I dont know about you guys, but Smackdown has like fifteen guys total now...the brand is weak...uniting the brands once again opens up for many opportunities..I would say keep all of the current titles....wwe tag titles, world heavyweight, wwe title, divas title, ic title, u.s. title, and even include a light heavyweight title...Smackdown just is not watchable anymore...if WWE ends the extension, SD! would get more viewers because anyone could show up on Friday night....any title could be defended, and it adds interest once again...new feuds could happen and so much good would come of this....RAW is already the premiere show....so many more main event title matches could happen....you could see Orton vs Del Rio, CM Punk vs Orton, Sheamus vs Rey, Edge vs The Miz...Nexus would be stronger because they could show up on SD anytime and wreck havoc...the mid card titles would have prestige once again....you could have Daniel Bryan vs Swagger for the u.s. title...Ziggler vs Bryan if he loses his IC title because they had great matches....tag team division is already cross brand anyways...i would add Barreta and Hawkins as a team, and put back the Hart Dynasty together...thats like 4 teams at least in the division....divas title is already cross brand....light heavyweight title used for Kaval, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, Primo, JTG, Chavo...everyone could at least have a purpose and put on great matches....
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Is it Time to end the Brand Extension?
- Thread starter darbare
- Start date
No, it makes little sense to reunite the brands after all this time. It doesn't make sense now and it probably wont make sense in 5 years either. The fact of the matter is that everything seems to work better when the brands are split up like this.
For example, when I tune into Raw every Monday night, I know that I will see Randy Orton and John Cena as the top billing and I know that I will get to see the best that the WWE have to offer. I know that the production value and angles will have much more thought put into them, simply because Raw is the flagship show. When I rarely watch Smackdown, I know that I will get a great wrestling program that gives time to some of the more promising members of the WWE talent pool. That is the way it is and that is the way it should be.
There is no denying it, Raw is the bigger show of WWE programming. They put all of the marquee talent on that show so as to bring in the fans. Moving that talent to Smackdown every second week or even more frequently runs the risk of losing fans in the long run. People will not put up with change for that often and a lot of people hate change anyway. That being said, people watch Raw on a Monday night and know what they are going to get from the show. The watch for their favourite superstars and moving them over to Friday nights may not be the smartest strategy given that Smackdown gets fewer viewers.
The brand split is just a way of keeping the best talent and viewing figures attached to Raw. The WWE know it, we know and that is not likely to change any time soon.
For example, when I tune into Raw every Monday night, I know that I will see Randy Orton and John Cena as the top billing and I know that I will get to see the best that the WWE have to offer. I know that the production value and angles will have much more thought put into them, simply because Raw is the flagship show. When I rarely watch Smackdown, I know that I will get a great wrestling program that gives time to some of the more promising members of the WWE talent pool. That is the way it is and that is the way it should be.
There is no denying it, Raw is the bigger show of WWE programming. They put all of the marquee talent on that show so as to bring in the fans. Moving that talent to Smackdown every second week or even more frequently runs the risk of losing fans in the long run. People will not put up with change for that often and a lot of people hate change anyway. That being said, people watch Raw on a Monday night and know what they are going to get from the show. The watch for their favourite superstars and moving them over to Friday nights may not be the smartest strategy given that Smackdown gets fewer viewers.
The brand split is just a way of keeping the best talent and viewing figures attached to Raw. The WWE know it, we know and that is not likely to change any time soon.
Tattooed Jesus
Redneck Thug
Unify the all the titles so there are only:
WWE World Champion
WWE Intercontinental Champion
WWE World Tag Team Champions
WWE Womens Champion
WWE Television Champion (threw this in there so there could be two mid card builder titles)
Get rid of the brand split and the draft altogether. They have run their course and do not work anymore. When they were instituted years ago the rosters were overloaded with talents and it made sense. Now it is no longer needed and it shows by the lack of original feuds and storylines and viturally no mid card storylines what so ever anymore. The rosters are so depleted now due either to guys just getting old and retiring or injury, and new stars are not ready to carry single branded shows. The best shows that the WWE have bee having lately are the 3 hours RAWs that have superstars from both brands on the one show and thats how it needs to be again. This would provide rating boosts from both RAW and Smackdown and provide the opportunity for new angles and feuds to come about. Everything wouldn't need to be or feel so rushed because stories could flow from show to show much better.
