Roundtable: SmackDown 1000

When did you start watching SmackDown?

David Gibb: The first episode.

Chad Gelfand: I started watching SmackDown probably around 2001, but I have vague memories of watching a little before then as well. I was indoctrinated early at just 4 years old!

Steven Jackson: I started watching SmackDown avidly in 2002 when my family finally got Satellite TV. It is well documented how good the show was at that point, and I religiously tuned into the program every week. That was the pinnacle of TV wrestling for me and I could watch that period on repeat until the end of time.

Anthony Mahalis: I started watching SmackDown on the very first episode. When I was a kid, I was ecstatic to have more wrestling on during the week. That’s when SmackDown was really good.

Juan Bautista: I started watching SmackDown in 2005 and it was a fun show for a few years. The cruiserweights were awesome: Gregory Helms, Jimmy Wang Wang, Chavo Guerrero, etc. The tag team division was top notch with Paul London and Brian Kendrick vs. MNM. The world championship scene was great, too, with Kurt Angle, Batista and Undertaker battling for the belt.

Sam Gladen: Shortly after SummerSlam 2005.

John Corrigan: Late 1999, probably December. But I remember my Pop-Pop reading an ad in the newspaper about the debut of SmackDown, basically encouraging me to check it out. When I became addicted to it shortly thereafter, I’d always remind him it’s his fault.

Jack Goodwillie: June 24, 2004, was the very first day I watched Smackdown, and in turn, became a professional wrestling fan.

Do you consider SmackDown the “B-show?”

Gibb: I think that the move to Friday nights relegated SmackDown to B-status, but during the McMahon-Helmsley Regime era, there was always must-watch storyline follow-up (if not development) on SmackDown. The show has been considerably stronger and tighter than Raw since coming back under the NBC/Universal umbrella in 2015.

Gelfand: I never considered SmackDown the “B-show” because when I was younger, Raw was on too late for me to watch in its entirety during the school year, but I could watch SmackDown and that’s how I initially got my wrestling fix. So, to me I’ve always preferred SmackDown over Raw.

Jackson: I have never considered SmackDown a “B-show.” Maybe back when SmackDown launched it was a “B-show” to the established Raw, but not now. It has created its own identity over 1000 episodes as the “blue brand” and both shows complement each other effectively.

Mahalis: It shouldn’t be the “B-show.” It has the overall superior talent. Yes, Raw has Rollins, Balor and KO, but just look at SmackDown’s roster: AJ, Bryan, Miz, Joe, Shinsuke, New Day. It is a gold mine. Yet, it is still treated as the “B-show.” We can’t even get a SD world title match as the main event of any PPVs, even when they very clearly should have been for some.

Bautista: At times yes and no. There are certain points in times where ratings would indicate it’s the “B-show,” but the booking would cement it as the “A-show.” When Raw was still two hours, there were times it was much better to watch SmackDown. As the original brand split ended, it became clear that SmackDown was a rich man’s Thunder. Even now with the brand split, it doesn’t seem either show has an edge, but Raw still gets better treatment in some ways.

Gladen: I never did as a kid and I definitely didn’t when I still kept up week to week with main WWE programming. I’m happy that it seems like the company felt that way, going so far as to mention it in Raw storylines because it seemed like they were allowed to be a little more free with the story lines, letting the wrestlers have fun.

Corrigan: I did when it moved to Friday nights and I stopped watching every week. But since SmackDown has gone live on USA, I find myself watching it more than Raw, which was unfathomable just three years ago. It has definitely surpassed its older brother.

Goodwillie: It’s not about what I think. It’ more about how WWE treats it. As Stone Cold put it, “You are what you eat. WCW fed me nothing me garbage. So I allowed myself to become garbage.” WWE has had a real fetish for making SmackDown go from mattering, to not mattering, back to mattering again on a month-to-month basis. Co-branded pay-per-views making a comeback certainly undermines the idea that SmackDown can be equal to Raw. SmackDown is arguably more marketable than Raw, too. The two-hour limit almost guarantees it to be the better show week in and week out, plus, it’s Smackdown! There’s something about that brand that has wide appeal. Right now, it’s the “B-show,” yes. That figures to change in about a year when the Fox deal starts up.

