By Richard Gray on April 21, 2004 at 2:22 PM EST

There is an overwhelming feeling backstage that SmackDown! is currently the inferior brand.

Last week's edition of Smackdown drew a 2.9 rating, which was down 0.1 from last week and is one of the program's lowest ratings ever. The show was up against some stiff competition - the two-hour season finale of The Apprentice on NBC (which drew a whopping 17.2 rating) and first-run Survivor and CSI episodes on CBS. However, the steady decline in Smackdown ratings and the overall quality of the product since WrestleMania is seen by Smackdown wrestlers as proof that Vince McMahon wasn't looking out for the brand when the draft lottery took place.

On RAW, we have seen huge pushes for Chris Benoit, Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin, the return of William Regal (and Grandmaster Sexay!), the debuts of Eugene and Tyson Tomko as well as the first promos for Hirohito. On SmackDown, we've seen Bradshaw rise to the top of the roster as Eddie Guererro's #1 challenger, a move that has left a bad taste in many mouths.

People are hoping that somehow more talent will be shifted to the show in the upcoming months, but before that, there is a sense of urgency regarding the booking effort that will be put into the brand in the weeks leading into the May PPV. RAW is coming off a very strong showing at Backlash this past weekend, it is doubtful if SmackDown! has what it takes to compete with RAW's seemingly stacked roster.

(Torch Newsletter)

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