Smackdown Evaluation

[Hektik 0]

As we all know Smackdown has become the WWE B show. If you look at both Raw and Smackdown it seems as if that is the intention. Lets face it, Raw holds a special place in the McMahon family heart and will probably never let Smackdown become the better show. That itself is a problem because Smackdown should be the show that most effort is put into. It is the show on network television (UPN barely makes the cut) and is seen in more homes than Raw. In a perfect world equal effort would be put into both shows but this is not the case. Every week JR refers to Raw as the flagship program of the WWE and Booker T refers to Smackdown as the minor league. On joint PPV’s the WWE puts more emphasis on Raw matches. The World title is constantly referred to as “the richest prize in the game” and is put ahead of the WWE title.

 

Smackdown at it’s current state does not even compete with Raw in terms of quality of writing. On Raw you have established stars like HHH, Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, Mick Foley (for now), and The Rock (when he comes by once a year). They have a returning Edge and newer stars like Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, and even Johnny Nitro who they seem to have big plans for. Smackdown needs big changes and when Judgment Day bombs maybe they will make those changes. For now, I am going to evaluate their roster to see what exactly can be done with the show.

 

Eddy Guerrero - The champion of Smackdown and the one carrying it on his back. As stated before by many people the problem is not him, it is his lack of challengers. He needs to stay champion until October where he would drop it (most likely to Kurt Angle). Eddy would recapture it at Royal Rumble then face HHH at wrestlemania 21 or put over John Cena at the show, but I‘m getting way ahead of myself.

 

John Cena - The US champion and future main eventer. Cena still needs time to improve in the ring so keep him in the US title picture for the rest of the year. His current feud with Dupree is fine for now. After Rene I would suggest a feud with a reinvented Charlie Haas.

 

The Undertaker - The newly turned Deadman Taker has few options. They never should have made him a Deadman again. Feed him Big Show (since Show will always be credible) and then feed him Bradshaw. I would suggest building up an Eddy Guerrero/Undertaker WWE title match at Summerslam to co main event with a Chris Benoit/Edge World title match. The only problem is that an Eddy/Taker match would be so much better if it was MMA Biker Taker.

 

Kurt Angle - He can not wrestle right now so there is not much you can do with him except keep him the GM. When he does return put him in a few short programs to build him up for Eddy.

 

Booker T - I know a lot of people like Booker T but I can not see him in a long main event program. His match with RVD should be saved for Judgment Day after that I would put him in a feud with Cena for the US title.

 

Rob Van Dam - Not much for RVD to do right now, but I would put him in the cruiserweight division and let him compete in there as the top star so Rey can get a break from competing in that division.

 

Charlie Haas - Haas needs to be repackaged with an Excellence of Execution gimmick. Have him become Kurt’s right hand man and have him win the US title from Cena later on in the year.

 

Big Show - He will be gone for awhile due to surgery. Feed him to Taker before his surgery and when he returns he will be his angry giant self. Have him go after Eddy and build off the fact Big Show destroyed Eddy last year and took his US title.

 

Chavo Guerrero - I can see Chavo being a big part at Judgment Day. As I said in another thread, have Chavo face Eddy at the PPV in a Hell in the Cell match. Some people might say that Chavo should not main event but 10 years ago Owen challenged Bret for the title in a Cage match at Summerslam.

 

Rey Mysterio - His time as the top contender in the cruiserweight division should be put on hold. He needs to move away from the division and compete in the tag team division. Team him up with Paul London and they will be the first part of a revitalized tag team division.

 

Rene Dupree - He needs to be a top contender for the US title. He has a good look, he has improved in the ring, and has great little dance.

 

Bradshaw - He should be nowhere near a main event. Have him face Eddy on a Smackdown and get it over with so Eddy can face Chavo, who at least has a long history with Eddy. Bradshaw can wrestle Holly and then be fed to Taker.

 

Mark Jindrak - It is obvious the WWE wants to push him hard. The problem with him is that he is very bland and I can not think of anything to spice him up. Maybe he should shorten his name to Jindrak and take on a Batista like character.

 

Paul London - I still say he got screwed when Spanky left. It has left him with nothing to do for the past few months. He should team with Mysterio and really build up there chase for the titles.

 

Billy Kidman - Have him become jealous of Mysterio and London ‘s success and chase after them. Have him “hire” Akio as his tag team partner and they will be the second part of a revitalized tag team division.

 

Dudley Boys, Too Cool, & The Bashams - They need to continue their role and round out the tag team division.

 

Jaime Noble, Ultimo Dragon, Shannon Moore, Nunzio, & Spike Dudley - They will round out the cruiserweight division. Build the division around Rob Van Dam and Ultimo Dragon as the top faces. Noble and Chavo will be the top heels.

