With 2016 coming to a close, we at SLTD Wrestling have not only decided to have our very own Awards 2016 (Vote Now – HERE) but we have gotten together to share some of our personal ‘Best of the Year’
Here we are sharing our Brand of the Year. That one match that has stood out above all else in 2016. Below our ours, but what is yours? let us know in the comments/Twitter/Facebook or by voting on the SLTD Wrestling Awards 2016.
@ALFarrand (Facebook Manager)
2016 has been a strong year for WWE, not least because of the mid year brand split that reinvigorated the superstars and the fans. Raw is a difficult one at the minute as they seem to relying on the same stories over and over again whereas Smackdown Live is knocking it out of the park each and every week. However, my pick for brand of the year is NXT. The yellow show narrowly pipped the blue side for a few reasons. 1) I watch NXT and (probably due to the length of the show) find myself watching from start to finish. Rarely is there any dead weight on an NXT show. 2) In a companion point to the previous one, NXT’s taping schedule means that I’m not getting bored by anyone on the roster. They appear, at most, twice in a month which overcomes the issues of over-saturation I have with the main roster. Finally, 3) NXT’s big shows (Takeovers) are head and shoulders above any of the big shows that come out of Raw or Smackdown. Again, this may be due to length but I think sheer high quality output also comes into play here.
@mrnebarry (Old Skool View)
SD Live just edges it, they’ve done better with the character development since the brand split. NXT have done fine considering the turnover of talent they’ve had, but Raw is lagging a bit behind.
@maruwe22 (What Would Matt Do?)
Like the first award, the last award was another easy choice. Raw has not been competitive enough this year since the roster split and before that it was decidedly lacklustre. SmackDown has been consistent, it has been entertaining and has made stars and has used the talent wisely. Until Raw gets some well needed long term planning I can see SmackDown holding onto this award.
@TomRobinson5199 (Armbar Analysis)
No contest. SmackDown was the best brand of the year. Moving on…
@kieranthekiz (UKayfabe)
It’s not easy filling 3 hours of content each week, but Raw have made their show feel like such a drag with it’s repetitive matches, storylines and rehashed angles, it was there for Smackdown Live to swoop in and put on the better show, which they have. Going live has really boosted Smackdown’s importance, and boasting top superstars such as AJ Styles, Nikki Bella, Dean Ambrose and Becky Lynch, it’s not hard to see why it’s such an unmissable watch every week.
I get an ‘anything could happen’ feel about Smackdown live, a feeling I used to have about Raw. Smackdown Live has shown that it’s all about quality, not quantity.
@JoshMorrell (Wrestling World)
AJ, Randy, Wyatt, Dean, Bryan, the fact its 2 hours instead of 3, need I say anymore!
@ColinHebert614 (The Curtain Jerker)
This is not even close. SmackDown Live! has developed rivalries and characters and doesn’t do 50/50 booking like RAW. Even with the James Ellsworth experiment, it still blows away Raw.
@callumowen98 (Facebook Manager)
On July 19th the WWE draft took place, on paper the Smackdown roster looked particularly weak, however in the last 5 months, in my opinion Smackdown has been constantly entertaining, with great feuds between The Miz and Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles and John Cena and AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose. Before the brand split and Smackdown going live, I hardly ever watched the blue brand, as I’d read the spoilers and whatever I saw on Raw, I knew it would be similar to what happens on Smackdown. But since the draft, Smackdown has become my favourite brand to watch, with guys like AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler proving their worth every single week.
@BigMatchSully (Monster Match Sully)
Since WWE’s brand split SmackDown Live has consistently been the superior show for the company. The show has found a great blend of wrestling and goofiness that, unlike its counterpart RAW, makes it easy viewing for both mainstream and smarter audiences. Which, much to WWE’s delight brings in ratings significantly higher than its taped predecessor.
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