SmackDown Is Firmly The B-Show Now - And I'm Gonna Stop Watching It

[Uncle Sam]

Many have often though that, quality wise, SmackDown is truly the A-show. As of today, I do not share this opinion. SmackDown is the B-show in each and every aspect.

I think SmackDown has just joined the hallowed list - along with TNA, NXT, Lost, Big Brother and others - of stuff I'm just plain not going to bother watching. I'm just totally uninspired by it. Here is a stream of consciousness - neatly formed into bullet points - on why:

• Surrealism. I'd hoped the more surreal elements had died off in the WWE. OK, so professional wrestling is pretty surreal as is, but surreal is a wide spectrum, y'know? Undertaker and Kane bickering over who the devil's favourite demon is and how they build houses out of fire while dramatic music plays in the background is just a bit too rich for my tastes.
• MVP. Total shit.
• Alberto Del Rio. People go on about him like he's the second coming of Christ. Other elements of the IWC go crazy for heels and luchadores though, so I can see why their panties would get wet for this guy. Oh my God, he winked! Genius heel psychology! All I see is a Carlito clone with JBL's entrance - cocky heel #3352. I think of Mirko Cro Cop knocking him the fuck out whenever I see him.
• Under-utilisation of Punk. I'm of the opinion that Punk is probably the best promo man in the business right now. Similarly, he'd had a couple of great matches when let off the leash - his ladder match against Hardy, his WM match with Rey. Unfortunately, he's being left in the midcard to stagnate - and the whole SES storyline is starting to draaaaaag. Maybe a return to the main event for Punk would reignite my interest.
• MVP. I gave him two bullet points of thinking time. He's still shit.
• Raw's really good right now. I mean, really good. SD just looks bad by contrast.
• And Much, Much More!

The only bits of the show that I find myself liking are the Cody Rhodes segments - because of the practical tips on offer, obviously - and Kofi Kingston matches, which I'm gradually coming round to. I like his attire.

I think aside from three or four guys, the show's just bereft of talent. It needs a new injection of talent ASAP.

Raw, as of tonight, has my complete, undivided attention.

 

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

I think the reason for that is because RAW is always really good during this time. The only time Smackdown is considered the best show in the WWE, is right after the draft. Thats the time where the RAW writers need to figure out what to do with all of their top stars, whereas Smackdown starts on building new ones.

But once The Undertaker returns to Smackdown after his hiatus, thats where things go downhill because he is thrusted into the Main Event picture for very little reason. Eventually, the WWE slaps the title on him and he usually runs with it until Royal Rumble time where Smackdown starts to get better.

I see what you mean with Del Rio, although I dont really think he's Carlito's clone. He has a much better attitude than that. I also feel that he is a better wrestler than Carlito is, and with Rey Mysterio looking like he's going to retire sooner rather than later, the WWE wants to have another top hispanic superstar. Del Rio is really their only choice.

...And MVP? Well, he's shit.

You Just Got Stung!

 

[CyDeez]

Nice thread...

I basically agree with all your points! Especially that on MVP and also Cody Rhodes!

One thing I think you left out though was their lack of use for Christian. I actually looked forward to him going to SD! I thought since there was less dominant talent on that show, he would get over immediately and live his dream, AND his fan's dreams for him.

They have the talent though on SD! to just change a few things to make it compelling. Hopefully they do that sooner than later!

 

[Ferbian]

I would say that's a shame Sam. Sure Smackdown has always really been the B-show both in terms of ratings as well as storylines (I've always preferred the RAW storylines). However that doesn't mean that it's automatically shit and should be erased from the list of programs to view.

But of course that's all your opinion mate. But there's still more than enough potential in the show, it's a small period of time where things might be looking "dark" and B-showish. But does that make it so every time? Of course not.

And even if the product is worse than RAW, and definitely the B-show, it shouldn't turn people off, just because of it. There always have to be something that is worse than the best, and Smackdown just so happened to be the thing right now, and it's not necessarily a hit on Smackdown, as opposed to a praise on how well RAW is doing. Which is how I think it should be looked at, how well RAW is doing, compared to an already rather well functional Smackdown.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

• Surrealism. I'd hoped the more surreal elements had died off in the WWE. OK, so professional wrestling is pretty surreal as is, but surreal is a wide spectrum, y'know? Undertaker and Kane bickering over who the devil's favourite demon is and how they build houses out of fire while dramatic music plays in the background is just a bit too rich for my tastes.

