Really? It was pretty so-so imo.
Mid-to-late 2002-early 2004 was great.
Late 2004 sucked.
2005 was okay.
2006-2007 (Edge’s top push) was fun TV.
2008 was meh early, the Benoit murder-suicide sent the product into a tailspin and it became horrid. I stopped watching in late 2008 and heard horrid things from the Raw side for 2009, but 2009 SD was supposedly the best since the Smackdown 6 era.
I'd like to elaborate on that if I could
late 2002-early 2004 was the height of the SD! era and literally can't miss TV although I could've done without the constant succession of one heel manager after another whether it was McMahon to Heyman to Mr. Angle. JBL was a fantastic heel in retrospect but was unbearable to sit through. That reign went on way, WAY too long. Eddie should've won it back and lost it somewhere through those 9 months or maybe even Undertaker.
2005 about had me ready to kill myself because the SD! product took such a sharp nosedive by then. Cena went to Raw, we got stuff like Boogeyman, Palmer Cannon, the Dicks and Batista playing the role of the top guy on SD! when it should've been Benoit. Eddie dying derailed the entire thing man.... God I'll never get over that
2006 and the road to Wrestlemania was arguably the best few months SD! ever had. Again not to shit on Batista too much but his title was in forfeit and Angle basically rode into Smackdown like the white knight on his horse. For a few months it had a real "anything can happen" vibe. Especially with Orton entering the fray. And that match Angle had with Undertaker at No Way Out. Good GAWD King. 5 stars all the way. January to April 2006 was arguably the best SD! ever got since the big 6 in my opinion. But then once Angle left it was more Batista, KING BOOKAH and the year that entered like a lion went out like a lamb. God how I missed Eddie so much by then
2007 was the year of Edge. Undertaker mercifully winning it all at Mania 23. It wasn't a great year but it could've been worse. For all intent and purposes I'd rank it above 2005 but by then SD! was unwatchable on most nights
By 2008 WWE literally converted SD! to a feeder show for Raw and the likes of Vladimir Kozlov ruled the day. Like you I gave up watching full time. Over the years I basically caught Hardy vs CM Punk and his cult following, Morrison's face turn and Jericho blathering on about gelatinous, hypocritical parasites.
I tried again around 2011 after the pipe bomb but gave up at about the time the shield debuted and scant viewing followed. Only Wyatt really intrigued me until the brand split