Smackdown Discussion Thread

[d-d-d-dAz]

Quote

Since when has Raw been "presented as legitimate contests amongst elite athletes." ? That's the exact opposite of Raw which is all about the entertainment aspect that Vince loves so much.  Trading victories is also the opposite of a legit sports presentation where people earn title shots and wins and losses matter.

I disagree.

Raw is nothing but endless matches, and the wrestling is easily the worst thing about the regular TV shows. It’s all so dry, long and plodding and needlessly highlights everyone’s skill set accordingly.

If Fox set a diktat saying they wanted genuine sporting contests, I guarantee that they’ll feel the need to present everyone equally. There’ll be no room for squash matches or absurdity. It’ll take itself ridiculously seriously. It’ll be fucking abysmal. Like a cross between golf and a DC movie. Dull and bleak.

Wrestling should be campy and fun, with a cast of characters that span every corner of the personality spectrum. Only within that context can something ever truly stand out. I want clowns who lose in 3 seconds as much as I want murderous badasses who main event for titles.

Taking itself seriously, alongside an obsession with legit professional sports-level athleticism, are the worst thing that’s ever happened to professional wrestling. It’s fucking shite.

That’s why I used to hate Cesaro so much, and coined the phrase ‘twat siren’, as he was the worst of both worlds.

[King Pitcos]

7 hours ago, dopper said:

My example was a scenario in which Bryan won the Rumble and went on to face Orton at WM30, and separately Batista paired off with Triple H in a mid-card match. I believe the fans would have cheered him and got behind him.

It's a good thing WWE didn't do that. Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton was hardly setting the world on fire when it happened for months on end in 2013.

[Egg Shen]

as hopeful as i am that a move to Fox may shake up the promotion and overhaul their god awful TV shows, im fairly certain the move will happen, time will pass and nothing will change.

[d-d-d-dAz]

10 minutes ago, Egg Shen said:

as hopeful as i am that a move to Fox may shake up the promotion and overhaul their god awful TV shows, im fairly certain the move will happen, time will pass and nothing will change.

Most likely the best take. 

Smackdown is currently quite interesting, but ultimately has fallow periods. Raw has been shit for a millennia.

My opinion is that Smackdown will start looking more and more like Raw. If it stays the same, that might actually be the best case scenario.

Wrestling will continue to be in this state though, as no network actually wants pro wrestling. They want a proxy-sporting product that they can a) rely on for ad sales and b) have the luxury of outcome manipulation to protect cash cows.

[Ambulance Chaser]

What the hell is wrong with Shane McMahon, he comes out and sweats profusely, seems constantly out of breath like an asthmatic child and is bloated to all hell.  He really makes me uneasy when he's on screen.

Can't wait to see who's crowned best in the world.

[Statto]

RE: Styles & Bryan, surely they mean “accidental contact”, not “incidental contact”?

[d-d-d-dAz]

This World Cup thing is so WWE.

I've lost count of the amount of times they've accidentally booked themselves into a cul-de-sac where they can't possibly deliver.

The only satisfying end to this is CM Punk returning. If whoever wins runs with 'BEST IN THE WORLD' as a catchphrase for a bit, they're just going to be hounded.

Nonsense.

[Mr Butternut Squash]

 Wow, the Rusev Day feud has gone down like a lead balloon. What do you do with Rusev now? Reignite the brief Almas/Vega thing? It's about time Almas won a feud really. 

The Lynch/Flair segment was decent until the beat down. The multiple camera angles completely took away from any organic feeling this could have had. These production quirks have been brought up here before, it's just baffling. Also feels like Crown Jewel is the event on Sunday coming out of this.

Rey looks great. I'm up for him taking the Best in world crown.

 

 

 

 

[GlennCullen]

3 hours ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

This World Cup thing is so WWE.

I've lost count of the amount of times they've accidentally booked themselves into a cul-de-sac where they can't possibly deliver.