I think I quoted all this correctly. I think.

Prententious fuck. Its pro wrestingr, not one of your precious fincher films. and besides, an Undertaker Vs Kane pretty sorta kinda weird storyline is the best they have right now. Who else is there at this point?

• MVP. Total shit.

• 
  
  Yea, ok, well. Some things are just indefensable.
  
  

  • Alberto Del Rio. People go on about him like he's the second coming of Christ. Other elements of the IWC go crazy for heels and luchadores though, so I can see why their panties would get wet for this guy. Oh my God, he winked! Genius heel psychology! All I see is a Carlito clone with JBL's entrance - cocky heel #3352. I think of Mirko Cro Cop knocking him the fuck out whenever I see him.

  
  People do that? Like, think he is good? Its been two fucking weeks...He has barely had any matches....Wank, if you ask me. Not nearly as wank as RAW's comedy and Diva segments though.
  
  

  • Under-utilisation of Punk. I'm of the opinion that Punk is probably the best promo man in the business right now. Similarly, he'd had a couple of great matches when let off the leash - his ladder match against Hardy, his WM match with Rey. Unfortunately, he's being left in the midcard to stagnate - and the whole SES storyline is starting to draaaaaag. Maybe a return to the main event for Punk would reignite my interest.
    

  
  Becoming clearer by the week that this whole thing is wrapping up very soon. Also, he cant be THE focus ALL the time, just got done having a massive program with Rey.
  
  

  .
  [*]Raw's really good right now. I mean, really good. SD just looks bad by contrast.
  [*]And Much, Much More!

It isn't though, is it? I just came seem to be intrigued by anything, and I find the whole show to be painfully predictable, and drab. The matches on RAW, my goodness gracious the matches. Paint by fucking numbers saaaame ol shit, every week. Not to mention the force feeding of Diva and Comedy segments that push me ever closer to the brink of killing myself. But not before I go out and kill a few other people too.

.

I think aside from three or four guys, the show's just bereft of talent. It needs a new injection of talent ASAP.

Raw, as of tonight, has my complete, undivided attention.

It has become fairly clear the show is merely treading water until October, that it has. Still though, people are given far more time to work matches, the storylines are old school, easy to keep up with, and fun, and there is just SO much less fluff and shit on SD. For fucks sake man, JOHN MORRISON is on RAW, how the fuck can you even SAY this shit.

As for that last part, well. I hope you go riding your bicycle without a helmet, and get run over by a monster truck.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Sam, you seem surprised and a little disappointed about Smackdown being the B-show, while RAW is the A-show. The only thing is, how is this news?

RAW has always, and I do mean always, been the flagship show of the WWE. It has always been their A-Show. Smackdown, whether you like it or you don't, whether you watch it or you don't, has always been the B-Show. This has always been apparent in terms of distribution of talent amongst the shows, the TV station the respective show appears on, and the amount of attention it receives from the IWC.

I rarely miss RAW. If I am unable to watch it, I usually record it and watch it later. If I forget to do so, I come on here and read up about it. For Smackdown, I watch it occasionally, I never record it, and that's the way it's always been.

I agree with you about MVP, what a waste, he was great as a heel, but a total flop as a face. While it's only been two weeks, I also agree with you so far about Alberto del Rio, not really my cup of tea. Punk's under-utilization is correct too. I don't agree wtih you about the Undertaker, though, maybe I'm a sucker for old school, but I still enjoy the Undertaker and his aura, and I'm not minding the current angle with him and his "brother."

Look for an injection of talent, in the short-term, as Smackdown moves to SyFy, but after that its back to the status quo. RAW head and shoulders above SD (and SD in turn ahead of anything that Spike TV has to offer).

 

[The Raven's Epitaph]

Nice thread.

I review Smackdown weekly on my YouTube channel, and I feel really bad for having to say week after solid week: "Smackdown wasn't great this week." with the exception of this week's episode (which I enjoyed) it gets quite annoying when it seems like they don't make any effort to make Smackdown better.

There's not a whole lot I can say, Sam. Other than; "I agree with you." - Smackdown is the "B" show, but personally, I'm not going to stop watching it. I enjoy watching Smackdown even if it IS terrible most weeks. The talent on there are enough to keep me occupied, along with Matt Striker's commentating because I love him right now. I've grown to love him talking about how his sister loves watching Dolph Ziggler and how Matt secretely has some odd fetish for Vickie Guerrero.

