15 Ups & 13 Downs For WWE In 2017

5. B-Show Blues

Team SmackDown Raw Under Seige
WWE

One of the 2016 WWE draft's biggest hopes was that it would finally restore parity between Raw and SmackDown by elevating the blue brand from its lowly B-show status, making it just as unmissable as its big red cousin for the first time years, and for a while, it worked.

SD was comfortably WWE's most enjoyable show in the draft's aftermath, with its ragtag roster of misfits elevated through ex-NXT writer Ryan Ward's expert storytelling. Sadly, those days are long gone. 'The Land Of Opportunity' is now a skippable husk of a show that offers little in the way of 'must see' content, having replaced its old ramshackle charm with tired WWE tropes, lacklustre pay-per-views, and a glut of tedious storylines.

SmackDown's B-show status was restored a long time ago, but it was rubber-stamped at Survivor Series, when team blue was soundly crushed by their Raw counterparts in the night's main event.

Unsurprisingly, much of these problems started when Ward was replaced as the brand's creative lead by Brian 'Road Dogg' James early in the year. If this personnel change is indeed the main reason behind SD's slump, the former DX man has much to answer for: he has torpedoed what used to be a fun, exciting show.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.