SmackDown Live has rightfully earned the moniker of “Land of Opportunity” ever since the brand split last year. Organic storytelling, focus on character development and the unscripted feel of Talking Smack elevated the WWE’s blue brand. There was a unanimous feeling that SmackDown Live was the better wrestling show than RAW.
However, post-WrestleMania, the Superstar Shake-up has seen the blue brand struggle. It has been more than a month since the Shake-up and SmackDown Live is yet to rediscover its mojo.
This stumble can be attributed to a multitude of reasons and here are the top 5 problems which encapsulate them.
#1 Continuity loss
Prior to WrestleMania, Bray Wyatt was the WWE Champion and engaged in a long storyline with Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose held the Intercontinental Championship belt, Alexa Bliss was the de facto no.1 in the Women’s division and the Miz was involved in a storyline with John Cena along with their spouses.
After the Superstar shake-up, Wyatt moved to RAW and his rematch with Orton, who won SmackDown Live’s top title at the Showcase of Immortals, was poorly handled.
Furthermore, Ambrose, the Miz and Bliss were transferred to RAW while John Cena went on a hiatus. Even crowd favourites Heath Slater and Rhyno joined the red brand leaving only AJ Styles as the top wrestler on the roster.
Thus, a majority of the best performers who received a real boost left the brand. These changes in personnel hit the blue brand hard.
RAW Superstars to the rescue then?
#2 Delayed arrival of RAW superstars
When the blue brand lost their firepower, it was imperative for them to get the new Superstars from RAW to kick-on right away. While Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Jinder Mahal and Charlotte Flair went right into the thick of things, a few big assets are yet to be seen.
First up is the New Day, who hold the record for longest WWE Tag Team title reign. This year’s WrestleMania hosts are one of the most loved stables and their combination of entertainment and in-ring ability gets crowds everywhere on their feet. However, they have only made one appearance so far, on Talking Smack.
Also Read: SK Exclusive: The Real Reason Why Rusev Wasn't On SmackDown LIVE
Secondly, Rusev has been severely underused on RAW and SmackDown Live received a great worker with the potential of a main-event heel. However, he has been negotiating for a title opportunity from the sidelines with the blue brand’s commissioner Shane McMahon.
His wife Lana is set to make an in-ring debut soon and so far, her visibility is through video packages.
The delay in the arrival of these RAW Superstars has prevented SmackDown Live from softening the blow of losing most of their top stars to the red brand.
So, what about using the existing ones well?
#3 Improper use of existing roster
The current roster definitely has the quality to lift the blue brand from its struggles. However, their build has not been organic and therefore their characters do not seem fully fleshed out.
Furthermore, we have been denied a proper pay-off when it comes to Breezango, despite the fact that they are completely over with the WWE universe.
Baron Corbin was destined for big things prior to WrestleMania. While that could still happen, he has currently stagnated and is on a mini-losing streak to Sami Zayn. AJ Styles and Kevin Owens are at the beginning of their rivalry, while Jinder Mahal’s push to win the top title from Randy Orton feels rushed.
It would have helped the brand if Owens-Styles were feuding for the WWE Championship while Jinder Mahal held the US title. Furthermore, Orton has not been given a proper character to work on, as his act remains the same.
Shinsuke Nakamura has been received with rapture at every arena since his debut. However, the King of Strong Style is playing a traditional babyface in his matches so far, instead of playing to his strengths which helped him gain popularity in Japan in the first place.
His first opponent on the show, Dolph Ziggler continues to be criminally underused despite continuing to draw a reaction from the crowd.
Also Read: Steve Austin explains why The Nakamura-Ziggler Match did not live up to his expectations
The women’s division does not have a top heel yet. With the departure of Alexa Bliss, the squabbles between them continue. Charlotte and Becky Lynch are faces for now, with a possible heel turn from either of them in the near future. It cannot come sooner for the ailing brand.
Well, as the new characters build up, how about focussing on champions?
#4 Champions lost in the mix
When wrestlers become champions, one would expect them to hold sway over the audience and stand above their peers. The champions on SmackDown Live have been the exact opposite since the shake-up.
Randy Orton as a face WWE Champion had no legs, as the Viper does not need the belt and it has been proven true the other way around as well. Jinder Mahal as a surprise champion definitely has shock value but he could have been booked better.
In his recent Punjabi-style celebration of his championship win, he received cheers due to the novelty of the celebration. Thus, the heel promo he delivered later did not resonate as well as it should have.
Also Read: 5 things Randy Orton can do to become relevant again
Kevin Owens and AJ Styles are currently embroiled in the best storyline on the blue brand, purely for what they bring to the table. Their performances are slowly but surely elevating the US title. Tag team champions, The Usos, have really owned their heel run but Breezango have cast a bigger shadow over them.
Finally, Naomi demonstrates her champion status only occasionally with the focus primarily on Becky Lynch as the women’s division is split into two factions. The lack of spotlight on the titles and their holders, while they are dominated by other wrestlers or factors, impede their progress.
The General Manager to the rescue then.
#5 Daniel Bryan’s absence and much-needed return
One of the secrets behind SmackDown Live’s success over the past year has been their General Manager Daniel Bryan. He is adored by the WWE Universe and his part in enhancing characters and organic booking of matches felt fresh compared to the Authority-driven approach of the past few years.
His rivalry with the Miz despite being in an administrative role was lapped up by everyone. Furthermore, Bryan is one of the biggest reasons for the success of Talking Smack, a truly unique product in the sense that it felt uncensored and unscripted.
The blue brand’s GM formed a formidable team with Renee Young as stories were built even on the talk show. Therefore, his absence has affected the Tuesday show.
Daniel Bryan has been off-air for several weeks now, owing to the birth of his daughter with Brie Bella. Shane McMahon, who replaced him on Talking Smack does not have the same impact or ability as the former WWE champion.
Daniel Bryan is an important cog with his underdog history in the ring and the natural charm he brings to the role. He has been sorely missed. With Birdie finally arriving, expect the leader of the Yes Movement to be back right around Money in the Bank or after the PPV.
It is still not too late for SmackDown Live to rectify these issues. The show has delivered spectacular storylines with great wrestling since the brand split. So, the team can definitely do it again and baby steps are already being taken in that direction. Everyone will once again hail the blue brand soon!
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