damn crowd) is bad, it's just in dire need of something fresh to look at.

The brand extension worked until about 2008, when WWE began to throw more of the bigger stars onto Raw. This could be both a good and bad thing I suppose, depending who and what it is you want to see on Friday night.

In regards to the time or day in which it is on, I am fully backing the move to Tuesday, if it were to go ahead. As all the WWE Network stuff is pre-taped and whatnot, SmackDown may become victim to the same treatment the network stuff gets, which is fans seeing it as a "secondary, less important show". And it's true, it has become that, but it doesn't mean it should be.

All in all, a new logo is essential if you were to really go for the facelift approach. Something a little different to before, as Raw as seen many new and revitalised logos in the past. A new shade of blue? Okay, I'm going too far now perhaps, but I do think that the same recycled colour scheme and logo is what makes SmackDown seem a little less important. A new colour scheme in the arena too please. I don't know what it is, but it always seems dull and gloomy in a SmackDown arena.

I know I'm asking for a lot, and it will cost money if you were to go ahead with all these changes, but I do think WWE would benefit from it, in the short run that is. Of course, the wrestling is the main attraction, but all these things together could really make SmackDown look good again.

 

[whoopin' ass]

The problem is once they quit the roster split, Smackdown turned back into a second rate Raw especially since they have the same set. I find it funny that they want to treat NXT as a more traditional wrestling show yet when they did that on Smackdown and it worked, they couldn't get rid if it fast enough. I think the WWE product in general needs a facelift as I find NXT more interesting at times but I would settle for Smackdown returning to the old days like it was when Heyman was running it.

 

[Hillali2]

Small period of time? SmackDown was better than RAW almost every single week for about 5 years straight.

The problem was, starting in 2007, Vince started to sabotage SmackDown by moving all their top guys and all the most promising up & comers to RAW, and leaving SmackDown nothing but crap to work with. SmackDown only truly became a B Show again because Vince did everything humanly possible to make damn sure the fans saw it as a B Show. It was impossible for SmackDown to stay relevant when there was nobody on the show worth watching. WWE needs to understand that their core fanbase is going to watch RAW regardless of what's going on. If they want to improve their product, their ratings, and their PPV buyrates, they need to focus HEAVILY on SmackDown. Put the top stars on SmackDown EVERY week, book more title matches, and make SmackDown a must-see show every week again.

Exactly.

So many people forget that for a time, smackdown was the alpha show and raw was the b-show. It was left with Batista carrying the show all by himself until Edge was left with it. Its only in the last year that they have started to even out raw and smackdown. The problem is that they have alienated so many fans by using it as the b-show for so long and that its been taped and shown 3 days later on a poor network where it will get limited viewership. It needs to move to a bigger network and go live.

 

[Skyeborne]

Everyone here is talking about Smackdown as part of the brand extension. You aren't going to see that again. When Smackdown first aired there was no brand extension, but it was still great. They didn't just cast off all the b-rated stars to the show and treat it as a b-show it was just the second half of the story. Smackdown has always been on a poor network. Until it moved to The CW I had to watch the Smackdown abridged show on Fox Sports two days after it aired. Smackdown was casted to death a long time ago. When it was moved to Friday nights it wasn't suppose to last, it beat the Friday night curse.

I understand why they keep the same set, it's the same reason their PPV sets mostly look the same. It's for continuity, nothing is different, it is still the same show. Spike TV supposedly wants to replace TNA with Smackdown. Smackdown on Thursdays could help it a lot. Thursday is a much better night for TV shows; people usually stay home on Thursdays.

The biggest problems for Smackdown right now are supposedly the way it's booked. Triple H and Vince make one match to promote on Monday and then they don't about the show until Tuesday night. Most of the time it's just rematches and replays of Raw.

When the Authority story started it seemed like Smackdown was making a comeback. Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton were on Smackdown every week cutting promos and advancing the storyline. It was enjoyable. Since then though they went back to very unappealing TV. I read the spoilers and I just grimace.