Post by hbk on Apr 11, 2007 20:13:58 GMT -5
Where To Next For SmackDown?
I must admit that the next few months is a real test for WWE's Friday brand. This has come about due to the possible culmination of a couple of feuds at WM23, injury, as well as roster depletion. Although, I may be getting a little ahead of myself when it comes to the latter factor, as I am presuming they will lose Matt Hardy to Raw due to the title situation. That may not actually be the case, but I am going to presume it since it could be awkward to have 2 sets of tag champs wrestling on the same show. And please hold off on the merging of the tag-team titles suggestions. I will believe that when I see it.
Looking at the main-event scene of SmackDown, I was initially confused with all of the King Booker involvement on SmackDown last Friday, but have since learnt that it was all for naught anyway. Unfortunately, Booker has been made to take a couple of months off apparently due to niggling knee injuries. While this may not seem to be a major issue on the face of it, when you couple it together with the probable loss of Matt Hardy, you leave quite a big hole in the SmackDown roster, not to mention a ready made above-average midcard feud right there.
It's difficult to believe that The Undertaker vs Batista feud will not continue for a little while yet. I think this is the best decision for the brand, but do make that statement conditional on the fact that the WWE cannot get in any way lazy with the booking of the feud. If they just allow such a feud to wobble along unconvincingly & without imagination, then I can almost assure you that the fans reaction to the feud will drop off alarmingly. I'm not necessarily saying that Batista must turn heel, but the dynamic between the 2 must be kept up. I liked the way they began on Friday when Batista came to the ring with so few words: "Congratulations... I want my rematch". And then he just left. Good stuff there!
Of course, there will be some fans that want Ken Kennedy to immediately go after The Undertaker's (or even John Cena's) title. I can't put into words how bad of a move this would be. Kennedy must use his Money In The Bank contract situation to improve his character even more... To get him up to main-event level overness if you will. As JBL has stated over the past few weeks, he must play on the fact that he picks his spots. He must play mind games (even with Cena & Lashley if wanted) & most importantly, he must deliver a handful of killer promos along the way. To be honest, I wouldn't have him even take part in a feud for the next 4-6 weeks!
The U.S Title situation between Chris Benoit & MVP looks set to continue, and so it should after their good showing at WrestleMania. I would keep having MVP play (for want of a better term) mind games with Benoit during his matches to the point where Benoit wants to rip his head off. Have that climax into a big title match (that I'd actually place as a main-event of a SmackDown episode) where Benoit snaps & lets his emotions get the better of him. This should result in a MVP title win.
Not long after that title match (preferably within a week), Mr Kennedy could make some sort of a thingyy indirect comment towards Benoit which would then see the Crippler lose total control & begin what could be the feud of the summer that would keep Mr Money In The Bank busy until he cashes in on his contract towards the end of the year! If this feud occurs, MVP could go on defending his U.S Title against someone like Matt Hardy, who would hopefully be free to wrestle some singles matches by June if the scheduling allows for it.
Elsewhere on SmackDown, you have some fairly ready-made feuds in the 2 lower divisions. Paul London & Brian Kendrick should continue to feud with Deuce & Domino in my opinion, with the rookie heels most probably winning the WWE Tag-Team Championships somewhere along the way. Meanwhile, in the cruiserweight division, I don't think that anyone would be against a Chavo Guerrero vs Jimmy Wang Yang feud. In fact, given some time & effort, that feud could be very good.
Who does that leave out? Kane & Finlay. Hey presto, there is another feud! Of course, this presumes that Finlay remains a heel. Despite many fans feeling that he would turn face prior to WrestleMania, I initially thought that it would be a given that he remain a heel. But now, with the level of positive fan reaction that Hornswoggle is attaining, even I am not so sure. But I still think it is safest to keep Finlay a heel for now & a feud with Kane will suffice. In fact, it could be better than it appears on paper actually, as Kane has often had his better matches against technical mat wrestlers, where a strong storyline is involved in a bout.
Hmmm, that is only 5-6 feuds for SmackDown & that may be one short. Maybe having The Hardyz win the World Tag-Team Titles wasn't the wise way to go. But then again, if it favors Raw over SmackDown, then it's a good idea for the WWE... Isn't it!?!?!? I can see them filling the void with one or two filler feuds that most of us will hate (probably involving The Boogeyman and Ashley). But I can also see SmackDown filling the void with loans from the other 2 brands. While it may have initially been simply a way to sell WM23, I can actually see chosen wrestlers floating from brand to brand within the next 2-3 months. I am talking about the likes of Matt & Jeff Hardy, and Bobby Lashley. And this may be enough for SmackDown to fill the plugs until Rey Mysterio returns from injury & is immediately placed at just below the main-event level.
So, looking at the big picture, SmackDown may be the WWE brand that is found wanting in the next few months to put together enough feuds to fill it's programming time. Yet, that is the brand which has repeatedly fought the odds of injury & roster depletion for the past 2 years now, so I have actually got faith in it's remaining roster getting the job done. Of course, if the rumors are true that Chris Benoit is heading to Raw soon, that may very well change things more than a little!
