SMACKDOWN NEEDED GUNTHER
From Turnbuckle Talk Wrestling by Alexander the Great and Aiden Haystack
May 19, 2026 · 1h 40m · Season 3 · Episode 8
About this episode
The episode discusses the recent improvements in SmackDown, focusing on key matches and the overall feel of WWE in the TKO era.
This week finally felt like SmackDown started showing signs of life again. Not perfect. Still inconsistent. Still too long at three hours. …but parts of this show finally felt IMPORTANT again. This episode breaks down Trick Williams’ hometown star presentation, why the U.S. title scene FINALLY feels like it can be connected, Melo/Ricky/Sami/Fenix building a real ecosystem, why Gunther instantly makes SmackDown feel bigger, Cody vs Gunther contract signing chaos, Royce Keys getting elevated in the main event, Saturday Night’s Main Event updates, RAW preview discussion, and the much bigger conversation about why WWE feels completely different in the TKO era. We also dive deep into WWE feeling more corporate and less alive, the shrinking feeling of weekly television, the five-match PLE structure problem, fans spending more money for less rewarding weekly content, why long-time fans feel disconnected from the modern product, and why RAW currently feels far more stable than SmackDown. ⸻ Follow: Alexander the Great — @Froe87 ⸻ JOIN THE TTW DISCORD PLE watch-alongs. Live reactions. Real-time wrestling discussion during the shows. ⸻ Quick shoutout to the family business — Zarc…
People in this episode
Hosts: Alexander the Great, Aiden Haystack
Topics covered
- WWE SmackDown
- Gunther's impact
- U.S. title scene
- Cody vs Gunther
- WWE TKO era
- Fan disconnection
- Corporate wrestling
Keywords
- SmackDown
- Gunther
- WWE
- Cody
- Trick Williams
- U.S. title
- wrestling
- TKO era
- fan experience
- weekly television
Sponsors
Zarc International
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: WWE
Products: VEXOR Venom™ Gel Pocket Guard
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- Summer Starts in Italy! · May 29, 2026 · 1h 40m
- The Night Brock Broke The Timeline · May 22, 2026 · 1h 38m
- Maintenance Television · May 16, 2026 · 2h 5m
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