WWE SmackDown Must Re-Establish Identity to Combat Poor Ratings

Unless WWE SmackDown stops feeling like Raw-lite, it won't matter what day or what network the show is on. It will continue to draw underwhelming ratings.

SmackDown doesn't feel must-watch because it isn't. A fan can just choose to only watch Raw and the monthly pay-per-views and not really miss out on a whole lot. The Thursday show is too often treated like something to just fill out the week's lineup.

That is showing with its viewership numbers.

Even after the buzz created on SummerSlam and Raw the following night, the last SmackDown of August didn't entice a surplus of fans. Pro Wrestling Torch's James Caldwell noted that last week's SmackDown garnered just a 1.62 rating, down from 1.70 from the week before. He added, "Thursday's show was close to a year-low 1.57 rating two weeks ago."

A Little League World Series game outdid SmackDown, netting a 2.426 rating. 

A decade ago, SmackDown wouldn't have allowed that to happen. Looking back at the show's ratings from 2005 (courtesy of Gerweck.net) reminds us that ratings regularly went over the 3.0 mark. It dipped below the 2.5 threshold just five times that year.

By comparison, SmackDown has done that every week (33 times) in 2015 so far.

In a way, it's unfair to compare the two eras. In 2005, Raw and SmackDown were split into two distinct brands. Roster members were assigned either show and stayed there. If you wanted to see Rey Mysterio or Batista, you had to tune in to SmackDown.

With the merging of the two brands, both shows offer the same roster and essentially the same storylines. 

Even so, there is still room to have SmackDown feel more like its own show today—like something special, not just supplementary material for Raw. It will take creativity, though. It will take choosing to have the show offer something that Raw doesn't.

Perhaps WWE makes SmackDown more tag-team heavy than its Monday counterpart.

This could be where the company expands the stories of that division. Raw usually doesn't have space to dig deeply into what's happening with the tag teams. The squads collide but with little narrative. That's where SmackDown could come in, offering a good chunk of its real estate to spotlighting the teams looking to move into contention.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE could instead choose to have SmackDown be the unofficial home base for the Intercontinental Championship.

The show could focus more on that title than Raw, booking more No. 1 contender's matches and title bouts and give the IC champ and his challengers more airtime overall.

Leading up to WrestleMania, there was a hint of that. The story of Daniel Bryan, R-Truth and others trying to snatch Bad News Barrett's title was front and center on the show.

The only issue, though, was that WWE chose to make a mockery of the title chase. The majority of the angle saw wrestlers steal the gold from each other, essentially playing hot potato with it.

If instead fans knew that SmackDown was where they would see an IC title match every few weeks, it would add to the show's appeal.

With Raw handling most of the big moments and twists and turns in the ongoing stories, making SmackDown the clear place for high-quality in-ring action is a smart move. Book an Iron Man match, a 2-out-of-3 Falls bout or Fatal 4-Way elimination that gives top-notch performers ample room to work.

And if the special attractions (Sting, Brock Lesnar, etc.) just aren't going to ever come to SmackDown, which seems to be the case, Thursday nights need their own dose of star power. If WWE books Jushin "Thunder" Liger for another match, putting it on SmackDown makes the show more enticing and feel more significant.

Bring in The Boogeyman for a one-night only deal. Have Shelton Benjamin make a short-term, SmackDown-only return.

Those wrestlers aren't going to affect ratings the way that an all-time great such as Lesnar does, but it would sure make SmackDown more fun. Do enough of these things, and fans will soon be feeling like missing SmackDown is missing out. 

WWE needs to find ways to change the show so that when someone asks "What makes SmackDown different from Raw?" the answer won't be, "It's not as good."