What’s your favorite match in SmackDown history?

Gibb: Oh, man. Remembering TV matches is really not my thing. The Kurt Angle-Brock Lesnar Iron Man Match has to be up there, though. It was basically an hour-long commercial for pro wrestling action and storytelling at a time when the audience was first starting to wane.

Gelfand: The “forgotten” TLC match. TLC III was PPV quality and it was crazy that they gave it away on TV with no build up. Even knowing that this was a last decision in the wake of Triple H tearing his quad, it’s crazy that this match even happened. But I’m certainly happy it did.

Jackson: Choosing a favorite match in SmackDown history is really hard as there are so many to choose from. John Corrigan’s list has a lot of my favorites on it, but I think my all-time favorite is one I put on Twitter recently. The match was from August 2003 and was a No.1 contender’s triple threat for the WWE Championship between Big Show, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker. Kurt Angle (WWE Champion at the time) was a guest on commentary and it is simply fantastic! One of the best big man matches and triple threats you will ever see, they went hammer and tongs for 15 minutes in a true slobber knocker. A real forgotten classic that deserves a lot more attention.

Mahalis: I have to go with HHH vs. Jeff Hardy for the IC title in 2001. No one gave Jeff a chance and that match was good from start to finish. It was exhilarating to watch Hardy take home the title against one of the titans of WWE.

Bautista: It would be Undertaker vs. Batista in a steel cage match for the world title, but my favorite match is a 20-man battle royal for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. The ring filled up and it wasn’t obvious who was going to win. Then Kurt Angle’s music hit. No one was expecting him to appear because he was on Raw at the time. Despite Mark Henry wreaking havoc, Angle overcame the odds to win.

Gladen: Any of the E&C-Hardy Boyz-Dudleys matches from the early 2000s.

Corrigan: Edge & Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit on November 7, 2002. Deep in the SmackDown Six era, these two teams left it all in the ring in this sensational two-out-of-three falls match. It’s thrilling tag team action at the peak of SmackDown’s popularity, when great matches between compelling characters were the norm.

Goodwillie: I have a real soft spot for both John Cena vs. Carlito matches and anything involving Eddie Guerrero, but the only correct answer here is Edge and Mysterio vs. Benoit and Angle. Benoit, to his credit, is perhaps the most underrated tag team wrestler of all time, as he was a party to the greatest tag team matches in the history of SmackDown and Raw. Bruce Prichard likes to say that Paul Heyman had very little to do with this era of SmackDown. I wasn’t there, but I’ll still disagree with that assessment to the end, as the compelling writing is the same blueprint for what made ECW great and it’s got Paul E’s fingerprints all over it. The storylines in this match overlap several times over, and it didn’t hurt that all four guys were en fuego in the ring at around this time. Nobody could touch this quartet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LCTUGEzz6c

What’s your favorite SmackDown moment/angle?

Gibb: I don’t know if this is cheating, but I was glued to the McMahon-Helmsley stuff that bridged Raw and SmackDown during the time Steve Austin was away recovering from neck surgery. Triple H and The Rock were both bringing the Shakespeare and the SmackDown every week for what felt like a year.

Gelfand: My favorite SmackDown moment is the “Addiction” promo that Eddie Guerrero cut on Brock Lesnar before their match for the WWE Championship at No Way Out 2004. That promo was so raw, authentic and emotional that’ll put it up against any other promo in wrestling history for the title of greatest promo.

A close second favorite moment would be Jeff Hardy’s WWE Championship celebration after winning it at Armageddon 2008. After following Jeff Hardy through the years and witnessing his ups and downs, I felt vindicated as a fan of his to finally see him win the big one. I’m hoping that I can recapture that feeling again with a Kofi Kingston WWE Title win, but that’s a story for another time.

Jackson: SmackDown moments again are really hard to whittle down to one as there are so many. But there is one moment that truly stands above them all. When Brock Lesnar and Big Show broke the ring! Ordinarily in WWE, an event of this magnitude would take place on PPV. However, thanks to Paul Heyman being at the helm and understanding the power of TV pro wrestling, this piece of wrestling history took place where the whole world could see it…and never forget it!

Mahalis: How can it not be Stone Cold following Booker T all night from church to the supermarket? That was absolutely phenomenal stuff. Let me get some more of that Grey Poupon.

