What is the WWE Smackdown Showdown Retrospective?
The WWE Smackdown Showdown Retrospective turns your sprint review into a wrestling card. The wins are signature moves, the setbacks are body slams, new ideas get tagged in, and someone walks away with the belt. It's a good change of pace for a team with retro fatigue. The board has four areas. Signature Moves is for what went well and should keep happening. Body Slams covers what knocked the team down or slowed it, kept blameless. Tag-Team Plays is for new tactics and experiments to try next sprint, and Championship Belt is where people recognize the teammates who carried the load. The theatrics make it easier for quieter people to join in and for everyone to talk about setbacks without blame. Underneath, it's a standard retro: TeamRetro handles anonymous ideas, grouping and voting, and you finish by turning the best Tag-Team Plays into actions with owners.
WWE Smackdown Showdown retrospective format
Signature Moves
What went well and what should we keep doing?
This is the crowd-pleaser. Ask the team for the wins, smooth deliveries and standout collaborations from the sprint. Push for specifics so the team knows which moves to repeat.
Body Slams
What knocked us down or slowed us this sprint?
Here the team names the blockers, setbacks and painful hits from the sprint. Keep it blameless: focus on the situation, not the wrestler. Watch for recurring submission holds, the problems the team gets trapped in sprint after sprint.
Tag-Team Plays
What new ideas or experiments should we try next?
Ask the team to tag in fresh tactics and experiments for the next sprint. Keep each idea concrete enough to become an action item.
Championship Belt
Who deserves recognition and a shoutout this sprint?
This is the awards ceremony. Ask the team to name teammates who went above and beyond, and what they did. Make sure everyone gets a chance to hand out a belt.
When to use this retrospective
- When your team has retro fatigue and a themed format would get people talking again.
- After an intense, high-pressure sprint, when the team has earned some recognition.
- For team-building sessions where you want everyone to speak up.
- When you want a light way to raise blockers without anyone feeling blamed.
Suggested icebreaker questions
- If you had a wrestling entrance, what song would play and what would your finishing move be called?
- Which fictional or real character would you tag in to help with your hardest task this sprint?
Want a warm-up your team plays, not just answers out loud? Browse free icebreakers →
Ideas and tips for your retrospective meeting
- Use entrance music or wrestling visuals to set the mood, but don't let the gimmick crowd out real takeaways.
- Keep Body Slams blameless. Talk about situations and systems, not individual wrestlers.
- Timebox each round so the session doesn't go into overtime.
- Use anonymous entries in TeamRetro so quieter team members get a turn in the spotlight.
- Turn the best Tag-Team Plays into actions with owners, so good ideas don't get left on the mat.
- Don't skip the Championship Belt. Recognition is often the part people remember.
