So with the Smackdown Live Special on USA came a lot more viewers than usual. This undoubtedly brought eyes to the benefits of ONE NXT writer on Smackdown over the deficiencies of Vince's entire staff of stooges. We also saw the benefits of a 2 hour wrestling show. There was very little filler and lots of fast paced action. I'll point out a couple of things to get you started.
Starting Off The Show With a Bang
This is something we haven't seen since Jericho vs. Wyatt in the Steel Cage, which would've been forgotten had it not been for the Slammys. The anticipated in ring return of Roman Reigns was put on first to juice up the crowd and keep them hype throughout the entire night. Right after that, we immediately transition to the premier feud of Ambrose and Wyatt. This feud has seen the most progression on Smackdown, therefore being one of the most anticipated segments on the show. Crowd is still hot and the writers have effectively told you that you're not going anywhere. How does this differ from RAW? There's no awkwardly drawn out 20 minute opening segment that advertises a main event you don't want to see after you've sat through 2 and 1/2 hours of horseshit.
The Divas Title Felt Like It Mattered
Naomi's winning streak has been rewarded with a Divas Championship opportunity, which also ties into the Miz/Uso feud. This does two things in making Naomi look like a worthy competitor and furthering storyline. Eden makes the Divas match feel important with a special announcement, and the girls get a good 6 minutes to wrestle before the inevitable distraction roll up. Naomi still looks strong because she wasn't flattened by Nikki's rack attack and she has the excuse of her husband's interference to fall back on. THIS is the time you use distraction roll ups because they aid storyline. It's been wasted on weekly stupidity up until this point, which takes away from the power of it.
Ziggler vs. Rollins
Now, we've seen this about 20 times this year, but they FINALLY made it seem like it mattered. Instead of having Ziggler and Rollins walk to the ring and fight with no explanation, Ziggler comes out and challenges Rollins fresh off his IC title win and Rollins smugly accepts. This lays the groundwork for overconfidence being his downfall after J & J Security is removed from ringside. In a shocking turn of events, Ziggler wins and leaves the fans with that feel good feeling as the show goes off the air.
Starting Off The Show With a Bang
This is something we haven't seen since Jericho vs. Wyatt in the Steel Cage, which would've been forgotten had it not been for the Slammys. The anticipated in ring return of Roman Reigns was put on first to juice up the crowd and keep them hype throughout the entire night. Right after that, we immediately transition to the premier feud of Ambrose and Wyatt. This feud has seen the most progression on Smackdown, therefore being one of the most anticipated segments on the show. Crowd is still hot and the writers have effectively told you that you're not going anywhere. How does this differ from RAW? There's no awkwardly drawn out 20 minute opening segment that advertises a main event you don't want to see after you've sat through 2 and 1/2 hours of horseshit.
The Divas Title Felt Like It Mattered
Naomi's winning streak has been rewarded with a Divas Championship opportunity, which also ties into the Miz/Uso feud. This does two things in making Naomi look like a worthy competitor and furthering storyline. Eden makes the Divas match feel important with a special announcement, and the girls get a good 6 minutes to wrestle before the inevitable distraction roll up. Naomi still looks strong because she wasn't flattened by Nikki's rack attack and she has the excuse of her husband's interference to fall back on. THIS is the time you use distraction roll ups because they aid storyline. It's been wasted on weekly stupidity up until this point, which takes away from the power of it.
Ziggler vs. Rollins
Now, we've seen this about 20 times this year, but they FINALLY made it seem like it mattered. Instead of having Ziggler and Rollins walk to the ring and fight with no explanation, Ziggler comes out and challenges Rollins fresh off his IC title win and Rollins smugly accepts. This lays the groundwork for overconfidence being his downfall after J & J Security is removed from ringside. In a shocking turn of events, Ziggler wins and leaves the fans with that feel good feeling as the show goes off the air.