I must admit that the next few months is a real test for WWE's Friday brand. This has come about due to the possible culmination of a couple of feuds at WM23, injury, as well as roster depletion. Although, I may be getting a little ahead of myself when it comes to the latter factor, as I am presuming they will lose Matt Hardy to Raw due to the title situation. That may not actually be the case, but I am going to presume it since it could be awkward to have 2 sets of tag champs wrestling on the same show. And please hold off on the merging of the tag-team titles suggestions. I will believe that when I see it.
Looking at the main-event scene of SmackDown, I was initially confused with all of the King Booker involvement on SmackDown last Friday, but have since learnt that it was all for naught anyway. Unfortunately, Booker has been made to take a couple of months off apparently due to niggling knee injuries. While this may not seem to be a major issue on the face of it, when you couple it together with the probable loss of Matt Hardy, you leave quite a big hole in the SmackDown roster, not to mention a ready made above-average midcard feud right there.
It's difficult to believe that The Undertaker vs Batista feud will not continue for a little while yet. I think this is the best decision for the brand, but do make that statement conditional on the fact that the WWE cannot get in any way lazy with the booking of the feud. If they just allow such a feud to wobble along unconvincingly & without imagination, then I can almost assure you that the fans reaction to the feud will drop off alarmingly. I'm not necessarily saying that Batista must turn heel, but the dynamic between the 2 must be kept up. I liked the way they began on Friday when Batista came to the ring with so few words: "Congratulations... I want my rematch". And then he just left. Good stuff there!
Of course, there will be some fans that want Ken Kennedy to immediately go after The Undertaker's (or even John Cena's) title. I can't put into words how bad of a move this would be. Kennedy must use his Money In The Bank contract situation to improve his character even more... To get him up to main-event level overness if you will. As JBL has stated over the past few weeks, he must play on the fact that he picks his spots. He must play mind games (even with Cena & Lashley if wanted) & most importantly, he must deliver a handful of killer promos along the way. To be honest, I wouldn't have him even take part in a feud for the next 4-6 weeks!
The U.S Title situation between Chris Benoit & MVP looks set to continue, and so it should after their good showing at WrestleMania. I would keep having MVP play (for want of a better term) mind games with Benoit during his matches to the point where Benoit wants to rip his head off. Have that climax into a big title match (that I'd actually place as a main-event of a SmackDown episode) where Benoit snaps & lets his emotions get the better of him. This should result in a MVP title win.
Not long after that title match (preferably within a week), Mr Kennedy could make some sort of a thingyy indirect comment towards Benoit which would then see the Crippler lose total control & begin what could be the feud of the summer that would keep Mr Money In The Bank busy until he cashes in on his contract towards the end of the year! If this feud occurs, MVP could go on defending his U.S Title against someone like Matt Hardy, who would hopefully be free to wrestle some singles matches by June if the scheduling allows for it.
Elsewhere on SmackDown, you have some fairly ready-made feuds in the 2 lower divisions. Paul London & Brian Kendrick should continue to feud with Deuce & Domino in my opinion, with the rookie heels most probably winning the WWE Tag-Team Championships somewhere along the way. Meanwhile, in the cruiserweight division, I don't think that anyone would be against a Chavo Guerrero vs Jimmy Wang Yang feud. In fact, given some time & effort, that feud could be very good.
Who does that leave out? Kane & Finlay. Hey presto, there is another feud! Of course, this presumes that Finlay remains a heel. Despite many fans feeling that he would turn face prior to WrestleMania, I initially thought that it would be a given that he remain a heel. But now, with the level of positive fan reaction that Hornswoggle is attaining, even I am not so sure. But I still think it is safest to keep Finlay a heel for now & a feud with Kane will suffice. In fact, it could be better than it appears on paper actually, as Kane has often had his better matches against technical mat wrestlers, where a strong storyline is involved in a bout.
Hmmm, that is only 5-6 feuds for SmackDown & that may be one short. Maybe having The Hardyz win the World Tag-Team Titles wasn't the wise way to go. But then again, if it favors Raw over SmackDown, then it's a good idea for the WWE... Isn't it!?!?!? I can see them filling the void with one or two filler feuds that most of us will hate (probably involving The Boogeyman and Ashley). But I can also see SmackDown filling the void with loans from the other 2 brands. While it may have initially been simply a way to sell WM23, I can actually see chosen wrestlers floating from brand to brand within the next 2-3 months. I am talking about the likes of Matt & Jeff Hardy, and Bobby Lashley. And this may be enough for SmackDown to fill the plugs until Rey Mysterio returns from injury & is immediately placed at just below the main-event level.
So, looking at the big picture, SmackDown may be the WWE brand that is found wanting in the next few months to put together enough feuds to fill it's programming time. Yet, that is the brand which has repeatedly fought the odds of injury & roster depletion for the past 2 years now, so I have actually got faith in it's remaining roster getting the job done. Of course, if the rumors are true that Chris Benoit is heading to Raw soon, that may very well change things more than a little!
