WrestleTalk Roundtable – WWE SmackDown 1000

I don’t know if this ever happens to any of you, but from time to time I’ll be struck by a sudden bout of nostalgia. Often it’s a fully-formed memory, other times just a fleeting moment from the past. I’m not always sure what sets it off, but last night it was definitely the beginning of the 1,000th episode of SmackDown Live.

The reason that SmackDown is so near to my heart traces back to the origins of my love for wrestling. When I was growing up, my parents couldn’t afford satellite TV. So my childhood selection was largely limited to free Saturday morning cartoons and the evening news, which aired weeknights on public television.

But my grandparents? Well they were living the high life off of that sweet, sweet pension money, which meant that they could afford all kinds of luxuries – like a TV package that included WWE programming.

The video package which aired at the outset of SmackDown 1000, as well as the periodic clips from yesteryear peppered throughout the broadcast, took me back to the days that I first got in to wrestling.

I remember begging my parents to drive the twenty minutes to my grandparents’ house on weekends and school holidays. If I was in luck my nine-year-old charm would be enough to guilt them into taking me up to their small townhouse on the other side of the city. Naturally we would have called ahead to make sure that snacks and refreshments were at hand: my personal favorites being BBQ potato chips and Fanta Grape (which is the only legitimate flavor of Fanta, fight me!).

As we arrived, I’d hug my grandparents, tell them about whatever mundane thing had happened at school that week, before casually shifting the conversation to wrestling. My gran would smile, tell me where to find the snacks, and present a VHS cassette – it was the 90s after all – and, with a pat on the head, sit me down in the middle of the lounge.

As far as primary school me was concerned, these were perfect days… shoveling industry-grade levels of MSG down my throat and chanting along to “SmackDown Hotels“, “resting in piece” and “ayatollahs of Rock ‘n’ Rolla”. I could go on for ages, but perhaps WWE itself is the best source for quick recap of the past 19 years of SmackDown.

So with the burden of two decades of SmackDown Live hanging over its head, could WWE possibly put on a satisfactory tribute show, balancing the sentimentality of the past with the talent of the present? Undoubtedly, it would be a tough task – especially with the constraints of a two-hour show – but we’re here to cover it all.

Read on to find out what our WrestleTalk writers enjoyed about the show and which segments laid a massive goose egg. Then leave a comment to let us know what you thought about the landmark show.

What was your favorite moment from SmackDown?

Eric Stites

I really loved the Rey Mysterio and Nakamura match. I’m a huge fan of Rey and it was awesome to see him on the show since I was not a wrestling fan back during his original run in WWE. I particularly enjoyed the spot they did where Shinsuke was set up for the 619 but rolled out of the ring before Rey was able to finish the move. Then the slide splash out of the ring and the finished 619 were also fun to watch.

Nicholas Holicki

I’ve started to feel like a broken record in recent weeks, stuck on an infinite loop repeating “it’s Becky Lynch, it’s Becky Lynch, it’s Becky Lynch”. But here’s the simple truth: it IS Becky Lynch. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

Her subtle expressions of doubt as Edge cautioned her against sacrificing friendships in the hunt for championships. The devilish smile that flashed across her face as she eventually brushed him aside. And that dynamite line after she ordered him to “get out of the champ’s ring”.

This woman is pure, unblemished Irish gold, and I’m still not sure that WWE appreciates just how great she is.

Ashley D’Altilio

Tonight’s best segment was Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rey Mysterio. I always enjoy seeing Rey Mysterio in the ring, and seeing him wrestle again brought back so many emotions and so much nostalgia for me.

I find it hard to get into seeing smaller wrestlers because the physicality of wrestling does not stick with me as much as gimmicks do, and Mysterio is a perfect mix of both. It was great to see him back and watching him face Nakamura has been a dream match of mine for quite some time.

Brian Farrell

I don’t think I’ve said this on here before, but I love Cesaro. I think he’s awesome and want him to succeed at anything and everything. So naturally, I pulled for the Bar in this match. From an in-ring standpoint this was very good, even great, match, with some especially good near falls.

