For more than a decade, Smackdown has served as a two-hour taped program, that in the past, WWE pretended wasn't pre-recorded. But the show was and is taped on Tuesdays and aired later in the week. The show currently airs on Syfy however, WWE's television contracts have expired and WWE is reportedly considering airing Smackdown live going forward. Moving the show to a live format could greatly benefit Smackdown, which has grown stagnant over the years. The most recently aired episode of Smackdown averaged fewer than 3 million viewers compared to Raw's most recent episode in which the show averaged over 4 million viewers. The difference can partly be attributed to the fact that Raw is live while Smackdown is not. The potential drawbacks for Smackdown becoming a live show are added expenses from live programming and the inability to edit any mishaps that may occurbe it either a botched spot or eliminating segments for timing issues. But those are minor considering the enormous benefits of going to a live format, such as higher ratings and lack of spoilers. The move also helps rid Smackdown of being looked at as Raw's ugly little sister. Smackdown is Solange to Raw's Beyoncethey're both famous, but you clearly prefer one over the other. The reasons for continuing to watch Smackdown are quickly diminishing. Not only is the show an hour shorter than Raw, but much of Smackdown consists of Raw rematches or recaps. Not to mention top stars like John Cena rarely, if ever, make appearances. This has conditioned fans to believe that if it doesn't happen on Raw or a pay-per-view it isn't important. Smackdown is like NXT in that it seems to operate in its own universe. Very rarely is it promoted or even acknowledged on Raw. This article will examine ten ways in which a live Smackdown makes the show more prestigious and infinitely more interesting.