12 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2003

6. Roddy Piper Ruined Sean O’Haire’s Momentum

This sounds so strange to say, because it shouldn't have been the case, but putting the great Roddy Piper by Sean O’Haire’s side totally squashed Sean’s devil’s advocate gimmick. Initially, he began picking up wins after aligning with Roddy in April '03 and everything looked great, but then WWE released Roddy in June and things went off a cliff creatively for O’Haire.

He was relegated to Velocity and never got started again.

O'Haire's twisted gimmick had serious potential, and it’s fascinating to realise that putting him with a bonafide legend derailed things. Worse, it becomes clear from minute one when binging SmackDown. Piper was never going to bow out and let Sean do any of the talking (promos were 'Hot Rod's' thing first and foremost), and that was a real problem for the double act. O'Haire had been doing well on the mic solo too, and he didn't need someone to speak for him.

It was a disjointed package. WWE fans were thrilled to see Piper again, so they didn't want to boo him either. That visibly wobbled O'Haire, because he was trying to get a new heel gimmick going whilst his manager took nostalgia pops at ringside and gobbled up spotlight that really needed to go on the full-timer in-ring.

Piper was a lazy add-on for O'Haire, and an unnecessary one. It might've been better had Sean been traded to Raw so he could get the hell away from all of that Hulk Hogan/Mr. America stuff. Yes, he was sharing screen time with some of the biggest legacy stars of the 1980s and 1990s, but O'Haire wasn't the priority when he sorely needed that focus.