10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2005
WWE missed a blockbuster feud during one of SmackDown's most controversial years ever.
Batista was a made man by the time he ruled the blue brand landscape from mid-2005 onwards. He'd beaten Triple H in a feisty main event at WrestleMania 21 to become the new World Heavyweight Champion, and now he was moonlighting as The Rock from 2000 by turning SmackDown into "his show".
Life was good. Death, as always, was sad.
2005 was a year overshadowed by the passing of a true great. Eddie Guerrero left us in November, but 'Latino Heat' still managed to leave gifts wrestling fans would cherish forever beforehand. One of his finest hours is examined here, but there's also the rather spooky experience of reliving the legend's final match ever. It came against someone who was blowing up as a future headliner himself (or so everyone thought).
SmackDown switched from Thursday nights to Fridays in '05 too, and that wasn't strictly Vince McMahon's choice. UPN and WWE were on shaky ground a few times throughout the year, mainly due to one of the most controversial characters and one off angles the promotion would ever produce. Everyone involved surely regrets that now. Entire documentaries have been made about it!
McMahon knew he had some world class stars he could rely on (Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, Booker T, Chris Benoit etc), but he was also desperate to push some fresh faces who'd hopefully be every bit as successful as the likes of Batista and Randy Orton. Success varied, which is being kind to some aborted WWE projects they'd give up on by the time calendars turned.
Revisiting such a controversial year for SmackDown was packed with ups and downs. Here's everything learned.
10. 2005’s Draft Was Fairer To SmackDown
If you were looking for just three words to describe 2004's Draft, they'd be: 'SmackDown', 'got' and 'screwed'. The 'other show' was initially handed Triple H, but then Hunter decided he didn't want to work Thursdays and fancied sticking around on Raw. So, one of the bigger picks in the entire Draft was a total waste. Great.
2005 was way better for both brands.
John Cena jumped to Raw to become the poster boy, and SmackDown received the likes of Batista, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton and others in return. There was better balance to the roster separation on this occasion, which definitely hadn't been the case the prior year. Back then, it was blatantly obvious that SmackDown was the 'B' show next to Raw's 'A' tier status.
Admittedly, team blue did spend a few weeks in no man's land - Cena leapt to Raw on 6 June, and Batista didn't sign on with Teddy Long's show until 30 June. Being fair, WWE managed to mask that by asking who'd be joining the roster eventually, and by drip-feeding other picks like Benoit.
When binging, it was nice to see the show getting more love and being treated less like a secondary concern. SmackDown didn't get shafted like it did in '04, and the onus was now firmly on guys like Batista and Orton to fly the flag as bonafide stars on the level of others like The Undertaker or Kurt Angle. They'd relish that challenge for the rest of the year.
WWE can't say this often, but the 2004 Draft was a success.