Replace Smackdown with NXT

[pkrebel]

Smackdown is a bore now and is just turning into 2 hour Superstars/Main Event type of show with Raw recaps. I think scrap Smackdown and replace it with NXT.

Fans would be more interested in seeing developing stars rather than a random card being thrown together on Smackdown.

 

[conici]

No

No

No

No

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No

No

No



NXT is a developmental show, not a prime time wrestling show thats not a knock on NXT its the best thing going for WWE right now but NXT is simply the developmental stage for WWE talents, its a stepping stone not a main show. Putting a developmental show on world wide TV also takes away from when they make their debut as well, you've seen them on a prime time wrestling show. NXT is fine where it is, Smackdown is fine where it is.

 

[pkrebel]

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

No



NXT is a developmental show, not a prime time wrestling show thats not a knock on NXT its the best thing going for WWE right now but NXT is simply the developmental stage for WWE talents, its a stepping stone not a main show. Putting a developmental show on world wide TV also takes away from when they make their debut as well, you've seen them on a prime time wrestling show. NXT is fine where it is, Smackdown is fine where it is.

No you are completely wrong, are you blind? Smackdown is not fine the way it is, it's a complete joke to the way Smackdown used to be back in the early 2000's, and even the late 2000's. Now Smackdown is a joke, NXT should replace it as it is a good solid wrestling show and would draw big numbers. Vince has stroke gold with this show and in my opinion could compete with Raw in a ratings war.

You obviously don't watch Smackdown if you think it's "fine". Pshhhh

 

[rbv13]

Some truly riveting and thought provoking conversation going on in this one, maybe not. The OP’s thought being because of personal preference the solution is to just swap one show out with another. It sounds as if you are a NXT fan. I wonder if you’ve consider the possible negative ramifications NXT might face with a move into the Smackdown position. For one it would mean a much larger eye monitoring the product. That means stockholders, networks it airs on, advertisers and the general public. All of which can be very demanding and ultimately dictate the direction of the program. With all of the pervious mentioned with a closer eye on NXT you now have Vince and Dunn with the need to get there grubby little hands all over the brand. Ad in the daunting task of booking an extra hour of programing and you just may have ruined NXT.

As for Smackdown in its current state, well, it is what it is. They show typically offers one or two decent matches and recaps the hot feuds. Truth be told there are times I prefer Smackdown over RAW because of the format. Two good matches and all the RAW crap in fast forward sounds pretty good to me. Some might argue that Smackdown needs to be a live show. The problem is the price tag, scheduling and other miscellaneous conflicts. Some might say Smackdown needs to be a vehicle for further developing storylines. The issue there is the E has clearly shown they would rather use streaming videos and social media to accomplish this goal. To reiterate, Smackdown is what it is.

 

[pkrebel]

Some truly riveting and thought provoking conversation going on in this one, maybe not. The OP’s thought being because of personal preference the solution is to just swap one show out with another. It sounds as if you are a NXT fan. I wonder if you’ve consider the possible negative ramifications NXT might face with a move into the Smackdown position. For one it would mean a much larger eye monitoring the product. That means stockholders, networks it airs on, advertisers and the general public. All of which can be very demanding and ultimately dictate the direction of the program. With all of the pervious mentioned with a closer eye on NXT you now have Vince and Dunn with the need to get there grubby little hands all over the brand. Ad in the daunting task of booking an extra hour of programing and you just may have ruined NXT.

As for Smackdown in its current state, well, it is what it is. They show typically offers one or two decent matches and recaps the hot feuds. Truth be told there are times I prefer Smackdown over RAW because of the format. Two good matches and all the RAW crap in fast forward sounds pretty good to me. Some might argue that Smackdown needs to be a live show. The problem is the price tag, scheduling and other miscellaneous conflicts. Some might say Smackdown needs to be a vehicle for further developing storylines. The issue there is the E has clearly shown they would rather use streaming videos and social media to accomplish this goal. To reiterate, Smackdown is what it is.

