18 Ups & 12 Downs From The WWE SmackDown Live Era
9. "The Land Of Opportunity"
A catchphrase that eventually (and perhaps inevitably) ceased to be true, the early days of SmackDown Live genuinely felt transformative for the careers of many struggling to break through with just one prioritised show per week.
Post-2016 Brand Split saw numerous stars shine brighter for their efforts on SmackDown live, with an aforementioned tag team wrestling revolution emerging out of matches between The Usos, American Alpha and unlikely duo Heath Slater and Rhyno. A main event scene populated by Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles was an internet forum fantasy scene brought to life for better and worse. A women's division stewarded by Becky Lynch welcomed a new space for Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Naomi and a returning Mickie James to get involved. Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon were unintrusive babyface authority figures and little else.
It was, briefly, the best of times.