 

[Nicole13Edge/HardyFan]

I like Smackdown better than Raw. I love SD and I will always watch it. I watch SD to see what Laycool is going to do next and what is happening Dolph Ziggler and Vickie. I also watch SD to see Alberto Del Rio I like him because he is beating up Rey and I hate Rey although I had Alberto ring announcer to can't understand him.

When SD goes to the Syfy channel this October it's onl going to get better because there are rumors going around that Edge is going back to SD and I love Edge. So I will always watch SD along with NXT and Raw.

 

[RadioactiveMuffin]

Stop watching it? That's quite a statement. But you do have some valid points.

The whole Undertaker/Kane thing last Friday was kind of ridiculous. The whole segment was pretty far-fetched, but that was probobly the point. Undertaker is 'The Deadman' and Kane is supposedly straight from the depths of the Underworld. So the whole thing is pretty surreal already.

I like Alberto Del Rio, I was very impressed with his debut. He's charasmatic, has a submission finisher that actually looks like it hurts, and he fits his gimmick well. I won't comment on his in-ring ability because one real match and one squash match isn't really enough to judge him on. But my first impressions of him are very positive.

I completely agree with the under-utilization of CM Punk. He's one of my favorite wrestlers, and I wish he was in the ME scene, because this whole SES implosion angle is kinda boring to me. With Serena gone, things might speed up and get more interesting (even though I liked Serena...). But right now there's no room for him there, with Kane, Undertaker and Mysterio.

MVP's not that bad....

Well, yeah, he's pretty bad. But I'd watch him over ANYTHING involving Santino and Koslov any day.

IMO Smackdown is better than RAW, but that's because I prefer wrestling over 'entertainment.' And watching Santino get hit on by Tamina isn't entertaining to me. RAW might have Jericho (my favorite wrestler), Edge, Sheamus and The Miz, but RAW also has Khali, Santino, Koslov, Heath Slater, Orton and Michael Cole. Whereas Smackdown has CM Punk, Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, Christian, and Kofi Kingston. Granted, Smackdown also has Hornswoggle but even he couldn't stop me from watching unless he was in the main event every week. There is plenty of talent on SD right now, and I see no reason to change things up.

Smackdown's got WRESTLING, which is what I watch WRESTLING for. Regardless, I'll still watch RAW. Both have their flaws but I (mostly) enjoy both shows right now.

 

[Dhays9]

WOW. That's all I can say. Probably because I'm on the complete oppisite spectrum and am thinking of dropping RAW altogether.

Right now I feel Smackdown! is the better brand and here's why.

1. They present great matches and thier squashes actually mean something unlike RAW. Examples- Kofi vs. Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey, and the Christian & Hardy vs. Rhodes & McIntyre matches have been a lot more entertaining than the RAW matches which are predictable and very short. Usually 5 minutes long. However, I will say I did think the Miz vs. Cena match was very solid even though it was short.

2. The Smackdown! may not have as many "stars" as RAW but I see that as a benefit. The roster on Smackdown! get more air time and there are a variety of storylines going on with no one on T.V. without one. However, on RAW there are so many superstars that some are just there because they are stars but RAW has nothing for them. Example is Edge and Jericho, you can't keep them off as they are big names but what do they do, job for a couple weeks or win pointless matches then thrust into a title match for no apparent reason.

3. Taste in professional wrestlilng. I bring this up as view WWE shows as different types of professional wrestling. RAW and NXT! are more of story based a.k.a sports entertainment, while Superstars and Smackdown! to me is more of the wrestling with stories behind it type show like RoH.

I guess just all depends on what you like. I however believe Smackdown! is better. I do recognize that RAW is the flagship, but to me Smackdown! is the better brand by far.

EDIT: I have to say that the Kane and Undertaker promo last night was the best promo ever. Its suppose to be surreal and those two wrestlers are probably the only wrestlers today that can make me suspend my belief in that no one can actually be from Hell.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Smackdown better at least bring two or three faces over from RAW because they will be fucked if they don't. With Mysterio being "injured" by Del Rio, that leaves Undertaker being the top face followed by Big Show. The WWE has an overload of heels at the moment so I'll be expecting Orton to join the blue and possibly a face Jericho. Smackdown is just treading water for the time being and they are staying afloat because of their midcard. Smackdown may have the best wrestling but it will always be the B-show no matter what.