I’m not widely optimistic about Big Show turning heel for the 1,253rd time, but I’m excited to see where it goes. A great match, with an interesting finish, mixed with a little bias, gets the honor of an irrelevant writer saying he liked it on a wrestling news website.

What was the worst part of last night’s episode?

Eric Stites

My least favorite part of this show was the last moment when the Undertaker came out and just hyped up Crown Jewel. I don’t care about that match and just saying “rest in peace” did nothing to help me change my mind. It was so brief and therefore seemed so rushed and unimportant.

Nicholas Holicki

On a show that should feel like a celebration, I found it deeply ironic that Vince would strut all the way down to the ring for the express purpose of pointing out just how unentertaining Shane and Stephanie’s bickering was.

Of course he was absolutely right. But you don’t book a segment to be purposely deflating and irritating, just so that you can come out and remind everyone involved how pointless and annoying it is. SmackDown 1000 should be entertaining, I agree Vince! So then why are you kicking it off with that human version of Monopoly, Stephanie McMahon?

At least we got a few minutes of Truth TV (complete with the occasional dance break) before the McMahon egos took center stage.

Ashley D’Altilio

I never thought I would say that the Undertaker had the worst segment of the night, but here I am. Seeing him come out almost weekly has taken a bit of the excitement away from him, so I find myself actually judging his promos; when he came out and said exactly word-for-word what he said in his promo last night, I could not help but internally “boo” him.

I wish he would have given the fans more, especially for such an important show. The validity of it was also lessened by the fact that Triple H presented himself as a member of D-Generation X one night, and Evolution the next (although Evolution is obviously for nostalgia’s sake).

You heard the boss…

DANCE BREAK! #SD1000 @VinceMcMahon @shanemcmahon @StephMcMahon @RonKillings @CarmellaWWE pic.twitter.com/oDBHaDVP8f

— WWE (@WWE) October 17, 2018

Brian Farrell

Of course it’s the McMahon segment, why wouldn’t it be the McMahon segment? Now, to be fair, I didn’t outright hate anything about it, but it felt like it went on too long, and didn’t serve much of a purpose. Truth TV was fun, but Carmella and R-Truth really took a major backseat when the McMahons arrived. This didn’t start the show off on the right foot, and was stale enough to be the worst thing in this show for me.

How would you rate the show overall? (From best to worst: SmackDamn, SmackTastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, Ellsworthy and A Smack in the Face)

Eric Stites

I give this show a Smack Bang in the Middle. It was a pretty good show but felt really rushed and half-assed at some points. The wrestling was decent for the most part, though the fan service seemed too forced and rushed as I mentioned.

The POWER of positivity has been NEGATED by #TheBar once again…#SD1000 @WWETheBigShow @WWECesaro @WWESheamus pic.twitter.com/ILRduE5man

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 17, 2018

Nicholas Holicki

There’s a fine line between tribute and parody; between celebration and self-congratulation.

Unfortunately I feel like SmackDown 1000 veered to much into that latter category last night. Two hours doesn’t give you a lot of time to properly cover almost twenty years of wrestling history, which makes it all the more baffling that two of the longest segments of the night either featured McMahon family bickering or a stable that had no connection to SmackDown whatsoever.

We were there to bathe in the nostalgia of two decades of WWE history – instead this turned into a self-congratulatory mess with an Undertaker entrance tacked onto the end of it.

The mere fact that nothing actively buried any of the performers and that by the time Evolution rolls around we will have forgotten everything that happened at SmackDown 1000, saves it from the lowest ranking. That said, and in spite of Becky’s usual brilliance and a nice Batista / Triple H tease, this show was Ellsworthy.

Ashley D’Altilio

Smack Bang in the Middle. It was a special episode and I loved seeing the entire McMahon clan out in the ring, especially considering Vince allowed himself to be goofy and dance around. The matches themselves were lacking a bit, but having all the special personalities in this episode made it an interesting watch.

My major disappointment was having nothing more than a tweet from The Rock, considering he is the person who coined the term “SmackDown.” Either way, they did what they could with two hours, and I can appreciate that.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpAUNElFGWb/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Brian Farrell