SMACKDOWN LIVE SUPERTHREAD

Ridley

Would be nice if the draft had some, y'know, drama?

Aldis and Pearce picking same guy/gal at the same time?

Signing someone only for the other GM to choose them instead?

Trying to split the Bloodline up?

Letting the winner of a match choose where they want to be?

NXT champs aren't protected?

ThePott

Yeah the draft was kinda bleh. Doesn't help that half the time I didn't know who was on what roster anyway.

I think if there's a harder split going forward it could work but at the moment I'm barely any the wiser.

Maybe Monday will be more dramatic but aside from the Bloodline drama of not knowing who was drafted, there wasn't much intrigue.

Loughc

Found the whole thing bland to be honest. The best thing about Smackdown is the bloodline. Everything else is bland.

AJ Cody is just too obvious with the outcome. The final testament and the LWO Are factions I couldn’t care less about it

JP Liz V1

Do we think Nia could be added to The Bloodline now?

Roman returning "free agent" for any show?

CastorTroy

Anyone figure out what a MFT is yet?

But, yeah, as Ridley pointed out, how come both GMs aren't picking the same people if we're being led to believe the decisions are being made in the war rooms?

ThePott

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122070137#Comment_122070137

Moth** F***in' Tonga according to his Insta

CastorTroy

Supplemental draft:

• Alba and Isla moving to Raw
• Baron moving from NXT to Smackdown (though think he was actually a free agent)
• Cedric Alexander & Ashante 'Thee' Adonis staying on smackdown
• Ivar staying on Raw
• Shayna staying on Raw
• The O.C. (Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and "Michin" Mia Yim) staying on Smackdown
• Zoey Stark staying on Raw

Was curious about Ivar being drafted without Valhalla so checked to see if she'd been released again. Turns out she's pregnant so she'll be off.

Lord TSC

Removing the champions was a blow to the excitement. As was starting the show with Roman apparently just deciding he wasn't interested in the draft. I thought it was a great intro for Hayes, but overall, it missed the excitement of what makes the draft, which was a bit of unpredictability. It felt like most of the drafts were "X stays where they are!" which is boring.

Think they need to change the format, and do something where each brand are allowed nab 5-7 people, and just focus on the idea of stealing people from the other show.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122070895#Comment_122070895

The draft lottery was a better way than this draft shíte. I get trying to come off more sports like and jumping on the NFL draft as a way to get more eyes on the product but to the invested viewer it’s been a complete bust.

I got behind the idea they were spinning the wheels until the draft but after seeing Smackdown I think they’re just spinning their wheels. Punk, Rollins, Reigns and Rock all gone at the same time has massively hurt the product and I hate to say it but Cody is NOT the guy.

Now the story is finished he’s gone back to the who dusty’s kid stick. His promos are getting blander and blander. The bloodline was the more interesting aspect of his mania builds.

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122070666#Comment_122070666

You'd forget Cedric Alexander and yer man from that shite stable is still in wwe

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122071896#Comment_122071896

Sums up Cody well.

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122071936#Comment_122071936

Is Shelton gone?

I remember when champ Cena was a first draft pick for the other show, those days, the surprise, the pop, Melo really was the biggest draftee

ThePott

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122072147#Comment_122072147

Yep, Shelton is gone. He was actually just announced as an entrant in Progress Wrestling's Super Strong Style 16

CastorTroy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122072137#Comment_122072137

Left out the part about AJ's history with Dusty. Seems everyone who fights Cody was mentored by Dusty in some way.

Necro

It's not Cody's fault tbh, they've just not learned how to book a Babyface champ at all. Bayley has got the same problem as have Truth and Miz, they're starting off with opponents who are also goody two shoes in the main so there's no reason to care. Bayley at least now has some spice injected into her stories in Tiffany and now Nia.

AJ should be doing conniving, despicable things as a heel like he was vs Knight instead he's talking about respect and shaking hands. It's shocking booking. If you booked it on MyGM on 2k24 for a single match Triple H would be chastising you for how it's not a good idea so why on earth does he think it's feasible on the actual shows?

