There's a recurring theme with Smackdown, wherein WWE repeatedly get bored of the idea of the second show and then have to hastily book something which shines the spotlight back on it. In 2008, the brand was sorely lacking in top stars that weren't The Undertaker, so McMahon made the decision to send his son-in-law over to help out. When Triple H was traded to Smackdown as part of the 2008 WWE Draft (remember that?), there was some surprise. Hunter had been such a focal point of Monday Night Raw for years, and it seemed impossible to imagine that he'd appear solely on the blue brand. That's pretty much what happened however, and better yet, HHH took the WWE Title with him to Smackdown. Probably due to the fact that Triple H was now on the show, WWE's writing staff started to pay more attention to Smackdown, and this led to a mini-resurgence of sorts for the often-ignored telecast. Jeff Hardy became a huge star in his own right, and even longtime announcer Jim Ross was drafted to the show in order to give it further credence.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