I see where you're coming from but why would there be a need to change it, it's a winning formula and it's working, realistically NXT would always pay second fiddle to Raw so i don't think it should have a mainstream look just do what there doing now and i would bet you any money it would do well in the ratings.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In my opinion, and that's all it is, I think most people are ultimately going after the effects of whatever problems they perceive rather than at the source itself. Again, this is all just my opinion, but I think the source of most people's complaints is Vince McMahon himself. Is it really fair to lay all the blame for whatever dissatisfies you on the shoulders of one man? Probably not completely but, then again, life isn't fair and Vince McMahon does have THE final say on what happens or doesn't happen on our TVs each week; sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes it's a bad thing, sometimes it's a mix of both. Any wrestling promotion or television program can only be as good as the creative team makes it and in WWE, Vince McMahon is the single person who decides that what goes on & what doesn't, who gets pushed & who doesn't, which storyline is given to which stars & which isn't, etc.

There are some unanswered questions about NXT that can only be answered as time passes by. For instance, can the show be as entertaining if it expands to 2 hours? Can they continue to use the same formula for success by making the most of the additional time as they do with what they currently have? Will the general layout, strategies and format of the show connect with a broader audience if given a chance to be exposed to it? Until some of those questions are answered, then it's just a lot of speculation right now.

Personally, I think the answer to those questions is yes; I might be completely wrong, but I have a feeling NXT would be embraced by fans, I think they could continue with the same formula that's helped make the brand a hit and I think they could make great use of the additional time. If all that does turn out to be correct, however, replacing SmackDown! with NXT will probably solve absolutely nothing in the long run because the core problem remains: Vincent Kennedy McMahon. People see NXT and they're encouraged by what many believe, feel and say WWE would be like with Triple H making the final creative decisions; that MAY be true but even if it is, it's moot right now because replacing SmackDown! with NXT as the new "B Show" makes NXT the main roster. That means that it won't be Triple H making the final creative decisions for NXT anymore, it'll be Vince and the same complaints the OP or others make in regards to SmackDown! will probably be applied to NXT before long.

 

[rmp0012002]

With Smackdown moving to USA I don't think the USA Network and its sponsors want a true "wrestling" show like NXT, they want "entertainment". NXT is a true wrestling fans show, RAW and Smackdown are like 2-3 hour advertisements and that's what USA wants and if NXT was to replace Smackdown they would have to commercialize it and that would destroy why people like it.

 

[Mac]

Smackdown is garbage but I don't think they should replace SD with NXT. NXT is not meant to be on regular television it's pretty much the WWE's farm system where guys get to develop their talent and adapt to the WWE's style of "entertainment". SD is the secondary show and it's pretty much now just a glorified Heat/Velocity. That's how they want it and it serves its purpose. I hate what that show has become but it is what it is.

 

[kumarjtk]

no way for nxt to replace smack down. if they replace then it became waste program like SD. instead they make 2 hrs nxt program. even they give 2 nxt matches at SD.
my opinion to make SD a good show is
start the program with a 10 mins match. give 10 mins promo for main event or a short backstage segment or a raw backstage fall out for main event. 1st nxt match for 10 mins. a small recap for raw main event. a tag team match for more than 10 mins. divas backstage segment which leads a 5 mins match. 2nd nxt match for 10 mins. main event for mid card title holders in about 15 mins.
a few years ago non us SD program has from the vault video. they give some good matches from the past. after network open they stop playing that.

 

[Alastor]

NxT was working so well that they couldn't get it on TV in America. Yeah. Smark logic 101. Replacing Smackdown with NxT mean even less air time for the main roster, leading to complains about wrestlers being buried. Also removing one show with gates for a developmental programme that generate almost no gates is throwing money away.

 

[Navi]

The solution to fixing Smackdown isn't to ruin NXT by putting it in it's place. If they put NXT there, Vince would be all over it like a white on rice, and in a month, we'd all be bitching and complaining about NXT not being what it once was.

They need to fix Smackdown, use some of the roster we don't see on RAW. I don't mean a brand split, but do we really need to see Big Show/Reigns twice in one week. Or a recap of HHH doing a 20 minute promo on RAW. A lot of the roster is underutilized, so use them, surprise us once in awhile, it wouldn't kill the WWE to do that, would it?