 

Billy Gunn, Hardcore Holly, Rico, Orlando Jordan, Funaki, Johnny Stamboli, & Sakoda - Two words … Velocity Duty

 

What do you guys think? What should be done to help improve Smackdown?

[Guest JMA]

Rob Van Dam - Not much for RVD to do right now, but I would put him in the cruiserweight division and let him compete in there as the top star so Rey can get a break from competing in that division.

I don't much care for this idea. First off, Van Dam isn't small enough to be a cruiserweight. Second, the cruiserweight title is looked at as a minor belt and someone as over as RVD should not be competing for it. Third, there are many good cruiserweights that would get the shaft is someone as high-profile as RVD was put in the division. The belt needs to be built up like it was in WCW's golden years.

[Only The Strong Survive 0]

The Cruiserweight title is treated as an afterthought on the show that's treated the same way. What we need on Smackdown! is solid wrestling, more appearences from Eddie (being the champion and all), and more feuds based around titles. No more b/s racist, "he's doesn't pay taxes and neither do any of our viewers" angles, and more honest-to-goodness rivalries over belts. Give Jindrak some gimmick, ANYTHING to give him something more than his current angry wrestler persona. The tag division is impossibly damaged so don't even go there. We need to focus more on what makes Smackdown! different from Raw: cruiserweights and wrestlers who are all on par with each other. The titles shoudl separate the divisions, but it's obvious that the mid-card and upper card are esentially one entity. On Raw, that's not the case, but if the focus is switched things have the possibility to be so much better.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

The ONLY positive I could see if RVS is a CW Champ (yeah right) is jobbing to clean to someone who needs it, like Ultimo or Noble. Hell, give Shannon Moore a push.

[Hektik 0]

First off, Van Dam isn't small enough to be a cruiserweight. Second, the cruiserweight title is looked at as a minor belt and someone as over as RVD should not be competing for it.

He is announced at 220 and he has to be somewhere close to 210 realistically. The point of having Van Dam in the CW division is to give it star power while Rey competes in the tag team division.

[Papacita 0]

Booker T - I know a lot of people like Booker T but I can not see him in a long main event program. His match with RVD should be saved for Judgment Day after that I would put him in a feud with Cena for the US title.

If you intend on keeping Eddie as Champion until October, he'll have to work a program with Book at some point. Next to Show and Angle, he's the most established heel (in terms of name value) on the Smackdown roster and is really the only other guy who's over enough with the crowd to credibly work a ME program. With Angle out, Show leaving and with Bradshaw's character still in the building stages, Booker would be the most logical choice right now for a long standing ME program.

[NYU 0]

First off, Van Dam isn't small enough to be a cruiserweight. Second, the cruiserweight title is looked at as a minor belt and someone as over as RVD should not be competing for it.

He is announced at 220 and he has to be somewhere close to 210 realistically. The point of having Van Dam in the CW division is to give it star power while Rey competes in the tag team division.

With no chance for elevation. At that point, he would be even WORSE OFF than when he was stuck in the Intercontinental Title division on Raw.

 

Van Dam should be getting some of the High-Midcard/Main-Event spots on Smackdown right now. Not only because he still gets a damn good response from the fans, but because Smackdown lacks so much star power in the first place. Putting him in the Cruiser division wouldn't do anybody any favors.

 

What the Heavyweight Title division SHOULD look like:

 

Eddie Guerrero wrestles Booker T at Judgment Day. Beats him in a close contest. For Vengeance, Angle decides to give Chavo a shot - after some proper buildup of course. They could even put it in a steel cage or something to drum up some extra interest. Meanwhile, Booker T and RVD have a #1 Contender's match. Vengeance would be labeled a Double Main Event, and would also have a relatively good undercard as well. Eddie wins. RVD wins. Eddie and RVD fight for the Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam with a Face vs. Face buildup. Van Dam wins the title. Eddie wants it back. Now, we have a Main-Event program for No Mercy.....it could even be a gimmick match. We already know they can have a good Ladder Match together. And so on.....

 

There. Now we don't need to desperately push Bradshaw or Hardcore Holly into a Heavyweight Title feud. The title situations could be handled pretty easily if they tried. The way they're going about it right now though is just terrible.

[Guest JMA]

First off, Van Dam isn't small enough to be a cruiserweight. Second, the cruiserweight title is looked at as a minor belt and someone as over as RVD should not be competing for it.

He is announced at 220 and he has to be somewhere close to 210 realistically. The point of having Van Dam in the CW division is to give it star power while Rey competes in the tag team division.

I'm looking at his page on the roster and you're right -- he is billed as 220 lbs. The last time I checked he was being billed as 230-235 lbs. Maybe it was all the body hair...

 

In any case, RVD as a cruiserweight would be a massive de-push. He at LEAST deserves to be an upper-midcarder. Ideally, Van Dam should be a WWE title contender or be chasing a heel United States champion (perhaps Booker T).