WWE World Champion
WWE Intercontinental Champion
WWE World Tag Team Champions
WWE Womens Champion
WWE Television Champion (threw this in there so there could be two mid card builder titles)
Get rid of the brand split and the draft altogether. They have run their course and do not work anymore. When they were instituted years ago the rosters were overloaded with talents and it made sense. Now it is no longer needed and it shows by the lack of original feuds and storylines and viturally no mid card storylines what so ever anymore. The rosters are so depleted now due either to guys just getting old and retiring or injury, and new stars are not ready to carry single branded shows. The best shows that the WWE have bee having lately are the 3 hours RAWs that have superstars from both brands on the one show and thats how it needs to be again. This would provide rating boosts from both RAW and Smackdown and provide the opportunity for new angles and feuds to come about. Everything wouldn't need to be or feel so rushed because stories could flow from show to show much better.
Aotearoa (Bushwacker)
Pre-Show Stalwart
I think they just need to add a really compelling story in the mix. Keep the brands separate but make them truly separate. Have somebody "own" the other brand, have them compete against each other, let brand supremacy mean something and give Braggin Rights and Survivor Series some meaning. Dont have people jumping ship every other week, let them be brand loyal. Create competition the way the Monday Night Wars did but smackdown vs raw. Let WWE be its own competition and please please let there be brand specific pay per views.
i think that they should keep Smackdown and Raw seperate. I really liked it when they had brand only PPV's because you could build someone new. They obviously cant do that with the thin roster they have so, common sense would say sign some people or something. That's just my opinion on my first post, hopefully I didnt embarrass myself too bad lol.
if they do, ill miss the big blue word smackdown!, BUT wwe needs only one show and its better for all superstars, and that would be a good time to debut a new logo. and these would be the titles:
1.wwe heavyweight championship
2.intercontinental championship( i wanted to put light heavyweight, but the IC has to much great history.
3.feather weight championship ( wwe needs a Cruiserweight tittle right now so that people like kaval, and yoshi tatsu, darren young, can have tv time and have acctuall storylines)
4.women's championship
5.world tag team championship
and they can make raw 3 hours to let all those extra superstars get to be included.
1.wwe heavyweight championship
2.intercontinental championship( i wanted to put light heavyweight, but the IC has to much great history.
3.feather weight championship ( wwe needs a Cruiserweight tittle right now so that people like kaval, and yoshi tatsu, darren young, can have tv time and have acctuall storylines)
4.women's championship
5.world tag team championship
and they can make raw 3 hours to let all those extra superstars get to be included.
im sorry but: NO NO NO NO NO
i mean RAW is already full of talent that doesnt get used already, bringing in the smackdown roster would just clog it up even more and vice-versa if RAW comes to smackdown.
i think WWE is doing just fine now, granted smackdown kinda sucks now, but they just need to keep it like it is BUT do something with un used talent
i mean RAW is already full of talent that doesnt get used already, bringing in the smackdown roster would just clog it up even more and vice-versa if RAW comes to smackdown.
i think WWE is doing just fine now, granted smackdown kinda sucks now, but they just need to keep it like it is BUT do something with un used talent
Mr. Artistic guy
Better Off This Way
Unfortunately, they have far far too big a roster to do it, but I've been against the brand extention since day 1 for one reason and one reason only. I think that having certain guys on certain shows limits the creativity of the writers massively, as well as resultantly de-valuing the split titles like IC and U.S title belts because you quite simply have more oppertunity or chance to win the top belts in the company giving less hard fought reigns and less of a reaction when someone does win a belt.
What I'm talking about is when there is one title belt, you have all guys eligible to compete for it actually competing for it. That means rey mysterio and big show fighting against john cena and randy orton, which is so much more interesting than them having to just fend off lesser competition and get unjustified title wins. You also, more importantly, have the opperunity to have ANYONE feud with ANYONE, that doesn't actually increase possibilities by a factor of 2, it's hard to explain but the number of possible feuds then increases geometrically so you end up having more like three times the possible match-ups that were previously possible, but this only comes from feuds involving 3 or more people.
