Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Robert DeFelice, Tony Mango, and Callum Wiggins will be giving their thoughts on SmackDown as it hits 1000 episodes!

SmackDown hit 1000 episodes this past Tuesday and it was a fun show overall, but what were our favorite parts? For that matter, what are the best SmackDown matches ever? Let's discuss…


WIGGINS: The most memorable SmackDown match to me has to be the Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar Iron Man Match from 2003. I've always held that 60 minutes is the right length for a match built around endurance, as many standard matches nowadays go 20+ minutes anyway. And these were two of the most gifted wrestlers of the era working at the top of their game, putting together an epic clash that really checked all boxes. A close runner-up is the Kurt Angle/Chris Benoit vs Edge/Rey Mysterio 2-out-of-3 falls tag team match.

MANGO: To be perfectly honest, I can't remember at all. There is so much content to digest all the time that I tend to defrag my brain when it comes to remembering all the matches that go on, particularly if they're on television, as I'm bouncing around doing the coverage so much that I can't fully pay 100% attention to them. I don't remember having any Match of the Year candidates on SmackDown from the past few years, though, so if I had been watching from 2000-2006 when I took a break, I'm sure it would have been something from that era.

DeFELICE: There are no better TV matches to me than the classic 2002 No Disqualification Match between Edge and Eddie Guerrero on SmackDown. That matches almost Flawless and it made such an impact on me at the age of 9. I suggest that everybody go on the network and watch that match sometime soon because it's just that great. It really put Edge on the map for me as well as a singles competitor.


DeFELICE: I think Edge was used very well in his attempts to relate to Becky Lynch and her obsession with being champion. I also have to give a lot of credit for Evolution for just changing the air of the room when they walked out and had the brief time they did on the mic. The only negative I have to say is how much it really exposes the current generation for not being good on the mic.

WIGGINS: Without a shadow of a doubt Evolution were the stars of SmackDown 1000, and the standout among them was Batista. Never known as a strong mic worker, Batista absolutely nailed his promo segment, entertained the crowd, reintroduced himself to WWE, and built a likely marquee match for WrestleMania 35. Not bad for one promo, equatable to Goldberg's impassioned promo when he returned in late 2016.

MANGO: The only positive was Evolution. Edge was kind of a non-factor and the segment with Teddy Long, Vickie Guerrero and John Laurinaitis was beyond superfluous and not even fun enough to excuse how lame it was. Batista is the only one who managed to elevate the show in any capacity and he was the standout from the whole program, even.


MANGO: I'll echo the other thoughts below, that this depends on how they're influenced by Fox. There's a good chance going to that network gives them the motivation to improve drastically, or they're held more accountable and FORCED to upgrade things. If they get a third hour, a deeper roster, and more of a sports-aesthetic, there's a good chance they could overtake Raw, but if they're continually booked as they always have, with SmackDown being less of a focal point, there's no way it happens.

DeFELICE: This 100% depends on the move to Fox next October. I do think SmackDown for a brief period of time will become the A-Show because of the reach of the Fox Network and the importance of that deal. There are already rumors that Fox wants SmackDown to be more of a sports-like broadcast and I expect to see big things from the blue brand next year.

WIGGINS: This depends entirely on the implications of the TV deal with Fox. As a network program, SmackDown will have the potential to reach a significantly wider audience than Raw, which means WWE will have to start taking it more seriously to maximize this potential.

While I don't think WWE will ever allow SmackDown to overtake Raw in terms of importance or legacy, I believe they could make changes to differentiate the brands enough that instead of an A-Show and B-Show, we are treated to two varied shows of similar quality.