10 Ways To Make WWE Smackdown A ‘Must-See’ Show Again
4. Make The Design And Look Of The Show Unique Again
When Smackdown debuted in 1999, it featured an oval Titantron and large metal rings expanding outward onto the stage. Fast-forward a couple years and there was the infamous giant fist smashing through the set wall. Since 2008, Smackdown has used the same universal HD set that Raw uses, just with different graphics. The result is an almost homogenous feel between the two shows. Even the ring ropes, which were blue for years, are now white, the same as Raw. If you were colorblind or had a black & white TV, would you be able to tell the difference? WWE should figure out a way to do something different for Smackdowns set. Cant the HD set be set up differently? Or without the entrance ramp? There also might be some parts of older sets that could be used to mix things up. It doesnt have to be the giant fist again (although it would be cool to pull it out of mothballs and use it for nostalgia), but some meaningful differences would allow the view to immediately feel like they are watching a different show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnK6G0fvsDA When fans tune in to NXT or TNA, they know they are watching a different wrestling program right away, and that sort of brand identity can help instill familiarity and loyalty. At the very least, a different-looking set would establish some visual differences, even if the show is Raws less attractive kid brother at times.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