But end of the day, Vinny mac did it initially for a reason and unless the reason he did it is no longer there, there is no commercial inducement for him to go back on what he started. And lets be clear, WWE does make more money the way it is now, there is no reason for it to change other than some guys wanting it to, it is just unfortunate that this fact contibues to WWE sacrificing the quality of programming for more moneyz.
What I'm talking about is when there is one title belt, you have all guys eligible to compete for it actually competing for it. That means rey mysterio and big show fighting against john cena and randy orton, which is so much more interesting than them having to just fend off lesser competition and get unjustified title wins. You also, more importantly, have the opperunity to have ANYONE feud with ANYONE, that doesn't actually increase possibilities by a factor of 2, it's hard to explain but the number of possible feuds then increases geometrically so you end up having more like three times the possible match-ups that were previously possible, but this only comes from feuds involving 3 or more people.
But end of the day, Vinny mac did it initially for a reason and unless the reason he did it is no longer there, there is no commercial inducement for him to go back on what he started. And lets be clear, WWE does make more money the way it is now, there is no reason for it to change other than some guys wanting it to, it is just unfortunate that this fact contibues to WWE sacrificing the quality of programming for more moneyz.
Ending the brand extention could work if WWE used the right formula. Back in the successfull days of wCw, Nitro mainly focussed on the top teir fueds and threw in mid-card matches for filler. Thunder showcased more of the upper-midcard and mid-card talent and advanced their storylines. This is a good formula and if booked properly could work for WWE's current situation. I think it would maintain Raw's ratings as well it could up the ratings for Friday nights when you consider that Cena, Orton and others could make an appearance on SD! without breaking the "rule".
See the problem with the current set up is that the 2 hours of each show are being put into building the main fueds, leaving very little time to hype or advance any of the mid-card stuff. That's why alot of the mid-card stuff gets rushed i.e. the Hart's storyline. If built right those two could probably put on a pretty good ppv quality match. But no one cares about them because they get only a few minutes of air-time each week and are lucky if they even appear on the ppv.
Back in the day there was alot more put into mid-card fueds. More emotion, more intensity and more of actual story. Right now we basically pay ridiculous amounts of money to watch a ppv based soley around the top 2 or 3 matches on the card, and if we are suprised by a mid-card match(Ziggler/Bryan), then great, but that feels like a bonus. Where as even something like the fued between E & C and the Hardyz felt like it had alot of emotion and they made it feel like they would do anything for the Tag-team titles(the same tag-team titles that are now viewed as a joke).
My point is merging the brands and using SD to mainly build on the mid-card could help put some substance into those fueds for the U.S./I.C./tag titles.
See the problem with the current set up is that the 2 hours of each show are being put into building the main fueds, leaving very little time to hype or advance any of the mid-card stuff. That's why alot of the mid-card stuff gets rushed i.e. the Hart's storyline. If built right those two could probably put on a pretty good ppv quality match. But no one cares about them because they get only a few minutes of air-time each week and are lucky if they even appear on the ppv.
Back in the day there was alot more put into mid-card fueds. More emotion, more intensity and more of actual story. Right now we basically pay ridiculous amounts of money to watch a ppv based soley around the top 2 or 3 matches on the card, and if we are suprised by a mid-card match(Ziggler/Bryan), then great, but that feels like a bonus. Where as even something like the fued between E & C and the Hardyz felt like it had alot of emotion and they made it feel like they would do anything for the Tag-team titles(the same tag-team titles that are now viewed as a joke).
My point is merging the brands and using SD to mainly build on the mid-card could help put some substance into those fueds for the U.S./I.C./tag titles.
Remember when they had combined rosters for Raw and Smackdown? You saw the same wrestlers every Monday and every Thursday. No chance for the mid-carders and other underused talent. The brand split was the best thing for the guys that wanted to step up and also for us fans. I got tired of seeing the same guys being overexposed week in and week out.
mral82
The D.G.A.F.F.O.O.O. Champion
Ok with your suggestions it killsa company plus a video game franchise together. They could transfer some of the under used raw talent to SD! while keeping all the main guys on Raw as that would give everybody air time and not watse away for a free paycheck. The Tag Champs and Diva's champ are universal and I woulda let Nexus keep the Tag Titles and had them fight on SD! as well as RAW cause they coulda helped Kane in this Edge feud and all.
