Yeah, I know, it's only been a few weeks of fire, but SmackDown Live has been giving RAW a rambunctious run for its rubles. No, I'm not really looking at the ratings -- though footballing and presidential debaternating have certainly taken their toll on RAW -- I'm declaring this so from a quality standpoint and giving SD Live a thumbs up and RAW a side-eye. Here's why.
And yes, I know that about a month back I wrote that SD Live was the weaker product. But the show post-Backlash has been great.
Firstly, RAW's still three hours. This will always be a sore point. It's just nearly impossible to keep our attention through an entire show, which causes third hour fatigue and an overuse of authority figures to keep the episodes moving. SmackDown, coming in at a much more digestible two hours, has its own challenges regarding how to properly utilize its roster, but it's quickly figuring it out. The tag team and women's divisions, respectively, seem to suffer the most as you can only really fit in one match for each. And if there is a second match, it's a non-match ambush. Like what happened between Becky and Alexa Bliss this week.
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And yes, I know that about a month back I wrote that SD Live was the weaker product. But the show post-Backlash has been great.
Firstly, RAW's still three hours. This will always be a sore point. It's just nearly impossible to keep our attention through an entire show, which causes third hour fatigue and an overuse of authority figures to keep the episodes moving. SmackDown, coming in at a much more digestible two hours, has its own challenges regarding how to properly utilize its roster, but it's quickly figuring it out. The tag team and women's divisions, respectively, seem to suffer the most as you can only really fit in one match for each. And if there is a second match, it's a non-match ambush. Like what happened between Becky and Alexa Bliss this week.
Continue reading…
Continue reading...