10 Things That Have Contributed To WWE SmackDown Live's Fall From Grace
5. Lazy Presentation Of NXT Acquisitions
This slide could have focused solely on Shinsuke Nakamura and how he's been booked since arriving on SmackDown Live after WrestleMania 33, but I believe fellow NXT graduate Tye Dillinger deserves to be brought up in this conversation as well.
The reactions they received on that post-WrestleMania edition of SmackDown would have made you think Nakamura and Dillinger were mega superstars, and in Nakamura's case, he is. Dillinger isn't exactly a future world champion, but there's no denying he's a beloved babyface and a very talented wrestler to boot, so to think he has done next to nothing of note in the four months he has been a part of the blue brand is mind-boggling.
For Nakamura, it's hard to complain about his SmackDown stint considering he owns victories versus Dolph Ziggler, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, and John Cena, but he doesn't currently feel as special as he should. He remains undefeated in singles competition, but whether it's because he has yet to contest a classic match on the main roster or because the dialogue he's been given to work with is lousy, Nakamura hasn't completely clicked yet.