Erm what? Seriously start using the English language better.
As for Nexus helping Kane.... did you miss that show where Nexus attached Kane.... so wouldnt make any sense.
The brand extension should go, its meaningless now. Smackdown is suffering from a lack of wrestlers and most of them appear on Raw anyways almost every month now. By getting rid of the brand extension, you allow stories to be played out better given them more time to develop even in 3 weeks and puts together one good midcard.
Some of the arguments I keep seeing as to why it should be kept are quite frankly stupid. WWE pushing talent less if the brand merge is not true at all. Just look at the era before this one, they managed to even have jobbers have a run and those who aren't getting pushed now will never get pushed regardless. That's the business for you, if you arent good enough for the WWE model then you aren't going anywhere.
The benefits of merging the brands far outweigh the negatives. Wrestlers can have long breaks and won't be missed. It wiill give us one world title, one midcard title, perhaps a lower card title and the tag belts. Therefore allowing new feuds, less champions and surprising more for wrestlers to do. It will alos stop the need to keep using the same plots for both Raw and Smackdown and just focus on one WWE rather than two
Absolutely not. The WWE is way to overloaded with talent to keep everyone on one show. With two hours a week to develop storylines there would hardly be any time for wrestling. Furthermore, you can say goodbye to the guys who currently make up the midcard. With a mainevent scene that is crowded with both RAW and Smackdown's top stars, some of them are bound to get bumped down to midcard status, thus bumping guys like Kofi or JoMo to an even lower position on the roster. And divas? Forget about them, they'll have no time to worry about Natalya's war on LayCool.
Furthermore, it would cost WWE revenue. The WWE would not be keeping 4 shows on air per week + PPVs if it wasn't making them money. If the accountants crunched the numbers and found Smackdown was losing money, it's a pretty safe bet that Vince would shut it down.
The idea of unifying the titles is fine, and there would still be room for main event feuds that don't involve the title, but unifying RAW and Smackdown would lead to nothing but disaster.
Furthermore, it would cost WWE revenue. The WWE would not be keeping 4 shows on air per week + PPVs if it wasn't making them money. If the accountants crunched the numbers and found Smackdown was losing money, it's a pretty safe bet that Vince would shut it down.
The idea of unifying the titles is fine, and there would still be room for main event feuds that don't involve the title, but unifying RAW and Smackdown would lead to nothing but disaster.
mrbrownstone
Fucking Hostile
No it is perfect as it is right now for a few reasons.
First off it allows them to have a bigger roster, if there was only one brand some mid card guys who could actually have some potential would either be fired as there wouldn't be room for them on the roster or they wouldn't get enough exposure as the main guys would appear on both shows an hog the screen time. Also there would only be one mid card title so someone like Bryan may have never gotten an opportunity at a mid card title.
It would be harder for young talent to break through into the main event. The main eventers wouldn't be separated so there would be 9-10 main guys on either show potentially so there would be very little room for new faces to move up there. Also with only world title WWE wouldn't want to risk a guy being the sole focus of their company who had never held the title before meaning Miz may never have been world champ.
There are other reasons but those are the main two.
First off it allows them to have a bigger roster, if there was only one brand some mid card guys who could actually have some potential would either be fired as there wouldn't be room for them on the roster or they wouldn't get enough exposure as the main guys would appear on both shows an hog the screen time. Also there would only be one mid card title so someone like Bryan may have never gotten an opportunity at a mid card title.
It would be harder for young talent to break through into the main event. The main eventers wouldn't be separated so there would be 9-10 main guys on either show potentially so there would be very little room for new faces to move up there. Also with only world title WWE wouldn't want to risk a guy being the sole focus of their company who had never held the title before meaning Miz may never have been world champ.
There are other reasons but those are the main two.
Rckstrtmmy
Yabba Dabba Bitch
I agree the brand extension should end. I think the WWE made the right move when they did it because at that time there was a shitload of talent and it was a good way to get the younger guys some TV time. But now the roster isn't as stacked and the matchups are starting to get somewhat stale on both shows. I don't understand why the WWE continues to water down their own roster and limit themselves like they currently are. Also the feuds could be better if they had everyone on both shows because thats twice the amount of time they have to build up for the PPVs.