Genuinely though it's going to be this way now because of how many PLEs there are. If Cody is going to work them all we're going to get the same boring 'Dusty was your dad' builds.

I do not understand why they don't pull the bloody trigger on Randy Orton and have him absolutely destroy Cody to take him off shows for at least a few weeks, starting a lengthy blood feud with him that runs for a few months instead of hugging Kevin Owens in the ring fending off the wish.com version of the Bloodline.

Hate to say it but Romans schedule meant his appearances as champ actually added gravitas to the show, it made you want to tune in when he showed up. Rollins reign as the Babyface fighting champ also got stale pretty fast cos he was so overexposed. They've segued from Cody finishing the story to three weeks of Cody soaking in the moment cutting the same promo and holding the title like a baby with a full nappy(and HHH coming out at every opportunity to share the spotlight) and now have ten days to build to Backlash rather than setting proper feuds up. It's lazy. It's going to get worse as well because of the international schedule unfortunately.

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122070895#Comment_122070895

As soon as Triple H went into his "now listen here kids, the draft is about protecting what the brands have as much as gaining new stars is" spiel I knew it was going to be a complete and utter bust tbh. They basically spelled it out for us.

Ridley

AJ should be doing conniving, despicable things as a heel like he was vs Knight instead he's talking about respect and shaking hands. It's shocking booking. If you booked it on MyGM on 2k24 for a single match Triple H would be chastising you for how it's not a good idea so why on earth does he think it's feasible on the actual shows?

I think the other foot comes down with Styles during that face to face or whatever but I could really do with him hoofing Cody in the crotch to spare the world from another Rhodes kid banging on about the time his dad held a championship for a hot minute.

The White Wolf

AJ showing respect to Cody but not Knight makes sense to me. AJ can respect the grind Cody went through outside of WWE, while he thinks Knight is robbing a living.

I always expected Cody's first feud to be lukewarm, and I'd say they're just killing time before they begin whatever the big feud will be leading to Summerslam.

Think back to when Austin won the title for the first time, he was feuding with Dude Love!

We're at a stage where multiple major storylines have ended or are being recalibrated, so patience is needed.

Ridley

I kinda assumed Backlash would be preamble for The King and Queen of Cheese, with Rhodes/Styles first time evaaar for the French crowd. Even if Styles maintains the respect thing going into the PPV I imagine that'll go out the window when they have the match.

DM_7

AJ was going to attack Cody after the main event right?

How many attacks or backstabbing events do we need to see each week? Since Mania we have seen so many of them that it is actually nice to see something else.

WWE probably need to cool things a little in the main event so they can build for summerslam. Maybe Rock will be back or a big feud with Orton as mentioned above would be a good outcome. Cody having a few 'dream match type bouts' without huge intensity is probably the right call for now.

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122069463#Comment_122069463

Weird one alright - like, they showed these videos of the lads in the back room with the Raw team going mad that LA Knight was taken off the table for instance… would've made so much more sense for Raw's next pick in that round to have been Knight, and they have to scramble, instead of them having just picked someone else next anyway.

Also the fact it's clearly not done in order of preference kinda breaks the reality of it.

CastorTroy

Looks like Smackdown is live on TV at 6pm today here. Airs at the usual time in the States.

B.A._Baracus

They said a big announcement about next year's WrestleMania will be announced tomorrow.

Am pretty sure that's going to be that next year's Mania will be in London...

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122095051#Comment_122095051

Maybe and would fit the new rumoured 'May date'

Would Wembley not have some sort of 'gentleman's agreement with Neckbrace Tony' ?. Hardly be Twickenham or Spurs Stadium

JP Liz V1

The French want Roman

Itssoeasy

good show and the crowd were great. Getting a wrestle mania announcement tomorrow.

Itssoeasy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122095230#Comment_122095230

Wembley have an arrangement with the Jacksonville jaguars which is the other sports team the khans own. I know they had AEW last year but is it a block ?

Necro

#CrokerMania

🤣

RobbingBandit

If it can host the damn rugby it can host the showcase of the immortals

CastorTroy

After seeing the CatC prices, imagine how much Mania tickets would be.