Official Smackdown thread

[futballiscool]

Gunter vs Nakamura was great. More stuff like that please

It was a good match. I like the effort by the new regime to return the prestige of the midcard titles. Really looking forward to Lashley/Styles on Monday too

 

[wildturkey]

It was a good match. I like the effort by the new regime to return the prestige of the midcard titles. Really looking forward to Lashley/Styles on Monday too

They're probably just doing it because Roman has both top belts but I'm hoping they'll keep it up once they go back to have two "top" belts again.

 

[futballiscool]

They're probably just doing it because Roman has both top belts but I'm hoping they'll keep it up once they go back to have two "top" belts again.

That could be part of the reason but I noticed Michael Cole selling the importance and lineage of the title before the match, presumably at the instruction of HHH. The match also main evented the show. When I first started watching wrestling it was held by either the best worker in the company or a future world champion 90 percent of the time. I hope they're making the IC belt mean something again.

 

[The Q]

That could be part of the reason but I noticed Michael Cole selling the importance and lineage of the title before the match, presumably at the instruction of HHH. The match also main evented the show. When I first started watching wrestling it was held by either the best worker in the company or a future world champion 90 percent of the time. I hope they're making the IC belt mean something again.

Yeah looking at the mid to late 90s how many of the IC champs with even moderate reigns didn’t get the belt?

Jeff Jarrett and razor Ramon off the top of my head

But even guys like bret, hbk, diesel, all had the belt before the big belt


To be fair to the far superior former head of wwe, he had styles bryan close a smackdown that was pretty fucking epic. Arguably match of the year caliber

 

[futballiscool]

Yeah looking at the mid to late 90s how many of the IC champs with even moderate reigns didn’t get the belt?

Jeff Jarrett and razor Ramon off the top of my head

But even guys like bret, hbk, diesel, all had the belt before the big belt


To be fair to the far superior former head of wwe, he had styles bryan close a smackdown that was pretty fucking epic. Arguably match of the year caliber

Even Jarrett technically won the world title in the dying days of WCW. Razor was the first member of the NWO so he went on to something even bigger than a world championship. In the WWF he was a credible main eventer too.
I started watching in the late 80s/early 90s so I think of Honky Tonk Man and the Mountiee as really fun characters but kind of novelty midcarders who had a run with the belt but 9 times out of 10 it was either a legendary in ring performer, future world champion or both

 

[The Q]

Even Jarrett technically won the world title in the dying days of WCW. Razor was the first member of the NWO so he went on to something even bigger than a world championship. In the WWF he was a credible main eventer too.
I started watching in the late 80s/early 90s so I think of Honky Tonk Man and the Mountiee as really fun characters but kind of novelty midcarders who had a run with the belt but 9 times out of 10 it was either a legendary in ring performer, future world champion or both

Yeah, just meant Jarrett didn’t win the wwf big belt after being the ic champ. It wasn’t a spring board for him.

Hall easily could’ve been. But he was ironically overshadowed by his other Kliq mates

 

[futballiscool]

Yeah, just meant Jarrett didn’t win the wwf big belt after being the ic champ. It wasn’t a spring board for him.

Hall easily could’ve been. But he was ironically overshadowed by his other Kliq mates

I mentioned Jarrett's run because there were a couple other IC champions who never held the world title in WWF but became world champion in Crockett/WCW when it was a legitimate 1a/2 promotion. Steamboat never held the WWF world title but had major runs against Flair in the NWA right after he dropped the IC belt. Rick Rude had a run as world champion in WCW in the early 90s. I still view them as former world champions even if it wasn't in the WWF. It'd the equivalent of winning the AEW world championship now.

In shoot interviews Hall would always say W/L, belts etc were irrelevant. He was all about getting paid. I think that's partially why he never won it. He never politiced for a championship run but he always felt like a main eventer the 2nd half of the 90s

 

[The Q]

I mentioned Jarrett's run because there were a couple other IC champions who never held the world title in WWF but became world champion in Crockett/WCW when it was a legitimate 1a/2 promotion. Steamboat never held the WWF world title but had major runs against Flair in the NWA right after he dropped the IC belt. Rick Rude had a run as world champion in WCW in the early 90s. I still view them as former world champions even if it wasn't in the WWF. It'd the equivalent of winning the AEW world championship now.

In shoot interviews Hall would always say W/L, belts etc were irrelevant. He was all about getting paid. I think that's partially why he never won it. He never politiced for a championship run but he always felt like a main eventer the 2nd half of the 90s

That….makes a whole lotta sense for hall.

And I don’t blame him. But typically those do go hand in hand.

 

[futballiscool]

That….makes a whole lotta sense for hall.