Snap Suplex
Dark Match Jobber
You bring up a lot of good points, but I would use these points to argue FOR ending separate "brands". I can't believe they actually still have "brands". I mean for anyone with a clue, this is Vince McMahon's horrible idea to make fans think there is still competition in wrestling, but within the same company. Except instead of offering a different/distinct brands and giving fans options and creating REAL competition, he creates "brands" that differ in nothing but show name. BOOORRRRRINNNGG
When you buy out the competition, you wind up with an "overload of talent". Vince insists on all talent to conform to the wwe style, therefore so much talent is WASTED.
Midcard is horrible and has been for years. STALE. Love a previous thread talking about the IC title losing it's luster. If you have been a wrestling fan for as long as I have, it's very obvious that it has-big time.
Divas gone=snore/about time
Revenue-this is the reason Cena gets shoved down peoples throats and is STALE. Vince markets to CHILDREN. LOL A big reason his product sucks. He did that when I was a kid with Hogan and even at that time I had the same opinion of Hogan and the WWF product at the time that I do now: STALE and BORING.
No matter, it's pretty simple, he just doesn't get my money or my viewership.
"With two hours a week to develop storylines there would hardly be any time for wrestling."-this is my favorite quote...and why I can't stand wrestling today. There once was a time when THE WRESTLING DEVELOPED STORYLINES.
Cool if you don't agree with me, this is just my 2 cents...I know what I like and I refuse to sugarcoat the current garbage just because I'm a wrestling fan and have such limited options these days.
I've been firmly against ending the brand split in the past, but right now I actually think it may be a good idea. The tag titles and the women's title are already unified and the WWE could very easily keep both the IC and US titles like when they had the IC and European titles at the same time. The only title they'd have to get rid of is the World title so they could unify it with the WWE title, but that wouldn't be a very big deal. I mean Kane, Rey Mysterio, and Jack Swagger are the last three World Champions. The title is certainly no longer on the same level as the WWE title.
For those who say the roster is too big, bullshit. The current WWE roster is no bigger then what is was prior to the brand split. Combining the rosters wouldn't do much at all. All of the talent that gets TV time now would still get that time at some point over the course of RAW and/or Smackdown. All the talent that does shit on the main shows now, would still just be getting time on Superstars.
So to recap, the ppv's already feature both rosters, the roster size is no bigger then what it was before the brand split, only one title would have to be thrown out and the World Title has already lost a lot of it's luster so that isn't really a big deal, and no one would really be losing any TV time. Not a huge deal either way but ending the split could potentially have some good benefits.
For those who say the roster is too big, bullshit. The current WWE roster is no bigger then what is was prior to the brand split. Combining the rosters wouldn't do much at all. All of the talent that gets TV time now would still get that time at some point over the course of RAW and/or Smackdown. All the talent that does shit on the main shows now, would still just be getting time on Superstars.
So to recap, the ppv's already feature both rosters, the roster size is no bigger then what it was before the brand split, only one title would have to be thrown out and the World Title has already lost a lot of it's luster so that isn't really a big deal, and no one would really be losing any TV time. Not a huge deal either way but ending the split could potentially have some good benefits.
SullivanSmith
Dark Match Winner
My only real beef with the whole "two brands" thing was the "feud" between the two. For instance, the whole Bragging Rights PPV and match. I just can't get behind a whole PPV behind a match between the two brands when that match is only built up over a couple of weeks. Mostly because there's nothing behind it to get excited about. Oh, wow, Team Smackdown wins a trophy against Team Raw and then... that's about it until next year. I can totally see this as a match between a joint show between the two brands on TV - maybe even a network special like Saturday Night's Main Event used to be. But a PPV? Bah...
That being said, I'm still a fan of the two brand system. Obviously, the balance between the two brands needs a little work, but I don't see any need to just shut the whole thing down altogether. I kind of like the idea of these two separate shows that take place in the same "universe." You never know if a character from one show will make a guest appearance on another... sort of like when Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street would do on NBC.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it's broke, see if you can fix it before you throw it away.
