The era of WWE SmackDown on USA Network got off to a hot start tonight, opening up with a Steel Cage battle for the Undisputed WWE Championship and ending with an epic team-up between two of SmackDown’s biggest superstars. Even before the matches though, WWE revealed a new look for its beloved blue brand, debuting a new logo and new high-profile theme music, and that’s also not counting all of the cameos and appearances throughout the night. With the episode now officially in the books, we’re breaking down all the highs and lows of the premiere and revealing our thoughts on SmackDown’s brand-new era, and let’s kick things off with the show’s new aesthetic.
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A New Look SmackDown
WWE made the first impression with a newly redesigned logo, going for a sleeker look that connects everything with the S. This is actually a bit of a mixed bag, as while everything that goes with the new logo (like the overall color scheme, backdrops, effects, etc) looks great on screen and in graphics and images, the logo itself just looks odd. Love the idea, but you have to stare at it a bit to actually tell it spells SmackDown, which isn’t ideal.
That said, the graphics that have followed on social media look unbelievably sick, and even the backdrop used with the logo is impressive. The S on the mics don’t exactly scream WWE SmackDown, but it’s also something I’ll undoubtedly get used to. Now, as with anything, it’s not just about the visual presentation, which brings us to the music.
A New Sound
To go along with the new look is a new theme song, but this time WWE went a slightly different route, grabbing two of the biggest stars in Hip Hop and KPop. WWE revealed that Neva Play by Megan Thee Stallion and RM (of BTS) is officially the new theme of SmackDown, and while the introduction of SmackDown felt quite different from the previous era, by midway through the episode I was completely on board. WWE played the song at several points during the show and coupled with new footage during the intro, it successfully got things hyped for the action in the ring. Slam dunk all the way.
Big Show Feel
WWE pulled out all the stops to make this premiere feel like an event, and that included bringing in a host of WWE legends and current superstars to appear throughout the show. Rob Van Dam, Michael Hayes, Damian Priest, Bobby Roode, William Regal, Vickie Guerrero, Ron Simmons, Teddy Long, and more all showed up at various points during the show, and then SmackDown similarly booked all of its big guns for several appearances, including Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Bayley, Tiffany Stratton, Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and The Bloodline.
That said, this was clearly focused on The Bloodline, which makes perfect sense. The storyline at the moment involves the Undisputed Champion, the former Undisputed Champion, and WWE’s biggest faction. For most stories having it start the show, play out throughout the show, and then end the show would be overkill, but The Bloodline saga is pretty much Teflon at this point, and no amount of exposure makes it any less compelling. Sure you knew Rhodes would ultimately agree to team with Reigns, but it’s the way Rhodes and Reigns executed the plan in the ring that made it must-see television, and that’s been the case with this story time and time again.
Highs
- Andrade vs Carmelo Hayes Round 5 Delivered once again.
- LA Knight vs Andrade for the United States Championship is going to be a banger.
- Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton are gold together, even if they are building towards the inevitable split.
Lows
- Seriously that logo just looks…weird. SmackSown has already become a thing for a reason.
- Carmelo Hayes showcased his star power in this feud, but it did still end in a loss, which is unfortunate for a newer star still making an impression on the main roster audience
- A major lack of Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill…I mean they did show up, but would have loved to see more of WWE’s Women’s Tag Team Champions in the mix for the premiere.
Those are our thoughts on the big SmackDown on USA Network premiere, but what did you think of everything that went down? You can talk all things wrestling with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!
