Category: Crackdown On Smackdown

So, in celebration of Kurt Angle’s farewell tour that sees him have matches with guys that he faced in TNA, I decided to DVR last night’s Smackdown and gave it a watch. Unlike RAW, this was a much easier viewing experience at a mere TWO hours. However, I’ve little to say on this show beyond the four points that I’ll bring up after the break.

Continue reading “Smackdown (March 26th, 2019) – Five Points Of Stuff”

Yeah, so I watched Smackdown via DVR. And well, let’s just call it one step closer to skipping Wrestlemania.

Was going to post a Slideshow Movie Review, but fuck it, I need to spend the one post on this.

Continue reading “Smackdown (March 19th, 2019) – He’s A Loser! Yes, He Is!”

Not going into super heavy detail for this one, but I just wanted to address a couple key points here and be on my way. Yes, I’m a little late to the party, but what else is new?

Continue reading “Smackdown (Nov. 13th, 2018) – Daniel Bryan Danielson Is Champion Again…”

It’s time for another Crackdown On Smackdown!

So I saw the 1000th episode of Smackdown, which was a mere 2-hour program whose opening segment was nothing but McMahons, featured a reunion of a stable that was a focal point of RAW’s worst years, and generally felt like any other episode of the show. For a show that’s going to be on the FOX Network next year and hitting their 1000th episode, this sure as hell didn’t feel like an important show. But then again, if WWE couldn’t be bothered to produce a worthwhile anniversary show for RAW earlier this year, then my expectations shouldn’t be (and quite frankly, weren’t) that high.

So much like that show, I’ll bring up five observations that came to mind when watching this show. I was going to save this for later on… but I ended up watching the show late last night and wanted to get this out of the way so I can have something more worthwhile later this week.

Continue reading “Smackdown (Oct. 16th, 2018) – The Crackdown On The Smackdown #1000 Or Something”

I swear to God, if that name isn’t already a regular feature on some website or web show somewhere, you’re all just a bunch of geeks.

In any event, in lieu of another TNA PPV, I decided to go back in time and check out the original pilot episode of WWF Smackdown from 1999. With Smackdown having aired its 1000th episode ever – and yes, I’ll offering some quick thoughts on that show when I get around to watching it – I thought it’d be pretty neat to give this show a watch and see where it all began.

Fun fact: This is the only episode of Smackdown to garner a TV-14 rating, which is the usual television rating for most WWF/E television programming until the full-on shift to PG programming. Other than this one show, Smackdown has always – ALWAYS – maintained a TV-PG rating and managed to produce some of the best wrestling and sports-entertainment weekly shows in the 2000s, thus curtailing any arguments that the TV-PG rating is an issue with modern-day WWE. It never was.

And because this is April 1999 and because it’s TV-14, this is a Vince Russo-penned program. Given that the second show came along and was a strictly PG show, I wonder if that had more to do with Russo leaving than just the second show and nanny comment in general.

Continue reading “WWF Smackdown (Apr. 29th, 1999) – The Pilot Episode”

This promotion is fucking stupid.

For anyone who missed this past Monday’s edition of RAW, know that I am envious of you right now. You did not bare witness to one of the stupidest storylines I’ve seen play out in this promotion in forever. The end of the program, which saw the entire RAW (& Smackdown) locker room walk out on HHH due to his leadership evoking what was described as an “unsafe working environment” where superstars and divas feared for their well being due to not knowing if they were in danger of being attacked backstage… you know, as something like this would happen on every show in WWE since forever?

But apparently, all of a sudden, these backstage attacks are cause for concern and ever since HHH took over leadership of WWE, things have gotten more dangerous and unsafe. And so, the decision was made to walk out on RAW. Everyone walked out; superstars, divas, announcers, camera crew, ring crew… everyone except the production people who knew precisely when to fade the show out on cue… or the people operating the lighting… or the few camera people who stuck around to film an extra bit after RAW went off the air… I don’t know; you’re not really doing this walkout gimmick any justice, are you?

So everyone walked on RAW and you wonder… “What happens to Smackdown? If everyone walked on HHH because WWE is unsafe, where does that leave Smackdown?”

Continue reading “Smackdown (Oct. 7th, 2011) – You Are Aware That He Runs BOTH Shows, Right?”

Some quick notes on tonight’s Super Smackdown show for Super NES:

– Yeah, that’s right. Open the show with a John Cena promo to make me tune out early. On top of that, you have Ricardo Rodrigues talk… boo. I didn’t even watch the Cena/Barrett match in its entirety. Only the tail end where Cena wins…

– By the way, Josh Matthews, you’re an idiot. “An amazing concept – Raw AND Smackdown superstars together!” WE JUST HAD THAT FUCKING SHOW YESTERDAY! Forget all the other times when superstars from opposite brands visit each other. Even THIS year! For fuck’s sake, man!

– Sin Cara beats Daniel Bryan Danielson in an okay match. Amazingly, Sin Cara didn’t botch his entrance… and I guess he’s a heel now because he just kicked Daniel Bryan Danielson down… yeah, way to push your MiTB winner.

– Oh no, a contract signing featuring HHH talking. RUN!

– Funny note; despite being supposedly portrayed as a monster Punjabi heel, the Great Khali is still wearing his Punjabi Playboy pants… yeah.

– Crap, they’re showing the trailer for HHH’s latest crappy movie. I think this video sums up the whole thing… and this was a full year or so before the movie’s release. Dang.

– Yeah, the steel cage match… great match for a TV main event. Loved the fake-out by Christian towards the end there. I mean, the ending was a foregone conclusion, but even so, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the match. For that, it was good enough. It’s a shame this feud’s over, though. I’d much rather see these guys headline several more PPVs than sit through one Mark Henry main event.

Overall, this was a much better show than last night’s RAW SuperSnore… not really saying much, though.

However, I now fear that CM Punk might be on the path to burial thanks to the involvement of Big Lazy and McSon-In-Law. I might shed some more thoughts on this in a future vlog, but suffice it to say that I’m now getting Summerslam 2010 vibes of Cena overcoming the odds when he really shouldn’t have. And it’s already bad enough that CM Punk is starting to look like a chump against a 50-year-old man who can barely walk without tearing a quad or two.

If you saw the Tuesday Smackdown Tuesday special that aired live, then you already know this stuff. If you haven’t, well, here’s what happened.

Continue reading “Smackdown (Nov. 11, 2005) – A Sports Entertainment Tribute To Eddie”