I remember during the days of the draft, Smackdown was the better show of the two, now it's barely watchable some weeks.

 

[OldSchoolWrestlingFan]

Smackdown is a bore now and is just turning into 2 hour Superstars/Main Event type of show with Raw recaps. I think scrap Smackdown and replace it with NXT.

Fans would be more interested in seeing developing stars rather than a random card being thrown together on Smackdown.

I agree with this post 100% - but the sad thing is that it will never happen! If WWE would give the world fantastic matches by Zayn, Owens, Balor, etc & then continue to run the rest of their "main roster" programming the way they are you would see a HUGE drop in Raw ratings & merch sales. People would begin to watch NXT over RAW & cause a major shake up within WWE. Vince would rather keep RASLIN on the network & "Entertainment" (or the lack thereof) on the worldwide stage - Great idea but will never happen!

 

[SoulTrain4]

This flavor of the month stuff needs to stop. NXT doesn't have the brand recognition to be on TV, not to mention it looks like what it is: a farm system.

NXT, because it's not a polished product, gets cut alot of slack and now people are starting to really get out of hand with the comparisons to main brands, it has almost none of the same responsibilities for revenue generation as the two main brands. It gets to be one thing because only certain people are watching it, once it's something different expectations will change dramatically and that product will have to change.

NXT is also gifted with less scrutiny than other WWE shows. So many of those people can't cut promos it's not funny, most of them have drab looks and no charisma and they it's a blessing to them that NXT is only one hour.

Not to mention the travel schedule being limited, house shows are limited and in much smaller venues etc

Just enjoy the program and leave it alone if it's working don't change a thing unless absolutely necessary.

 

[whoopin' ass]

Interesting thought but it would kill NXT. NXT almost needs to be treated as a 3rd brand because it is so different. wwe has kind of shot themselves in the foot with NXT. Originally it was supposed to be a place for talent to come and learn how to work which was why they were not broadcasting it nationwide - in many respects, these guys were not ready for tv yet(at least in wwe's eyes anyways). Now, they are pulling in guys from ROH, TNA and other places who already have some exposure working on tv so NXT has already strayed from its original purpose since these guys really don't need the training. They also give them more freedom which is why people like it more. However, in Vince's eyes it is still a secondary area so if they were to replace Smackdown with NXT, they would need to adapt their style to what Vince considers appropriate for the main event scene which petty much means stop doing what you are doing on NXT. So what we would end up with is pretty much what we have now, just with different talent which would mean the end of NXT. Better to keep it as it is as at least right now, you can enjoy it.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Replacing Smackdown with NXT is an interesting idea, yet I wonder if many of the folks who watch Smackdown are true fans of pro wrestling. For people who are, sure, they might enjoy seeing the new, unknown people fight their way up to the main roster.

Problem is, I feel many of the people who watch Smackdown aren't true fans, and as such, they tune in to see the big names......if they tune in at all. If they're presented with a bunch of people they've never heard of....and have only the in-ring action to go on.....they might switch channels.

Raw is for fans who follow changes to the storylines..... Smackdown is a chance to see your favorites in action without having to follow the ins & outs of the product.....and NXT is for true fans who will pay for the Network to get in on it. Why give it away for free on Thursday night?

 

[mral82]

I'm just going SPITBALL here and say the the OP wants THE MINOR LEAGUERS to be w/ the MAJOR LEAGUERS. I know a solution as they could have like WCW had back in the day w/ every week on RAW and SD! they could switch the Lighting and have like say a NXT Feature Proving Ground Match where they give NXT Exposure but not so much. So 1 NXT Match per RAW and SD! would be PERFECT as it gives an Tizer to ppl wanting to know what NXT is and so if they want more they could either watch on HULU or order the WWE NETWORK for more. To me it'll be a Walk NXT Advertisement and a WIN-WIN. But to change SD! to an all NXT Show just heck nah that'll be commiting STUPIDCIDE.