Hard Hitter. Soft Talker. Ginger Beard. I use this as a place to talk about everything I can’t on my Letterboxd. Mostly I talk about Professional Wrestling.

Jul 27, 2016

The New “A Show” — Smackdown Live 26/07/16

I’ll be honest, when the draft first happened I was so sure Raw had just got out its shovel and buried Smackdown Live right at the offset. Raw (bearing in mind the fact that it was basically going in as the “A Show” from the offset) got practically the entire main event scene (sans Orton and Cena), exclusive rights to the Cruiserweight Division and basically all of Vince’s favourites. Meanwhile Smackdown in return got… a thin roster of failures and rejects.

But as evidenced on Monday’s Raw and Tuesday’s Smackdown, booking always wins. While many people have called Monday’s Raw “the best in years” I just don’t really agree with that. Yes the Charlotte Sasha Banks match was a MOTY contender but otherwise it was business as usual, only Finn Balor is now the one getting sweet nothings whispered in his ear by Vince and not a member of The Shield. It really it speaks volumes about the sad state of things that no matter what shit we’re given, if it means knocking a well liked wrestler backstage down a few pegs fans just eat that shit up.

And just like that, Smackdown Live is my new favourite show.

On the flip side Smackdown Live provided everything I could have asked for from the “new era”. Yes the matches were full of botches and not all creative decisions work as well as others but they have really made Smackdown Live seem like the land of second chances and untapped potential. You’ve got relics of a bygone era being given one last go of it, you’ve got work rate being valued again and you’ve got fresh starts for superstars who have had failed past pushes hanging over their heads for so long. You’ve got a brand that feels like it truly values its fans, values its superstars and looks forwards to the future. Raw remains a popularity contest and a vanity product for Stephanie McMahon and Smackdown Live just felt so wonderfully free from that.

More than anything, I can’t wait to see this Women’s Division in full swing, I want to see how the likes of Carmella and Bliss can grow when they get to work alongside greater workers like Becky Lynch and Natalya. Also how nice was it that Becky Lynch finally got a bone, with the first win in the new Smackdown Women’s division! Will Smackdown Live get the “Universal” Women’s Title? These ladies deserve it.

I dunno about you, but i can’t wait for Summerslam!

Bottom Line? This is, basically, awesome, if I’m honest. It also looks like Smackdown Live got exclusive use of Renee Young and when is that a bad thing?