SmackDown Live!'s post-Superstar Shake-up roster looked uncharacteristically stronger than Monday Night Raw's, perhaps due to shrewd analysis from WWE that the USA Network were getting itchy feet about even continuing to air the blue brand when the company's current contract ended.
They were right to worry.
USA agreed to pay bucketloads for a new Monday Night Raw deal, but SmackDown Live! was no longer part to be part of the arrangement. WWE now have to shop it to the best bidder, but a weekly show ostensibly loaded with star appeal and talent stands a greater chance of helping the company land in a relatively safe television space.
Furthermore, there are now performers that could be considered genuine 'draws'. A strong (as yet unconfirmed) house show attendance on a Thursday in Newcastle, England certainly implied that at least most of the roster had a certain appeal. Most of them, anyway...
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
