The Problem with Friday Night Smackdown!

[Rusty]

Nothing interesting ever happens.

Say what you want, but in my opinion, what hurts Smackdown the most isn't the wrestling, isn't the promos but instead, it's the storylines. I know it's not meant to be the A show of the WWE, but sometimes I feel like I'm watching 2 hours of nothing more than mid-carders wrestling pointless matches aganst each other and the main eventers talking rubbish.

Example: Main Event - Regular Tag Team Match. Faces win, heel attacks face after the match (usually Edge), the heel walks of smiling. Nothing is accomplished by that. Nothing at all. Sure it "sends a message" to their opponent, but it's not worth watching. I know Smackdown is seen as the "wrestling show", but sometimes all we get is constant recaps of Raw, especially lately with the HHH vs Orton storyline. Seriously, does the WWE really think that a majority of the people that watch Smackdown don't watch Raw as well? It's pathetic.

On Raw, almost every week something interesting usually happens. Jericho attacking Legends, Triple H breaking into Randy Orton's house, John Cena being inserted into the World Heavyweight Championship match at Wrestlemania, Vickie caught cheating on Edge. On Smackdown last week for example, we were given a main event of the Undertaker vs Vladimir Kozlov. Kozlov currently has NO plans for Wrestlemania, while the Undertaker is facing HBK at the event. Taker beat Kozlov cleanly, ends the show with his pose. Is that really worth watching if nothing is going to happen after the match?

Even with the famous Undertaker vs Edge storyline from last year, every week it was just full of handicap matches, Edge spearing the Undertaker and Edge running away from the Undertaker. The pay per view matches were good, but during the weekly shows nothing interesting ever happened. I'm not saying Smackdown should be full of promos just like Raw, but it should have storyline development that doesn't involve normal tag team matches with no surprise ending.

Do you agree with me, or not? Please give detailed responses.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I've always prefered Smackdown to Raw. Nothing really happens, you're right, apart from wrestling that is.

WWE has a lack of ideas, that's evident by Raw. Naturally what few ideas they have they're going to use on their main show. But as far as I'm concered that makes Smackdown better. I really could take or leave all the talking that goes on. Which is why I rarely get up to watch Live Raw's. On Smackdown all you really get is a Triple H monologue and bits in between. Everything else is mercifully brief and they can then get on with the wrestling.

 

[DJ-LyRiX]

I've always preferred Smackdown to Raw aswell, but this stems from some strange loyalty I felt to the show when the draft started.

I do think the issue with SD is that not enough creative energy goes into the show. Sure, we have good wrestlers and this is why SD usually has the best matches in the WWE TV week, but there's a lot of charisma missing.

HHH coming to SD helped a lot, and with the emergence of champion Jeff Hardy things were looking up. Then HHH got into it with Orton and basically left the show, Jeff lost his way in the main event push, and no-one else comes up to fill the shoes.

One thing I do like about SD is being able to push different talent at times. There is no way Raw would have ever had even ONE of Kendrick, Benjamin or MVP in a Scramble match, let alone all three.

What should SD do to change things? I agree with what's been said - things need to happen more on SD. We need good creative storylines, and the key thing is PERSONAL ISSUES.

I describe storylines on SD as "Taker and Title". Undertaker always has a story going with someone, and the WWE/World Title has a storyline too. Sometimes that means there's only one real story to sink your teeth into, and it also means that there's a lot of repeat matches that don't mean anything.

To build Superstars, you have to have them involved in personal issues - why not over the US Title? It's nice that, at the minute, along with Taker and the Title, SD also has the Hardys and the Tag Title storylines. This makes the whole thing more watchable.

 

[Slyfox696]

I disagree Rusty. I'm not sure what I'm disagreeing to, as I didn't really read your post that closely, but I do not that you didn't give a reason that I find to be true.

There are three major problems with Smackdown. 1) It's a on a terrible channel. 2) It's on a terrible night. 3) It's the last of 4 wrestling TV shows in the week (Raw, ECW, TNA, Smackdown).

Put it on a different channel and on a different night, and things will change for Smackdown. Heck, just put it on Thursday night and go head to head with TNA. It'll garner more interest as it won't be Friday night when everyone goes out, plus people will have more incentive to watch and it won't be the last show of the week.

That's the problem with Smackdown.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

I'd aagree with all the responses so far.

Sly is right, Friday is a terrible night to try and gain fans or ratings because if people are going to go out in the evening, they're more likely to go out on Friday night, unless they have weird work schedules. I don't think the channel really matters, because if you want to watch a show, you'll find it and watch it. But if it's a choice between 'hitting the clubs with my friends who i haven't seen for a few days ' over 'watching SD!' which you could just Tivo or watch on Youtube on saturday, what are people going to choose?

I also agree with Jake about SD overall. I can handle a long winded promo that takes up 20 minutes. That's fine... as long as there's only 1. Not 3 or 4, but 1. 5 or 6 years ago, they'd start a show with the players in the money fued coming out and running their mouths at each other, maybe they scrap a little and then there'd be a match later. Everything else was a brief interview backstage with someone, maybe a funny segment that was no longer than 60 seconds, and that's all. The rest of the 2 hours consisted of wrestling, and as Jake points out, that's how SD is. Raw's full of 4 minute matches with shit endings with perhaps the exception of the ME, and the rest is all talk.