Bautista: Miz’ meltdown on Talking Smack. He was a champion and felt disrespected, so he went off on Daniel Bryan. Although it wasn’t on SmackDown, it became the most talked about angle on the show.

Gladen: My favorite SmackDown angle was the Jack Swagger and Vicki Guerrero U.S. Title run.

Corrigan: Billy & Chuck’s wedding. It’s the greatest swerve in wrestling history.

Goodwillie: I don’t know as there’s too many to choose from, but Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero dominate them. Remember when Kurt Angle staged a midget attack with a little role-playing as John Cena in a Mark Brunell jersey? How about when Eddie got cavity searched by the gay doctor, “Dr. Barnett.” (An insider rib on Jim Barnett, btw) How about Sexy Kurt? How about when Eddie gave the Big Show diarrhea? Then there’s the milk incident with Kurt and Brock Lesnar, plus Eddie’s promo on the aforementioned Lesnar, which come to think of it is probably my favorite promo of all time. So that’s probably the answer. But there’s so much substance here. Remember the custody hearing for Dominick Mysterio, or when Kurt Angle battle rapped John Cena or when he cost Eddie the WWE title? Take your pick of course, but I’ve gotta correct myself. It’s undoubtedly Eddie’s “Addiction” promo on Brock Lesnar before No Way Out 2004.

Who is the MVP of SmackDown?

Gibb: The Rock. It’s his show, after all.

Bautista: As far as being a permanent fixture for a long period of time, it has to be The Undertaker. While you have the SmackDown Six or other guys that have solidified the brand, Undertaker has been the constant. He has had rivalries with Randy Orton, Batista, Mark Henry, Edge, you name it.

Jackson: Much like the last two questions, trying to decide an MVP of SmackDown is a tough job, made even tougher by the amount of great wrestlers who have been part of the show. Due to his significance in SmackDown history and the amount of amazing matches he took part in, Kurt Angle has to be my pick. His SmackDown run in 2002 is enough to justify him being the MVP, but when you add in the rest of the early 2000s and 2003 onward, he cannot be touched!

Mahalis: You know, I have to go with The Rock. He hasn’t been on a SmackDown in a century, but without him there is no SmackDown.

Gladen: The SmackDown MVP is Bautista. He made that show.

Corrigan: Undertaker. Since the pilot episode where he helped form the Corporate Ministry, there is no man more synonymous with SmackDown than the Deadman. Sure, he hasn’t been seen much since 2010, but think about the decade prior: Undertaker was a constant presence, either competing in the title scene or putting up-and-comers in their place. Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy, Muhammad Hassan, Batista, the list goes on and on, all mere mortals trying to bury the original big dog.

Goodwillie: Longevity, drawing power and big moments are what make a SmackDown MVP. Let’s start with the SmackDown Six. Eddie WAS synonymous with SmackDown in his day, and I couldn’t have imagined him on Raw, but sadly his career was cut short. Benoit is not a guy I associate with any one brand. Any time Chavo got run as a singles competitor, it was just lacking. Edge, as good as he was, did not really peak until he went to Raw, which leaves Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio as options, and then The Undertaker, too.

The Undertaker became completely synonymous with the show for 10-plus years, but what hurts him is probably how little he actually wrestled on the show. A typical Undertaker feud on SmackDown was four weeks of mind games, maybe one quick match thrown in here or there, and then a high-stakes pay-per-view match, usually ending in shenanigans to set up the next pay-per-view bout. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Meanwhile, Kurt Angle left WWE in 2006, but wrestled virtually every week on network television and when he wasn’t wrestling, he was the acting general manager or involved in some memorable angle or moment. It’s a similar situation for Rey Mysterio, but maybe even more so because of SmackDown formerly being the home to the Cruiserweight Championship, which sort of makes not only Mysterio synonymous with the show, but also his brand of wrestling. Just look at John Corrigan’s list of the greatest matches in SmackDown history. Mysterio makes the grade eight times and Angle six, with both guys sharing the ring in three of those matches. You can really go either way here, but I’ll give Rey Mysterio the slight edge for his exploits in the cruiserweight division. But if you prefer Kurt and his Angles (muh muh muh), I have no problem with that either.