And I don’t blame him. But typically those do go hand in hand.

I agree.

It's usually the case. Hall was an exception. His best angle pre-NWO was probably losing to 123 Kid (Waltman) on an early episodes of Raw. It turned Kid into an immediate legitimate midcarder. It got Raw as a show over because they took the Jobber vs Star formula everyone had seen on WWF programing for years on Saturday mornings and turned it on its head on Monday nights. In the long run it probably started Hall on his path to being one of the biggest babyfaces in the company months later.

He also famously did a job on Nitro for cruiserweight era Jericho without permission from Bischoff. Hall really didn't care about that stuff

 

[The Q]

I agree.

It's usually the case. Hall was an exception. His best angle pre-NWO was probably losing to 123 Kid (Waltman) on an early episodes of Raw. It turned Kid into an immediate legitimate midcarder. It got Raw as a show over because they took the Jobber vs Star formula everyone had seen on WWF programing for years on Saturday mornings and turned it on its head on Monday nights. In the long run it probably started Hall on his path to being one of the biggest babyfaces in the company months later.

He also famously did a job on Nitro for cruiserweight era Jericho without permission from Bischoff. Hall really didn't care about that stuff

Whcih makes it weird that he was in the Kliq

That’s so, unKliq like when you look at the legacies of the golden and platinum shovels,’plus nash

The 123 kid thing was great for all the reasons you mentioned.

They tried to strike lightning twice using that angle with Barry Horowitz a few years after that and it failed miserably

 

[futballiscool]

Whcih makes it weird that he was in the Kliq

That’s so, unKliq like when you look at the legacies of the golden and platinum shovels,’plus nash

The 123 kid thing was great for all the reasons you mentioned.

They tried to strike lightning twice using that angle with Barry Horowitz a few years after that and it failed miserably

It was the Kliq but almost all of the wrestlers of that era had that mentality too. Hart, Hogan, Austin etc.Hall was an anamoly. It's probably the only reason he never won the world championship

 

[The Q]

It was the Kliq but almost all of the wrestlers of that era had that mentality too. Hart, Hogan, Austin etc.Hall was an anamoly. It's probably the only reason he never won the world championship

Taker too.

But he was basically always in the upper 1/3 of the card anyway.

 

[Judge Fudge]

Even Jarrett technically won the world title in the dying days of WCW. Razor was the first member of the NWO so he went on to something even bigger than a world championship. In the WWF he was a credible main eventer too.
I started watching in the late 80s/early 90s so I think of Honky Tonk Man and the Mountiee as really fun characters but kind of novelty midcarders who had a run with the belt but 9 times out of 10 it was either a legendary in ring performer, future world champion or both

One of my Old childhood memories was I was 8 and the WWF was doing some kind of TV taping at the old Memorial Arena, Great to enter but a bitch to exit, and seeing the Natural disaters win tag straps and Getting a high 5 from the big bossman heading to the ring.

 

[Judge Fudge]

Yeah looking at the mid to late 90s how many of the IC champs with even moderate reigns didn’t get the belt?

Jeff Jarrett and razor Ramon off the top of my head

But even guys like bret, hbk, diesel, all had the belt before the big belt


To be fair to the far superior former head of wwe, he had styles bryan close a smackdown that was pretty fucking epic. Arguably match of the year caliber

Actully. Non Moderate reign but one did......................

Edge in 1999/2006

 

[Judge Fudge]

They're probably just doing it because Roman has both top belts but I'm hoping they'll keep it up once they go back to have two "top" belts again.

There is talk about doing the 2 again

 

[The Q]

Actully. Non Moderate reign but one did......................

Edge in 1999/2006

I forgot edge won the ic title that early on

 

[Judge Fudge]

I forgot edge won the ic title that early on

Eight days. Jarrett in may. He won it back later

 

[The Q]

Eight days. Jarrett in may. He won it back later

Yeah, I'm not sure I would count that since

1) it was 8 days;

and

2) it took him 7 years to get to the big belt. So it wasn't exactly a springboard.

But fair enough.

Plenty of solid mid carders never won it like the aforementioned HT man but it seemed like later on it became the springboard title.

 

[Judge Fudge]

Small change to tonights card.............

They say injuries caused the change but i think Bullshit.

Zoey didn't look all that good and ready for main roster in that Title match. IMO Mandy carried her.

And although Lyons is close to Main roster ready................ She doesn't need anyone else to come with her

 

[The Q]

Small change to tonights card.............

They say injuries caused the change but i think Bullshit.

Zoey didn't look all that good and ready for main roster in that Title match. IMO Mandy carried her.

And although Lyons is close to Main roster ready................ She doesn't need anyone else to come with her

Yup.

And she has the personality of a block of a wood