Finally, DJ-Lyrix is kind of right when he mentions the fact that usually, there's only 2 storylines on SD. TBH though dude, isn't that enough? If we had Jesse and Festus getting a 5 minute promo every week i think i'd stop watching SD altogether. Ok, yes they don't develop the mid card storylines. Yes rather than fueding, they just have the same guys wrestle each other every week.i.e. How many times have we seen MVP/Truth v Shelton/Chavo this month? But when you compare it to Santino describing the Honk-A-Meter for the 7th time for 5 minutes (if you cut out his entrance as well) followed by a 5 minute match, EVERY week on Raw, then i kind of prefer it that way.

I'd rather see MVP give a 30 second promo where he says he's going to beat Shelton for the US title, than have 10 minutes devoted to some crap reason like Shelton goes to MVP's house and rapes his pet Chiuaua, while wearing MVPs favourite tie, to gain extra heat for a match. I don't like the guy already, why do i care whose pets he rapes? (By the way, i do like Shelton and don't condone beastiality)

I honestly don't know what SD needs to get ratings. I don't watch either show anymore. Video packages before PPVs give me the gist, and if there's a match i read about that everyone talks about, i'll look it up on Youtube. But to make up for it, i do pay for all the PPVs (assuming i have to). But from what i remember it being like when i did still watch, then i agree with the guys above. They each make valid points

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Smackdown is on a bad channel on a bad night as most of the demographic they are trying to pull in don't watch TV on a Friday Night. A great option is to have Smackdown on the FX channel either Wednesday or Thursday night.

The other problem I see is that outside of the main-event, there are basically no storylines. Look at the U.S. Title for example. What is exactly the storyline? MVP wants his title back? They need some promos for it to be better but I believe it will be a good match. Smackdown doesn't need much talking as RAW takes that up and then some.

All that being said, I prefer Smackdown more than RAW as I lean towards wrestling and not entertainment. Smackdown has always had entertaining mid-card matches something that RAW is working on but hasn't gotten there yet. Smackdown doesn't have that 30 minutes of talking to open the show like RAW does and can have 3 or 4 decent matches in a night while RAW struggles to get 2.

 

[Rusty]

There are three major problems with Smackdown. 1) It's a on a terrible channel. 2) It's on a terrible night. 3) It's the last of 4 wrestling TV shows in the week (Raw, ECW, TNA, Smackdown).

I can't comment on the channel, seeing as I live in Australia where Raw, Smackdown, ECW and TNA iMPACT are all aired on the same channel. But from what I've heard, Smackdown is on MyNetworkTV which is a station that not many homes in the United States, have. I could be wrong though.

It's on a good night. If it was on Wednesday night, it wouldn't help matters. I mean, watching Raw, ECW and Smackdown in consequtive nights is a bit much. And that's excluding pay per views. On average, that's 5 hours of new wrestling over 3 consequtive nights. It's too much. And people will most likely forget about Raw by the time Wednesday night rolls around, seeing as they watched ECW and Smackdown just after Raw.

I fail to see how Smackdown being the final of the 4 weekly wrestling shows has anything to do with the overall appeal of the show. I mean, not everybody watches ECW or iMPACT anyway.

Put it on a different channel and on a different night, and things will change for Smackdown. Heck, just put it on Thursday night and go head to head with TNA. It'll garner more interest as it won't be Friday night when everyone goes out, plus people will have more incentive to watch and it won't be the last show of the week.

That's the problem with Smackdown.

Most wrestling geeks don't go out on Friday night anyway. It's shown on Friday afternoons here, so I don't have a problem. But generally speaking, Smackdown is in the right timeslot and on the right night, since it mainly appeals to children. The lack of major occurrances is what hurts the show the most.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I fail to see how Smackdown being the final of the 4 weekly wrestling shows has anything to do with the overall appeal of the show. I mean, not everybody watches ECW or iMPACT anyway.

2 hours is enough for anybody really. You can get everything you want from the sport in an hour. So long as it's a good episode.

By the time you get to Smackdown, and you've watched all the other WWE & TNA you're on your 6th & 7th hours.

Most wrestling geeks don't go out on Friday night anyway.

I guess I'm one of the cool ones.

 

[DJ-LyRiX]

Being from the UK, the network isn't the issue over here. I think SD is actually the #1 show over here. The thing with WWE and wrestling in general over here is that it is aimed much more at kids and teens than adults - you're basically shunned from social circles if you like wrestling at all when an adult..

I also don't think the amount of wrestling on in a week is an issue - I still think the main issue is the content of the show itself not being up to the STORYLINE standard of Raw.

 

[latinoheat8979]

After reading all the postings I agree with the crappy network and being aired on a bad night but for me the biggest problem with Smackdown is that it's not a live show. I never get excited watching SD because it's a taped show and they can edit it as much as they want. I do get excited when wathcing RAW because it is live and that makes it more exciting because you never know what can happen. Once SD goes live (if that ever does happen which i doubt) it would be more exciting to watch.