The only satisfying end to this is CM Punk returning. If whoever wins runs with 'BEST IN THE WORLD' as a catchphrase for a bit, they're just going to be hounded.

Nonsense.

That sweet Saudi money could get the grumpy bastard back...

[Fatty Facesitter]

Not sure what's happened to my beloved Smackers for the last couple of weeks but haven't really been feeling it. Mysterio's return, as I predicted, already feels quite stale, I have no interest in Show's formation with The Bar, Orton seems to have lost momentum and English has been battered already. No issues with him getting beaten in the feud but I thought they'd at least string it out for a bit longer. I'm not disliking the AJ/Bryan stuff, but everything else just feels a bit flat to me after what had been a pretty interesting run before that. 

[WeeAl]

I absolutely got that feeling, especially this week. I don't know if they are feeling in a little bit of a holding pattern with the whole uncertainty surrounding the Saudi show, but things definitely are feeling a little lost all of a sudden, after a great spell.

Aiden really got the broken end of the brush shaft in this one. 

I could see Mysterio teaming up with Jeff on Smackdown. Almas would be an opponent I could see there being some chemistry with but I don't know who I would team him with. Orton and Nakamura both feel very much like loners, and I'm not sure Miz's character could allow him to be on equal pegging with a partner at the minute, but I guess he fits best. That still leaves Bryan/AJ/Orton/Nakamura and then an injured Joe for whatever length of time he is out, and possibly Rusev since it's clear he's finished with English already. Maybe they are just getting this Saudi show over and done with and we'll see the return to form of Smackdown in a couple of weeks. 

[Supremo]

I’d love it if Shane came out to Cult of Personality tonight. Scream “BEST IN THE WORLD!” as he comes to the ring. I feel like in front of a U.K. crowd that’d probably get some laughs. 

It’s going to be Shane McMahon vs. Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania, isn’t it? 

[WeeAl]

2 hours ago, Supremo said:

 

It’s going to be Shane McMahon vs. Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania, isn’t it? 

In a "Whoever gets the most concussions, wins" match. 

[Supremo]

Great edition of Smackers. One of those episodes that really highlights the crazy amount of talent the blue brand currently has.

For whatever reason, this co-captain silliness with Miz and Daniel Bryan has tapped into their chemistry far better than their blood feud earlier in the year ever did. Their interactions throughout the night were fantastic. It had everything, fun comedy, a good, logical story told throughout the night that gave the majority of the matches meaning, a great back and forth on commentary, then a genuine cliffhanger at the end. Really, really good stuff. I'm more convinced than ever that it's Bryan vs. Shane at Wrestlemania though. Shame.

Rey vs. Almas was really fun. They need to give these two a solid fifteen to twenty minutes on PPV before Rey inevitably gets injured.

I could watch The Usos vs. The New Day until the end of time. I love Kofi's mad trust dive he does to the outside.

Becky's the best. Another great promo and the video package they've made for her match with Ronda is fucking spectacular. They should put these two on last at Survivor Series. It's by far the biggest match. Nothing else is even close. I liked Becky referencing how she's the talk of the industry. Nice to see they're at least aware of the lightning in a bottle they've got with her. Nice to see Nikki Cross, too. I hope she's on Smackdown full-time now. If nothing else, having her on the main roster will help bring Sanity come back from the brink of irrelevance. But yeah; Becky, man. She's on another level to everyone right now.

Good main event. too. Any time Samoa Joe gets to look like a hard case I'm a big fan. Him posing in Bryan's face at the end was awesome.

It really is night and day between Raw and Smackdown at the moment.

[bigfoote]

Really enjoyed that. When it all clicks, WWE can produce a great show. From the "odd couple" of Bryan and Miz...weird, Usos and New Day being solid, with an unexpected but appreciated respect spot after; Joe being Joe, and heck, even the girls having something mildly interesting for once. Long may this continue.