That being said, I'm still a fan of the two brand system. Obviously, the balance between the two brands needs a little work, but I don't see any need to just shut the whole thing down altogether. I kind of like the idea of these two separate shows that take place in the same "universe." You never know if a character from one show will make a guest appearance on another... sort of like when Law & Order and Homicide: Life on the Street would do on NBC.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If it's broke, see if you can fix it before you throw it away.
Hulk Hogan's Brother
Stop asking me what I'm gonna do!!!
I do not think that the brand split should be ended. There are too many people on the WWE roster and ending the roster split would severely reduce the TV time that a the lower level talent are presently getting. Also if the roster split was ended I think you would see the main event matches feature guys like Cena, Orton, Sheamus, Triple H and Edge only. It would hamper WWE's chances of making new main eventers if everyone is just competing for one title as compared to two.
For those who are in favor of the brand split, I would just ask you to watch Raw. The Raw roster is overcrowded and there are guys like Kozlov who in a less crowded roster could have been used as a monster heel, but is now used as comedic talent. Same with someone like a Goldust or a Regal. They can still go in the ring but presently they are doing nothing due to the amount of people on the roster.
So I would say that the roster split should not happen at this point of time. Unless you are ready to fire some people.
For those who are in favor of the brand split, I would just ask you to watch Raw. The Raw roster is overcrowded and there are guys like Kozlov who in a less crowded roster could have been used as a monster heel, but is now used as comedic talent. Same with someone like a Goldust or a Regal. They can still go in the ring but presently they are doing nothing due to the amount of people on the roster.
So I would say that the roster split should not happen at this point of time. Unless you are ready to fire some people.
LeGenDKiLLa2010
Dark Match Jobber
the problem with your logic is that if there is a brand extension, the lower talent that doesnt get used will get buried even more. i mean smakdown has about 15 un used talent, and raw about 20. so while all the midcarders are gonna have a hard time getting a push, these talents wont even be able to make a t.v apearrance
d_henderson1810
Mid-Card Championship Winner
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I agree totally, since I too never liked the idea of the brand extension. Not only does it limit feuds (and probably why we see the same guys fight each other numerous times), but it is insulting our intelligence as well. When the barnd extension was done, it was like "two competing brands" , trying to emulate the "Monday Night Wars". The only problem was, it doesn't matter whether Raw or Smackdown have the better show, as they are both still WWE. It doesn't have everything riding on it like WWF/E and WCW did, when they competed. The fans can't buy into brand supremacy, unless, eventually , one show wins the final fight between the two (like WWE untlimately won the Monday Night Wars).
Having one brand makes titles mean more, creates fresh feuds, allows more contenders for titles, and would make WWE interesting again. I would move everyone to Raw, and have 3-hour Raws every week, to allow enough time for PPV build, and for as many people to appear or have matches. The unused talent can then be on "Superstars" (which can be like "Heat") where they await a call-up to the main show, meaning that you have to "earn" your spot on "Raw", making a superstar's appearance on the show mean more.
The brand extension had some life for 2-3 years. But it has been going for eight years now, and is growing tired. WWE needs "freshening up" right now, and ending the brand extension will do that. But I don't think it will hapeen anytime soon, because Vince wants the advertising revenue from a second show.
Also, consider this. Maybe Vince is keeping the brand extension going, because he anticipates needing it, if TNA folds (which could very well happen, sooner rather than later). The rosters may suddenly be more crowded, if Vince signs Kurt Angle, A.J. Styles, RVD, Jeff Hardy and others from TNA, if it died and was bought out by WWE. Then a brand extension may be needed again.
I have thought about this numerous times. I have seen pros, as well as cons on both sides of the coin.
Even something as simple as there being ONE World Champion has upside and downside to it.
One day I think I would end the brand split, and then there are days that I believe it is a good idea still to have 2 separate rosters for the shows.
One thing I AM sure of... I wouldn't just merge overnight. I think they could put together a massive storyline involving the company, ending with some sort of result having the brands destroyed somehow and them merging once more.
I am not sure what the storyline could be. Maybe another ownership squabble between McMahons or them and an outside party. Sure the whole power struggle thing has been done (AND currently is in TNA). But it can still be used in innovative fashion. Plus, creative would be knowing all along that the end result of this storyline would be the brands merging.