[Scroby 0]

I would suggest building up an Eddy Guerrero/Undertaker WWE title match at Summerslam to co main event with a Chris Benoit/Edge World title match.

 

Where the hell did you get Beniot vs Edge from? The only way to do this is turn Edge heel and I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. Its most likely going to be Beniot vs HHH at Summerslam.

[Guest Choken One]

I would suggest building up an Eddy Guerrero/Undertaker WWE title match at Summerslam to co main event with a Chris Benoit/Edge World title match.

 

Where the hell did you get Beniot vs Edge from? The only way to do this is turn Edge heel and I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. Its most likely going to be Beniot vs HHH at Summerslam.

most reports have Benoit dropping the title to HHH at Bad Blood and Trips dropping the title to Edge at Slam...

[Scroby 0]

I've been reading Beniot vs HHH at summerslam.

[Hektik 0]

Where the hell did you get Beniot vs Edge from? The only way to do this is turn Edge heel and I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. Its most likely going to be Beniot vs HHH at Summerslam.

I never said Benoit/Edge was official. I said I would go that way. It would be face vs face with Benoit droping the title to Edge. Summerslam is most likely going to be in Toronto so they will both be faces.

[Scroby 0]

I never said Benoit/Edge was official. I said I would go that way. It would be face vs face with Benoit droping the title to Edge. Summerslam is most likely going to be in Toronto so they will both be faces.

 

 

OHHHHHHH my mistake. Sounded like you heard that was going to happen or not.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

I can easily see (on RAW) Benoit being champ until SSlam. Have him go over at Backlash by beating HBK (the one man he hasn't beaten), have a program with Kane which will be interesting to me, and then drop the title to HHH after Trips is done putting Edge over by pedigreeing him for 2 months.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

Chavo Guerrero - I can see Chavo being a big part at Judgment Day. As I said in another thread, have Chavo face Eddy at the PPV in a Hell in the Cell match. Some people might say that Chavo should not main event but 10 years ago Owen challenged Bret for the title in a Cage match at Summerslam.

 

Yyyyes, but Owen actually beat Bret, at Mania no less. Eddy/Chavo I was a squash and completely killed Chavo's chances of looking like a threat to Eddy.

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

I would suggest building up an Eddy Guerrero/Undertaker WWE title match at Summerslam to co main event with a Chris Benoit/Edge World title match.

 

Where the hell did you get Beniot vs Edge from? The only way to do this is turn Edge heel and I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. Its most likely going to be Beniot vs HHH at Summerslam.

most reports have Benoit dropping the title to HHH at Bad Blood and Trips dropping the title to Edge at Slam...

"Most reports"? Like which ones?

 

Don't make shit like this up because it just makes everyone look bad.

[humongous2002 0]

First off, Van Dam isn't small enough to be a cruiserweight. Second, the cruiserweight title is looked at as a minor belt and someone as over as RVD should not be competing for it.

He is announced at 220 and he has to be somewhere close to 210 realistically. The point of having Van Dam in the CW division is to give it star power while Rey competes in the tag team division.

With no chance for elevation. At that point, he would be even WORSE OFF than when he was stuck in the Intercontinental Title division on Raw.

 

Van Dam should be getting some of the High-Midcard/Main-Event spots on Smackdown right now. Not only because he still gets a damn good response from the fans, but because Smackdown lacks so much star power in the first place. Putting him in the Cruiser division wouldn't do anybody any favors.

 

What the Heavyweight Title division SHOULD look like:

 

Eddie Guerrero wrestles Booker T at Judgment Day. Beats him in a close contest. For Vengeance, Angle decides to give Chavo a shot - after some proper buildup of course. They could even put it in a steel cage or something to drum up some extra interest. Meanwhile, Booker T and RVD have a #1 Contender's match. Vengeance would be labeled a Double Main Event, and would also have a relatively good undercard as well. Eddie wins. RVD wins. Eddie and RVD fight for the Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam with a Face vs. Face buildup. Van Dam wins the title. Eddie wants it back. Now, we have a Main-Event program for No Mercy.....it could even be a gimmick match. We already know they can have a good Ladder Match together. And so on.....

 

There. Now we don't need to desperately push Bradshaw or Hardcore Holly into a Heavyweight Title feud. The title situations could be handled pretty easily if they tried. The way they're going about it right now though is just terrible.

That sounds 1000 times better than the heatless JBL main eventing a ppv,but instead of Chavo at Vengeance i would put the Big Show(since he beat Eddie for the US title last year) then have RVD be the #1 contender and turn him heel at Summerslam by defeating Eddie with Heyman's help.RVD as a heel champion against Taker,Eddie and Cena(you could even turn Angle babyface again but that will be another turn for him in one year) for the next ppvs.That Dangerous Alliance idea sounds like a sure moneymaker it's all up to the WWE to stop acting like crackheads.