SmackDown 1000 Review: Using Nostalgia In The Right Ways
Anniversary shows are always a tricky subject to tackle for a weekly television show. They have to celebrate the past while also moving the current product forward. They usually involve one-off segments that are used to gain a momentary pop for both the crowd and the television audience, and sometimes former stars find themselves involved with current storylines in order to add an interesting wrinkle to them. In that aspect, SmackDown 1000 was a definite success.
WWE managed to celebrate over 19 years of the blue brand last night in under two hours, and that’s an impressive feat. A wonderful video package opened the show that highlighted some of the biggest moments in the series’ history, and then a fun McMahon family segment (highlighted by Vince McMahon getting jiggy with it) kicked off a show that prioritized entertaining the crowd. After all, as Vince said: “The ‘E’ stands for Entertainment.”
That’s exactly what the crowd got as some reminders of the blue brand’s past were celebrated in different ways. We had short one-off segments that gave longtime characters like Teddy Long and Vickie Guerrero just enough screen time to be remembered before moving on, and some longer segments that really helped drive home current character motivations.
One of the best uses of a star of the past was with Edge, who is still just as fantastic on the mic as he was 10 years ago. His “Cutting Edge” segment with Charlotte and Becky Lynch was fantastic in furthering the feud. Edge, who had been as dastardly a heel as anyone SmackDown has seen, tried to appeal to Becky and get her to rethink her current change in attitude. Instead, she furthered down the path she was going, and delivered a great line at Edge by telling him to not break his neck as she left “her ring.” It was great to see both Charlotte and Becky interacting with a legend, and it made sense considering the storyline.
Another great interjection came in the form of Big Show, who appeared on the very first episode of SmackDown back in 1999. His unexpected interference during The Bar’s tag team match was fantastic, and while it’s obviously not shocking to see him turn from babyface to heel, I’m still interested to see what happens with him possibly being The Bar’s enforcer. I’ve found the SmackDown tag scene to be a bit repetitive as of late, so this definitely helped freshen things up.
One thing that didn’t quite make sense at a surface level was the inclusion of a Evolution reunion, but by the end of the segment it was pretty clear why they wanted them all in the ring together. Not only did Randy Orton showcase his newfound mean streak perfectly during his short promo, but it helped setup what looks to be a gigantic WrestleMania match between Batista and Triple H.
While many complain about two legends going up against each other rather than building younger talent, I don’t see an issue here. Batista obviously wants to go out with his last match being against Triple H, and who are we to deny him that opportunity? He’s entertained us for over a dozen years and deserves the platform he wants to have his last match on. Additionally, both competitors have already done what they had to in order to help young stars rise up (and I’d argue Triple H doesn’t have much of a rub left to give considering how often they’ve had him feud with a young upstart). Two legends going at it is a perfectly fine use of nostalgia, and many will tune in to watch it come WrestleMania if that match does take place.
The greatest use of a legend, though, came in the form of Rey Mysterio’s full-time return to WWE. It was great seeing Rey, who is just as agile as ever. His match against Nakamura didn’t get a ton of time, but it was a fun match and had a very slick finishing sequence that paid tribute to SmackDown’s greatest star, Eddie Guerrero. This was a great mixture of celebrating the past while moving the current product forward, as I can’t wait to see Mysterio compete at the World Cup.
Finally, The Undertaker was truly the only way to close the show. So many years saw the “Deadman” as one of the brand’s biggest stars, and it was great seeing his entrance. The crowd appreciated him being there, and while there wasn’t much for him to say or do, that was really all we needed. Wrestling is largely about spectacle, and there’s nothing more marvelous than hearing that gong strike and seeing Undertaker stroll down to the ring. We’ll miss that when it stops happening.
Overall, SmackDown 1000 was a very fun show that showcased the very best of both the past and the present.
