7 Problems Plaguing WWE SmackDown Right Now
2. Underutilizing Deserving Talent
Why are Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn not in title feuds? Another question that hangs over SmackDown, as while the likes of Baron Corbin, Jinder Mahal, and Randy Orton take up the top of the card, there are so many dynamic, talented performers who are just becoming other guys on the roster, when it’s clear they are so much more than that.
Shinsuke Nakamura should not be wasting his time in a stopgap feud with Baron Corbin. Sami Zayn should not be concerning himself with Mike and Maria Kanellis’ load of w*nk. But here we are.
This is not to say every talented wrestler should be in the world title scene or whatnot, as that’s impossible. But to treat world-class talents like they’re just other people on a show is akin to when Bret Hart was in go-nowhere feuds with the likes of Jerry Lawler and Jean-Pierre Laffite in the mid-90s. It’s just a waste of their skills, and an indication of SmackDown’s messed-up priorities.