Even something as simple as there being ONE World Champion has upside and downside to it.
One day I think I would end the brand split, and then there are days that I believe it is a good idea still to have 2 separate rosters for the shows.
One thing I AM sure of... I wouldn't just merge overnight. I think they could put together a massive storyline involving the company, ending with some sort of result having the brands destroyed somehow and them merging once more.
I am not sure what the storyline could be. Maybe another ownership squabble between McMahons or them and an outside party. Sure the whole power struggle thing has been done (AND currently is in TNA). But it can still be used in innovative fashion. Plus, creative would be knowing all along that the end result of this storyline would be the brands merging.
I dont think some of you understood what I was saying...I didnt say get rid of Smackdown altogether....but better storylines by featuring them twice a week if necessary....keep all the titles the way they are....the World title could still be used for younger guys to get exposure...remember how it used to be back before the brand extension....there were too many people back then....now there is not enough talent...you could go back in the last couple months and if you notice closely most of the Sd! roster has appeared on RAW anyways...Alberto, Rey, Dashing, Beth, McIntyre, Ziggler, Kofi, Kane, LayCool....i'm not saying get rid of Smackdown but let everyone appear where the writers want them to for simplicity, ease, and effectiveness.....last Smackdown we got a bunch of stupid skits with Edge and Kane that didnt truly go anywhere...we got Hornswoggle and the damn eagle in a match...wasted Masterlock challenge that was too long and did not make sense....Kaval in pointless squash matches....stupid makeshift tag teams made every other week, such as McIntyre and Chavo last week....face it...Smackdown isnt watchable because they are lacking main event guys, and the ones they have on Smackdown, Rey, Big Show, Undertaker, Kane, Edge are not going to be around in the next 5 years.....it would allow for more options in the midcard scene with many more challengers, and more time for tag team to develop....they arent even using the lower card as it is....what difference does it make if other guys appear on SD!.....the writers wouldnt be restricted with the small roster they have on SD is the main issue if they used...it would also be easy to explain...they could just everything is off limits, and everyone is a target or something like that
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
I'd like to see the brand split end because, generally speaking, the "brands" exist in little more than just simply words as it is. Wrestlers from SmackDown! show up on Raw on a pretty regular basis now, the WWE seems to be considering unifying their championships, both brands are represented during ppvs, so I don't really see much of an issue.
The WWE roster is no bigger now than it was when the brand split took place. All of the wrestlers don't have to compete on a single show, but it does mean that we could see John Cena pop up on SD! to feud with someone or Kofi Kingston to feud with Sheamus or John Morrison to feud with Dolph Ziggler, The Nexus could expand their influence to SmackDown! as well by sometimes having some of their members appear or appear sometimes in full force. There are tons of potentially interesting feuds and storylines waiting to be tapped by ending the brand split.
I'm alright even if it doesn't happen, though I believe that making it so that bigger names can appear on SmackDown! could be a factor in getting SD! to generate the kind of ratings that Vince McMahon wants to see for the show. I think that SmackDown!, overall, is a great show that has a great formula. However, there aren't very many "big names" on the roster, it isn't shown live and it airs on the night when more people go out than any other night of the week.
I might be wrong, but I just see that there are some potential boons to be had here.
The WWE roster is no bigger now than it was when the brand split took place. All of the wrestlers don't have to compete on a single show, but it does mean that we could see John Cena pop up on SD! to feud with someone or Kofi Kingston to feud with Sheamus or John Morrison to feud with Dolph Ziggler, The Nexus could expand their influence to SmackDown! as well by sometimes having some of their members appear or appear sometimes in full force. There are tons of potentially interesting feuds and storylines waiting to be tapped by ending the brand split.
I'm alright even if it doesn't happen, though I believe that making it so that bigger names can appear on SmackDown! could be a factor in getting SD! to generate the kind of ratings that Vince McMahon wants to see for the show. I think that SmackDown!, overall, is a great show that has a great formula. However, there aren't very many "big names" on the roster, it isn't shown live and it airs on the night when more people go out than any other night of the week.
I might be wrong, but I just see that there are some potential boons to be had here.
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