 

[mrbrownstone]

While some of your points are undebatable namely MVP and underutilising Punk, I disagree for the most part here recently I have found myself enjoying SD just as much as if not more than Raw.

First off the whole surreal Taker/Kane thing, what do you expect, both of their characters are built around having supernatural powers and being demonic so of course their promos are going to be centered around the devil and other such thing, atleast this time they arent shooting lightining at eachother.

Now the main reason why I find SD to be great at the moment, the mid card scene is f*cking awesome, when I say mid card I mean Hardy, Christian, Drew, Rhodes, Dolph and Kofi. While their main event scene is very lacking over the past few months these six guys have been doing a pretty awesome job of making up for it, nearly every week atleast two combinations of these six guys come out and put on great matches which unlike the matches on Raw are given 10-15 minuites so that they can actually get something done in them.

 

[gd]

I haven't watched Smackdown regularly in quite awhile. I'd like to think that it's because I'm busy on Friday Nights, but that's not really the case for the most part. I suppose it hasn't really been interesting since, say, Edge and Vickie's wedding, or thereabouts.

It even has my favorite wrestler, Swagger, and can't keep my interest. That could because he loses pretty much every match, even to MVP, who's complete shit. Ugh.

Also, Kane as champ isn't doing SD any favors, especailly after the whole novelty thing wore off, it was apparent that there was a reason he never got the title for more than a day, he's shit.

I'd also say Raw is much more interesting at the moment, for the most part, which is how it should be, really.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Smackdown has had this lackluster feel to it over the past couple of weeks, and of course all of the major storylines are taking place over on Raw, so I could see why someone would think blue brand is getting worse.....

MVP- He's as overrated as they come. The man is just terrible. His matches usually suck,he can be a very bland as a face, and his mic skills aren't too good either. Now I know plenty of people on here think a heel turn would be MVP's saving grace, but I don't think so. Was he slightly better as a heel? Yes he was. But he wasn't a great heel, and if he were to go back to being a bad guy, I don't think it would help him sky rocket towards World Heavyweight Championship.

The Women's Divison- It's become LayCool and everybody else. Kelly Kelly, and Tiffany are just there at this point. Sure each of them had their shot at the title, but nothing ever came of it. I believe WWE is just waiting on Beth Phoenix's return so that they can get serious again or they're just waiting to unify the Women's championships. Still, the women's division on Smackdown has just become stale as stale can be, because who else do they have as a legit challenger to the Women's title on that brand? Rosa Mendes? Please.

The Straight Edge Society- CM Punk is by far my favorite heel in all of pro wrestling. The man has tons of charisma, he's good on the mic, and he can go in the ring, but ever since his feud with The Undertaker ended, he's just become a mid card guy. The SES is a good stable, and they have an awesome leader, but WWE doesn't seem to crazy about pushing them hard. And they've lost Serena, and that's just not a good thing.

Dolph Ziggler- While I was very excited when Dolph won the Intercontinental Championship, I was also kind of deflated. Winning the title a year earlier would've been better for him, because he was still hot back then. Still, I'm enjoying the duo of Vickie and Dolph, and I'm anxious to see how Dolph's title reign will play out.

Kane VS The Undertaker- At first, I was against this 100%, but Kane's promos have hooked me into this feud. We all know Taker will probably come out on top here, and I think he'll win the World Heavyweight Championship some where down the line. Although, with Taker being "weak" here, this feud seems more interesting to me. Still, The Deadman is sure to come out on top here, and he will most likely wear the World Heavyweight Championship again.

Matt Hardy and Christian- Both of them are going no where, and people need to learn to accept that. I think Christian is more talented than Hardy, but he's going to be stuck in the mid card on Smackdown for a long time. Ever since WWE's version ECW ended, he hasn't seen to much spotlight. Oh, and he's tag teamed with Hornswoggle before, and unless your name is Triple H or Shawn Michaels, then teaming with the little guy can't be a good thing. Hardy is just not a main event guy, and I don't even see him getting near the IC title. Nothing ever really came of his feud with Drew McIntyre, and he's right back where he was before it started.

Alberto Del Rio- His debut was very impressive. He did take down of Smackdown's top guys in the main event, and he did it in a pretty good match. Now we're going to need to see a lot more from Del Rio as time goes on, but he's off to a pretty damn good start so far.

