WWE SmackDown Wearing Out the Reset Button
By Rob Furness
Since the Superstar Shakeup, WWE SmackDown Live has been hesitant to progress storylines, often leading to pointless, never-ending rematches.
In the wake of the Superstar Shakeup, WWE SmackDown found itself in a precarious position. Their main event scene and many world champions, (including the next challenger to the WWE Championship, Bray Wyatt), were shipped off to Monday nights.
In what seemed like a whim, carefully crafted storylines had fallen to shambles, which permeated through the entire roster. While developing new credible threats to SmackDown’s championships as well as intriguing storylines, the blue brand seems to be idling in a state of limbo. As these stories continue to be crafted, superstars have been placed in increasingly familiar matches for seemingly no reason.
These aren’t simply rematches, but what seems like a hesitancy on the part of WWE booking or creative to fully commit to an angle or storyline, or their inability to adjust to storyline changes on the fly. Due to SmackDown’s reliance on the reset button, SmackDown has suffered significantly.
Perhaps the first step in rebuilding SmackDown to it post-draft greatness, took place on Sept. 5, when Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Randy Orton to become the new (and previous) #1 contender for the WWE Championship.