10 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2002
9. Early Days Post-Draft Were Rough
The first ever WWF/WWE Draft happened on 25 March 2002. However, the 28 March edition of SmackDown still featured workers from both major brands. The actual brand split didn't come into effect until the following week's TVs, meaning the 4 April episode was technically the first with a strict/bespoke roster. Oh boy, what an enlightening experience it was.
Top names like The Rock, Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho helped pull the blue brand along, but the undercard pack was seriously rough. For example, on 4 April, you had Albert and Scotty 2 Hotty working as a so-called babyface tag-team opposite Billy and Chuck. They split on that show, but fans had already decided that they definitely did not view the 'Hip Hop Hippo' as a 2002 replacement for old Too Cool pal Rikishi.
Elsewhere, matches like Hardcore Holly vs. Maven proved to be a waste of everyone's time. It'd take a while for SmackDown to find its groove after the brand split. Raw was in the same boat, being fair, but the focus here is on Smackers and it...was a bit of a struggle. A fascinating one, in retrospect and for a nerd like the dude penning this piece, but it's no wonder ratings were starting to tumble a bit.
The roster blatantly needed some fresh stars. WWE would introduce those shortly, but it definitely took them a while to iron out how to sprinkle enough interest throughout the lower card mix. Holly vs. Maven was just not going to cut it for most fans tuning in.