Jack Swagger- His World Heavyweight Championship reign was booked terribly by WWE, but Sawgger does have the tools to be major player on the blue brand. He's in ring work can be pretty impressive, and he does have the amateur background thing going for him. I just hope WWE won't book Swagger in a bad way, if he gets pushed again.

Teddy Long as the GM- I feel Long has become extremely stale when it comes to playing the GM role. He's much, much better at being a manager. I have a feeling Vickie is going to take over his position some where down the line, and I'm not too excited about that either, because Vickie as GM has also been done a lot before, but she's not going to be the consultant forever.

 

[JoonDaGr8One]

Raw may be the number one show but its designed that way its live and they have the number one money man but other than the nexus angle and orton raw is nothing special edge and jerico were better off on smackdown. Smackdown has its flaws but they got kane as champion which gives the belt more value than raw with sheamus, taker who may be boring with promo's but has great matches, kofi, dolph, drew, punk and christian are you serious. Smackdown may not be the mainstream wwe show but its noway the B show even if it was a B is pretty good bc right i give tna a c- bc they change like the weather.

 

[The People's Peep]

Surrealism. I'd hoped the more surreal elements had died off in the WWE. OK, so professional wrestling is pretty surreal as is, but surreal is a wide spectrum, y'know? Undertaker and Kane bickering over who the devil's favourite demon is and how they build houses out of fire while dramatic music plays in the background is just a bit too rich for my tastes.

I agree. Not only that, but its not like it hasnt been done before. The more realistic thing is the whole vegetative state thing. They could have just left it as Taker coming after Kane for putting him in a vegetative state. But the arguing over who is the better demon is too much.

MVP. Total shit.

Not much to say here besides "couldnt agree more".

Alberto Del Rio. People go on about him like he's the second coming of Christ. Other elements of the IWC go crazy for heels and luchadores though, so I can see why their panties would get wet for this guy. Oh my God, he winked! Genius heel psychology! All I see is a Carlito clone with JBL's entrance - cocky heel #3352. I think of Mirko Cro Cop knocking him the fuck out whenever I see him.

This, I disagree with. He may be the universal and typical heel, but there are some interesting aspects of his work. After just two matches, he has managed to get over. The vignettes really helped build some hype for him and its paying off. Also, the in ring work is there. I dont know about you, but when someone new shows up, I like to watch just to see how they use him right away. Its obvious that they see something in him, because it seems that he is getting a good push right away.

Under-utilisation of Punk. I'm of the opinion that Punk is probably the best promo man in the business right now. Similarly, he'd had a couple of great matches when let off the leash - his ladder match against Hardy, his WM match with Rey. Unfortunately, he's being left in the midcard to stagnate - and the whole SES storyline is starting to draaaaaag. Maybe a return to the main event for Punk would reignite my interest.

Back to Sam being right. I had my doubts with Punk before, but every time I see him, he erases those doubts. He is fantastic on the mic, as evident by his recent promo on RAW. With Mercury being out for a while and Serena being fired, I would expect this whole SES thing to end soon, because it has been dragging. Hopefully he can make his way back to main event soon.

MVP. I gave him two bullet points of thinking time. He's still shit.

Yeah.

Raw's really good right now. I mean, really good. SD just looks bad by contrast.

This is my biggest gripe with Smackdown right now. I just prefer RAW and I say to myself "there's no way it can live up to RAW. Why bother watching it?". There's not much that can fix this besides just making Smackdown better.

I think aside from three or four guys, the show's just bereft of talent. It needs a new injection of talent ASAP.

Hopefully with NXT 2 ending and those guys in need of a show, we will get some new talent on Smackdown. There are a few interesting guys in that bunch. They could be the injection that the show needs.

So in conclusion, I would say you are right. Right now. But I can see some bright spots in the show and I can definitely some good things coming really soon in the near future.

 

[NWannabe]

I am going to completely disagree. I think raw is just a big joke now. It has star power, but after you get over the names and actually watch the show, sd just comes across as better to me. You put the big names on sd, and change nothing else and noone would really watch raw.

 

[World_Series_Attiude]

Smackdown needs to think outside of the box, This is what i propose Undertaker V. MVP for the World Heavyweight Championship. The program should last til the rumble

 

[ScouseSlammer2010]

Now Excuse Me If This Isnt The Best Of Therads And There Might Of Been A Thread Like This Before But Ive Got A Point .

