Time for a change to WWE's TV lineup

[RedRegan1005]

If you've seen the Paul Heyman documentary, then you might remember that he described SmackDown perfectly. He said that, "It's the bitch show." That is spot on, especially in the recent years. The Brand split is over, there is only 1 world title, and WWE puts most of their effort into producing three solid hours every Monday night for RAW, even if at best only 2 of those 3 hours are good. These kind of things have led to WWE not putting as much focus on Smackdown. It doesn't help that its on Friday Nights which isn't the best night for TV.

So to get to the point, If I was WWE I would dump smackdown from its weekly cable lineup for something else that has become my personal can't miss WWE show sense this Summer. That show is NXT. If their gonna do a have ass job on SmackDown, then why pay for the building, or the trucks, and equipment. Just air NXT instead. It wouldn't cost them anymore, in fact it might save them money. They could still shoot it at Full Sail in the NXT arena, which even when taped, has a much smaller, yet much livelier crowd then Smackdown usually does. So they save on having to rent the building, and they might even save on TV negotiations sense they are only getting 1 hour of TV time.

Costs aside though, the NXT product has just been very good and much more entertaining compared too Smackdown, and some weeks even Raw. It would also be a great way to get the stars of tomorrow out their in front of an Audience larger then that of the WWE Network. So that way when they make their main roster debut on Raw a lager percentage of the crowd would now who they are.

Now I know that one of the downsides would be WWE might like using NXT to attract people to the WWE Network to, but they could keep the NXT Takeover Live Specials on the Network on Sundays like their PPV's. I can say with total honesty that if I wasn't already subscribed to the Network prior too NXT Takeover: R Evolution, I would have immediately put down my $9.99 to see it. And I feel like many people may have done the same thing if NXT was being shown weekly on cable. Smackdown never does anything to change my interest in upcoming WWE PPV's cause it always comes across full of repeats and filler, and as I side half assed.

Don't get me wrong I love the Rock, and it will be a slight bummer to see the Peoples Show leave, but I'm a bigger pro wrestling fan and feel that WWE has more to gain from airing NXT weekly on TV for that one hour compared to the two hours they get from Smackdown. If WWE wants to keep Smackdown then just move it to the WWE network, heck if I'm correct they film Smackdown and Main Event, which is on the Network, in the same arena on the same day.

How about you guys? Agree? Disagree?

 

[lil steroid meat]

I think it would be cool to have one hour of NXT on Thursdays followed by one hour of Smackdown.

8-9: NXT

9-10: Smackdown

NXT is the rookie show; Smackdown is for mid carders and lower tier main eventers. Everything now has a purpose and you're more inclined to watch both shows because it's nonstop action now that both rosters are only given one hour. Pointless shit like Adam Rose and Fandango would not be on this new condensed Smackdown. Corny shit like that is cool to give the live crowd a good family show, but there is no reason it has to make it to TV.

3 hours of RAW and 2 hours of Smackdown is just too much. WWE's writing right is not compelling enough to justify that and hell, if we had all that during the Attitude Era, maybe shit would have gotten old quick.

Make RAW two hours while we're switching things around. Less is more.

 

[hollowpoint]

First off, I have to disagree on getting rid of Smackdown, or replacing it with NXT for a couple reasons in which I will go into later. The WWE is doing a terrible job of developing storylines that aren't apart of the main event. You have 2 maybe 3 storylines and the rest seems more thrown together on a dart board or some type of wheel. Raw is 3 hours long. Even for a dedicated fan, that is too much; especially when the quality of the show isn't up to par. I mean who cares about an Adam Rose/Kane squash match? I know I don't. There are too many matches like that where shit is thrown together to keep the show moving.

I do agree that Smackdown is watered down to say it nicely. Between the lack of talent and the terrible booking, this show gets dumped on now to an extent to where it's unwatchable. That being said, canceling Smackdown isn't the key, nor is replacing it with NXT. They need to influx the Blue Brand with the NXT talent that is on the cusp of being called up (The Ascension, Neville, Zayn, Corbin, Balor, etc.). Smackdown should be treated as a promotion from NXT, not the other way around. As bad as Smackdown is now, a demotion would only make the show worse.