WWE Friday Night SmackDown: The good, the bad, & the ugly 

The Bad - FOX may have turned WWE into The Muppets

Daniel Bryan and Animal of The Muppets

WWE is trying to enter the world of legitimate sport and Friday Night SmackDown's spectacular premiere certainly succeeded in that endeavor. With statistics, pre-match analysis, and the appearance of professional fighters Tyson Fury and Cain Velasquez, this was evident.

News of the transition must have been lost on the Counting to SmackDown pre-show. Unfortunately, WWE's newest era began embarrassingly. Instead of asserting themselves as capable mainstream sports entertainment, WWE fell into every single preconceived notion the mainstream has about professional wrestling.

The very beginnings of Friday Night SmackDown's pre-show looked more like a comedic character-driven episode of The Muppets than professional sports. NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan asked Becky Lynch to talk to 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin about his habit of breaking through glass, as it was costing FOX too much money. Braun Strowman, who should be promoted as one of SmackDown's most talented Superstars, was instead reduced to lifting weights with the NFL on FOX robot.

Most concerning for wrestling fans; however, was FOX's treatment of The Fiend. WWE has gone through great lengths to protect Bray Wyatt's enigmatic character. Instead of following suit, FOX allowed The Fiend to appear on Counting to SmackDown, as nothing more than a glorified Halloween prop. This was an obvious departure from the way The Fiend has been portrayed on WWE television and runs the serious risk of turning him ordinary. If The Fiend becomes mundane, FOX runs the risk of derailing one of the most promising runs in wrestling today.