Everyone knows that SmackDown Live has made some bad decisions over the past couple of months. Of course, when I say SmackDown Live, I actually mean WWE officials! With Jinder Mahal and Shane McMahon receiving pushes, the blue brand is doing worse by the day.
The Card for Hell in a Cell
While the card for Hell in a Cell is by no means confirmed, it is rumored that Shane will face Kevin Owens, while Jinder Mahal takes on Shinsuke Nakamura. While I am excited to see Nakamura and Owens, I am starting to get a little frustrated with the predictability of the brand and the people being pushed.
I have nothing but respect for Shane McMahon, because he has proven his worth among professional wrestlers for years. However, Shane is not really considered as a part of the roster or aiming for a title, so why would you take Owens away from an interesting rivalry for a fight with Shane? The end goal? Probably Shane jumping off the cell. As exciting as that may be, it does not bode well for the blue brand’s long-term plans.
Finally, I fear that Shinsuke Nakamura is going to lose again; this is if he is the one to face Mahal. If he loses again, does he have any credibility left on the blue brand? And why? To promote WWE in India.
India Strategy Failing
Despite the fact that the WWE is pushing Jinder Mahal like mad, and the fact that the entire show has more Indian influences in it, recent reports published in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter indicate that the subscriber count in India has dropped since Mahal won the WWE Championship in May.
Many claim that the push of Jinder Mahal has truly damaged the brand, not only in the eyes of European and American viewers but also the Indian viewers, which the WWE is desperately trying to reach. Of course, everyone can agree that the quality of Smackdown Live has dropped, no matter your opinion on the current rivalries and champions.
Poor Attendance
#SDLive product is doing well… pic.twitter.com/c5No0yysYL
— Ringside News (@ringsidenews_) August 30, 2017
Fans are obviously disappointed with Mahal as a champion, and this has been noticeable by the number of fans attending Smackdown Live. During this week’s SmackDown Live, the problem was painfully obvious with loads of empty seats, as posted by Pro Wrestling Magazine.
Cutting Costs Yet Paying High Amounts for Minimal Performance
Even though this is not only a problem on SmackDown Live, but also with part-timers on RAW (Brock Lesnar), some wrestlers get big pay days, while the WWE is cutting back on pyro and other things that make the product better for us fans.
A good example of the problem is a pay day of $2.15 million for Shane McMahon, who is also considered as a part-timer. In the meantime, Talking Smack and countless other shows get canceled, pyro disappears, and production values of both RAW, SmackDown and pay-per-views (Summerslam) are dwindling.
How do you see SmackDown Live at the moment? Are you excited for Hell In a Cell? Let us know in the comment section below!