10 Ways WWE SmackDown Has Declined In 2017

SmackDown’s women’s division was one of the show’s big strengths following the 2016 draft. While Raw had most of the star-power, SD’s group stood-out through smart booking, and great individual storylines. Each wrestler felt like they had a clearly defined role and purpose, and while the matches didn’t always deliver, the storytelling was usually on-point.

Things have really fallen apart in 2017 however. Instead of concentrating on individual rivalries, the past few months have seen the writers squeeze the entire division into a single storyline, preventing anyone from standing out from the crowd. The result is a Women’s Champion in Naomi who isn’t half as over as the company would like, and an unclear title hunt, with the likes of Natalya and Carmella doing little to distinguish themselves.

SmackDown are trying to push everyone at once, and nobody gets over when that happens. There was a time when the women’s division had at least two or three ongoing stories at once, and that’s something they should try to get back to. Wrestling always more enjoyable when personalities are allowed to shine through, but nobody gets to do that if they're forced to share their paltry screen-time with five other people.