Why It Sucked Smackdown was very much perceived as the 'B' show in the mid-2000s, by both fans and those internally within WWE. Despite having a roster full of talent, it just never received the attention it probably deserved. The blue brand's major shows were often full of filler and inconsequential matches, which obviously didn't help them either critically or commercially. Just a few weeks before the 2005 Great American Bash, the Raw lot had produced the thrilling Vengeance, a show which was roundly praised as one of the best of the year. The Bash, like its 2004 predecessor (more on that soon) was panned by pretty much everyone, as fans and critics found fault with the in-ring action and storyline developments. The biggest offended was the Undertaker versus Muhammad Hassan contest, of which much has already been written about. The match, Hassan's last, was a washout and had the stench of the terrorism-inspired angle clinging to it. Then you had a lousy Batista versus JBL main event, where it was clear the Texan wasn't pulling his weight. A poor start to Batista's Smackdown career. Further down the card you had bouts ranging from the mediocre (Benoit/Orlando Jordan & Christian/Booker T) to the downright offensive, such as the bWo versus Mexicools six-man and the 'new' Legion of Doom (Heidenreich & Animal) winning the WWE Tag Team Titles from the awesome MNM. Why? To cash-in on the release of the new Road Warriors DVD, of course! Just the worst. Did Anything Redeem It? Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero delivered a solid match, as they invariably always did, but it was hampered by a less-than-stellar crowd response and the whole 'Eddie's secret' storyline. As good as the action was, it wasn't good enough to save this stinker of a show.
