10 Things That Have Contributed To WWE SmackDown Live's Fall From Grace
1. Jinder Mahal Becoming WWE Champion
Jinder Mahal shouldn't be blamed for all of SmackDown Live's recent woes, but there is no denying that there is a drastic difference in the current quality of the show compared to when AJ Styles was riding high as WWE champion late last year.
Regardless of WWE's reasoning for wanting to push Mahal all of a sudden earlier this year, the fact of the matter is that they wanted to make a new star out of him by having him win the WWE Championship at Backlash. We're three months into his reign as champion and he has done nothing but bring down the blue brand during his time on top.
From his mediocre matches to his dreadful feud with Randy Orton, Mahal's WWE Championship run has been one flop after another. He deserves credit for making the most of what he's been given up to this point, but it isn't working, which is why making him a focal point of SmackDown has been a lame choice by the company.
Shinsuke Nakamura capturing the prestigious prize at SummerSlam won't salvage SmackDown overnight, but it would certainly be a step in the right direction in making the Tuesday night program great again.