#5 It reminds us of times gone by
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When I watched Smackdown this week I was instantly reminded of the early days of the attitude era. After their match-up at Wrestlemania 14, Kane and Undertaker’s relationship sunk to new lows. Kane and Paul Bearer even dug up the graves of Taker’s parents, set one of them on fire and choke slammed the Deadman into the other.
The camera zoomed into the coffin, showing worms, maggots and bones, shaking the viewing audience with fear and revulsion. In the scene involving Orton, we saw the same kind of gruesome imagery, and the whole thing felt a little unsettling. It was a refreshing change to be impressed by something other than in-ring work.
Being a fan of WWE today, it is hard to imagine ever returning to the days of TV 14, but there is something about this feud that is making us believe better days may be ahead. Smackdown is clearly indicating to us that they are willing to go places RAW isn’t.
Perhaps the very fact that RAW is the signature show means they are more restricted in terms of the product they are putting out. Smackdown has always been seen as the alternative show, and inclusion of older characters like Cena and Orton speaks to their desire to appeal to an older audience.
Maybe the reason Bray was added to the Smackdown roster was because we will finally be getting edgier content in the future? It’s a long shot, but the attitude era has never felt closer in the past 10 years as it did on Tuesday night.
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