How SmackDown On Fox FINALLY Became WWE's A-Show
Ratings needn't be everything if you're a fan rather than a WWE stockholder or advertiser, but they should be something. Despite how same-y the show often feels, awful numbers invariably leads to change which invariably leads to something happening in front of the camera for the sole purpose of serving the many masters behind it.
Like most entertainment vehicles (and certainly all of wrestling), the figures plummeted in the wake of people picking news or Netflix for their indulgence/escape from the world outside, but Fox's billion dollar baby gradually stabilised in the post-WrestleMania period. Several SmackDown storylines played out in the run up to and follow on from the 'Show Of Shows', and this rare show of continuity from the company seemed to yield a bit of audience loyalty as a result.
WWE chose the go-home edition of the show to have two stories converge as SmackDown's hacker revealed the plot that ripped Fire & Desire apart ahead of Mandy Rose's romantic reunion with Otis days later. This provided a payoff and the next chapter, which fed into a ratings-drawing battle between Deville and Rose weeks later as well as Otis' unlikely Money In The Bank victory. Deville spun off into a side programme with Lacey Evans that has featured Rose running interference as the 'Pride Fighter' looks to batter all the blondes on the blue brand. Tucker's return this week served as a reminder that Otis had pledged to use the briefcase cash-in on tag gold, despite Mandy's side-eyes towards Braun's belt later that night. The hacker remains mysterious, but we know he's always watching, even if both Tucker and Mandy seem to have forgotten.
A story that started in 2019 continues to develop and move and spiral in ways that has clearly motivated all the performers too. The creative is only half the job done if the workers don't make it work, and vice versa. But the synergy between both sides in the good stuff on SmackDown feels evident, not least in a Women's Title programme that's grown into WWE's best story of 2020.
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