Years Ago .. Smackdown Was The Top Brand And Had The Best Supperstars ..
HHH , The Rock And Brock Lesner Some Of The Best WWE Have Ever Had .

Now , Theve Got Drew Mcintrye , Zack Ryder And Luke Gallows .

They Had Some Supperstars Like That Before , But The Matter Of The Fact Is ..

Smackdown Dosent Intrest Me Anymore .

Its Lost Its Prestige .

Okay Theve Got Rey , Kane , Taker And Arugebly Cm Punk .. Who Are Great Wrestles But There Story Lines Bore Me .


What Do You Think On The Matter ?

And As I Said Its My First Theard ..


_________________________________________________________________

"Sweet Chin Of Muisc "

 

[Ferbian]

Not really no. Smackdown was never really the main brand, and it was always gonna be the one to be put second to RAW. There's still some decent superstars there, and there's still some great storylines going on. Like I said about a week ago, Smackdown is only considered the weaker one of the shows right now, because of how good RAW is doing.

Smackdown isn't loosing prestige, and never really have. Mostly because prestige is probably the wrong word to use, because there's no prestige in being on one specific show. Momentum? Perhaps, but it's nothing noticeable because they're still producing some decent shows.

Smackdown is just fine, and it still has wrestlers that people want to watch, people still tune in. And sure some would generally think of it as being worse because it lacks the big star power, but apparently reports are that Edge for one will be back on Smackdown with it's move to SyFy. A move which will definitely give some momentum for Smackdown.

 

[ThomasRKOSeay]

Not really no. Smackdown was never really the main brand, and it was always gonna be the one to be put second to RAW. There's still some decent superstars there, and there's still some great storylines going on. Like I said about a week ago, Smackdown is only considered the weaker one of the shows right now, because of how good RAW is doing.

Smackdown isn't loosing prestige, and never really have. Mostly because prestige is probably the wrong word to use, because there's no prestige in being on one specific show. Momentum? Perhaps, but it's nothing noticeable because they're still producing some decent shows.

Smackdown is just fine, and it still has wrestlers that people want to watch, people still tune in. And sure some would generally think of it as being worse because it lacks the big star power, but apparently reports are that Edge for one will be back on Smackdown with it's move to SyFy. A move which will definitely give some momentum for Smackdown.

I agree a little bit with you, Edge will give them momentem. But they need star power, like Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton. I understand Smackdown is mostly about the young guys, but lately Smackdown has bored me with young guys, put some young guys against guy agianst HHH or some Star Powers.... it would be a little more interesting

 

[relim82]

I agree... I remember when I liked Smackdown more than RAW... For awhile, Smackdown seemed to have more wrestling, and and older school feel to it. Not so much anymore. I don't even think Edge will change it up any, I think they need some of the season 2 NXT guys... Its not star power they need, its fresh faces... And I'm not talking about people like the Dude Busters.

 

[Jeritron5000]

I think you're right on the money, especially if you're looking at it through the eyes of a viewer who's been watching Smackdown since it's beginning. If Smackdown is only bad now because RAW is too good, then we're in big trouble.

 

[yur_momma]

i disagree, if anything SD in my eyes has GAINED prestige, it is the show to watch if you want to see wrestling. admittedly i was so sick and tired of kofi vs ziggler for what seemed like 16 weeks in a row but it has better and longer matches, less angle/storyline drama and the best promo man in the game right now, cm punk.

just my 2 cents.

 

[JohnOldSnake4]

Honestly, I think so. Though Smackdown has guys like Taker, Rey, Punk and Kane, RAW has Orton, Triple H, Sheamus, Cena, Edge (for now), Jericho (again, for now), for all intents and purposes the Tag team title, has a MUCH stronger mid-card (Truth, Morrison, DiBiase, Bourne, The Miz - on his way into the main event but he's kinda upper mid-card at the moment), is live and generally considered the flagship. Now the last two points have always been the case pretty much. However when you look at for instance the Intercontinental title since it's been on Smackdown I think it has been devalued immensely by being on the show. Smackdown lacks a strong mid-card I think and the mid-card/upper mid-card guys are crucially important to the prestige and momentum of a brand, as they are generally the next crop of main eventers. Whereas you look at the United States title and though Miz's reign has been a joke I do think it's raised in value and is now more prestigious than the IC belt. that is to say that subjectively, I care more about the US title than the IC and that has never been the case. This is by no means my strongest post and for that I apologize. Hopefully you get my point though. I'm very tired.