1 year of WWE SmackDown on FOX: 3 positives and 2 negatives
Today marks exactly one year since SmackDown premiered on FOX. It has definitely been a roller-coaster, with WWE's Blue brand experiencing many peaks and troughs over the past twelve months. The company's association with FOX was treated as a major deal, with the October 4th show being one of the most significant TV episodes in WWE history.
SmackDown has felt like the 'A-show' at times, hosting some huge moments and telling some engrossing stories. The show feels bigger than it was on the USA Network, for better or for worse. However, there were a lot of issues with it as well. SmackDown has been nowhere near perfect during its one year run on FOX.
There have been general patterns in the quality of the SmackDown product over time. Let's take a look at the roller-coaster of a year the Blue brand has had on its new home. It must be said, the show has vastly improved since the deal with FOX began.
Here are three positives and two negatives from the first year of SmackDown on FOX.
#5 (Positive) A packed premiere episode of SmackDown on FOX
The very first episode of SmackDown on FOX was built up to pretty nicely, with WWE treating it more like a pay-per-view than a weekly TV show. A lot of legends were present, either in the ring or in the crowd. One of the biggest appearances came from The Rock, who shared the ring with Becky Lynch, as the two of them roasted King Corbin.
While the show peaked with that start, a lot of stuff happened over the next two hours. Lynch teamed up with Charlotte Flair to win an all-Horsewoman tag team match against Sasha Banks and Bayley, while Kevin Owens vanquished Shane McMahon from WWE by defeating him in a Ladder Match.
The main event of SmackDown was extremely divisive, as Brock Lesnar wrestled his first TV match since returning to WWE in 2012. He won the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston in nine seconds, before being confronted by a ghost from his past.
The shocking debut of Cain Velasquez gave SmackDown's premiere on FOX an emphatic conclusion, even if his run was a complete flop. The ratings of the show proved how much hype surrounded it, with an average of just under four million viewers.