Does Smackdown need to be put to bed?

WWE Smackdown has been with us since 1999 and has witnessed some of the greatest non PPV matches in the WWE, however after 12 years on the air is it time for WWE to 'Layeth the Smackdown' on this show.

Smackdown first appeared on our screens during the height of the attitude era and undoubtedly one of WWE most profitable periods. Capitalising on the success of it's brand was a logical step and Smackdown was created to double the entertainment.

From 1999-2002 WWE superstars appeared on both Raw and Smackdown and story lines twisted via each show, however in 2002 after WWE's acquisition of both it's competing shows WCW and ECW, the WWE was over run with talent, former champions were forced to open shows and wrestle mid card. To combat this the WWE underwent a process they called a 'brand extention' in which they literally separated Raw and Smackdown into 2 different shows, thus allowing 2 different rosters and therefore more main event material.

When moving forward in time to 2011 and the swell of talent from the early 00's has wained down to just a few really talented wrestler and lots of 'filler'. An example of this filler is Smackdown 22/07/2011, this show had at least an hour of material which wasn't from the show itself, they had a 20 minuet re run of Raw, a match from 'the vault', a 'this day in Smackdown history' and loads of 'previously on Smackdown'.

The WWE no longer have the mass of talent they did in the early 00's not to mention that their stock is already 33% down on the previous year. At a time when the WWE is not making the money it is used to and struggling to find the talent they once had, maybe its time to let the show die. Get rid of Smackdown all together, combine the rosters to make a really impressive Raw roster and make Raw 3 hours long per week, this in addition to the WWE's recent move back towards the attitude era could mark the next stepping stone for the biggest promotion in the wrestling industry.