10 Greatest WWE Smackdown Brand PPVs
The best of the blue brand supershows.
By 2004, it was clear that WWE favored Monday Night Raw over the pre-recorded happenings on their Thursday (and later Friday) night showcase.
The re-drafts started to favor Raw, most grand ideas would be saddled onto the A-show (particularly after its return to the USA Network), and Smackdown increasingly felt like dumping ground theatre for one-note developmental call-ups. If any such call-ups show promise, they can be brought to Raw, naturally.
One advantage of Smackdown obtaining this second-class status is that stubborn, overly-hands-on Vince McMahon began putting less focus on the show, which meant a little more freedom and less interference for the genuine talents on board. This was particularly true in 2009, when one show featured CM Punk's straight-edge messianic ramblings, while Raw became a parade of one disinterested celebrity guest host after another.
During the days of split pay-per-views, Smackdown made out pretty well for themselves, save for a lengthy run in 2004-05 where the brand felt really low rent (Great American Bash and Armageddon 2004 say hi). The pre-redraft period of 2003-04, and the hands-off 2006 run, were fine periods for the show, with some greatness sprinkled in between.
Smackdown may not have been the apple of WWE's eye, but it was a winner at times for fans that simply appreciate a good show.
10. Armageddon 2006
A rather unconventional card that featured a 'guest appearance' from John Cena in the main event (WWE's cry of "please buy this pay-per-view from a brand we've kinda relegated"), Armageddon capped off a sneaky-solid year from the blue brand, in large part thanks to a gimmick match sprucing that everyone came to enjoy, save for one of the participants.
A Paul London/Brian Kendrick vs. William Regal/Dave Taylor Tag Team title match was amended at the last minute to include The Hardyz and MNM for a four-team ladder match, in which Joey Mercury nearly had his face shorn off.
Nonetheless, it was an incredible bout, while other title matches pitting Chris Benoit vs. Chavo Guerrero (United States) and Gregory Helms vs. Jimmy Yang (Cruiserweight) bolstered the card. Not many shows begin with an Inferno (MVP vs. Kane) match, but Armageddon sought to overachieve.