Did The Brand Extension Hurt?

[THTRobtaylor]

The brand extension was flawed from the moment WCW was closed down. What should have happened was WCW kept operating as a seperate company, acting as the 2nd brand with ECW potentially doing the same, with the 3 companies only ever meeting once a year at Wrestlemania. Raw and Smackdown were poor 2nd choices in comparison and for many years Smackdown was painted as B-Leauge compared to RAW... It is only the last 2 years that both have really been seen as equal.

Now that the Extension has failed, I think the "one WWE" model would be much better... Creating new talent is one thing, but the old WWF/E thrived because getting there was hard, keeping a spot harder. Guys like Jake Roberts or Big Bossman never got near a World Title, yet were considered top 10 in the business. Guys like Foley and Austin were in the business for years before getting shots. The brand extension means that if you haven't had a title within 3 years of debuting you are a failiure. One WWE would mean mass talent releases... sure, but it would also mean healthy competition, something that the WWE absoulutely needs...now more than ever.

 

[Rckstrtmmy]

It's still hurting in my opinion. They've started to do away with it with the whole "supershow" deal, but they need to be done with it completely. I get why its there and it does help get younger superstars some TV time and break up the road schedule for the guys, but it also waters down your own roster. I also think the idea of 2 heavyweight champions is redundant and stupid. At the time, it was need because of the sheer amount of superstars the WWE had, but it's run its course and its time to bring the brands together again.

 

[pkrebel]

I love the brand extension and I still think it could work, If they kept the rosters completely exclusive to a brand like they did in the first few years, I remember when I used to watch Raw in around 04 and if a Smackdown Superstar showed up on Raw it was a big deal, they use to keep the shows completely seperate and I loved it.

I loved the Kayfabe rivalry between the two, To get it back to those days, have

1. Exclusive Superstars to each show again
2. Have Exclusive Raw and Smackdown PPV's again
3. Change the Smackdown stage, preferably back to the giant fist or something new
4. Have Smackdown Live on Tuesdays, I think having it live is a must
5. Bring back the cruiserweight Division back to Smackdown and have the Tag Titles exclusive to Raw

 

[Champ1432]

I'm with what I think is the majority after reading the responses on here.

I think the brand split was necessary and effective when it was first enacted, due to the reasons others pointed out; huge influx of talent from WCW/ECW, large rosters, need to create new stars and give them TV time.

It was pretty fresh and new and there were lots of good moments in the early going.

Now however, I think it has run it's course. Like Constantiople or Rome before it, it is beyond saving and must be allowed to die. (Batman...... anyone?......No?...sigh)

Seriously, nowadays it's just like a confusing, ineffective, watered down version of its past self. When it began, and we had drafts that mattered, rosters that were actually separate, and different styles on both shows (someone pointed out the tag teams on Raw, cruiserweights on SD, etc.), it was fun to watch. It was easier to accept two champions, and when people crossed over, which was rare, it actually meant something and was riveting. Now, the different rosters mean almost nothing, since there's a Raw Supershow every week, which means Raw superstars are on Raw, and SD superstars are on SD and Raw. Crossing over shows is so commonplace and unremarkable anymore, it just doesn't mean anything. We even see the SD champion on Raw quite a bit. It just doesn't have that "big" feel anymore when people cross over shows.

Another thing that has come out of this is the "inequality" of the titles. I think most people will agree that despite the fact that the titles are supposed to be equal in stature, the Raw (WWE) Title is considered superior. It would be a little different if there weren't as much crossing over, especially with the World Champion himself. Keeping the titles separate and having very little crossing over would increase the prestige of the World Title a bit, IMO. But when you have all the Smackdown guys on Raw anyway, it just makes it seem all the more like a second rate title. We're used to having one "best", one champion. Now we have two. It would be a little easier to accept the idea of two people being the best at the same time if they were separate, but having everyone from SD on Raw half the time makes you want to identify one man, one of the champions, as the true "best". At least in my opinion. I think a lot of people would agree with me though.

The fact is, and I've said this before, as far as the titles go, the existence of both diminishes both.

How much the ratings have been affected by the brand split versus the end of the Attitude Era is up for debate. But I don't think there's any question most fans consider Raw and the WWE Belt superior to SD and the World Title Belt.

There are plenty of new superstars established now, the time to end the brand split has come.

 

[jaceynightheat]

IMO the brand extension was a great idea. But they didn't stick with it, how soon after they made it were people showing up on both shows?

 

[HBKperfect23]

The brand extension was cool at first. I liked the rumble winner being able to jump ship and I liked only having RAW vs SD at wrestlemania.

I would have done the brand extension completely differently. When Vince bought WCW he should have never shut down the company. WCW Nitro should have taken Smackdowns time slot and WWF and WCW would still be completely separate. Then when Hogan, Hall, Nash, Goldberg and those guys come back after their Time Warner contracts run out you can run the Invasion angle much better. Let that play out and then go back to separate shows. Could stay WWF/WCW or just go RAW/SD. Have one show be geared towards the attitude era and one towards the old school era. Then theres something for everyone. Only time they meet up is Wrestlemania. Other then that theres two separate companys. I HATE having so many titles and two world champions on the same show.

 

[Cabana]

I think the easiest way to think of the brand extension is post-DH, post-interleague baseball or the NFL. Yes, there's still a difference between the leagues, but they're converging and at this point it makes sense just to treat them like conferences (much in the way the AFL and NFL became the AFC and NFC.)

Really, that's where Raw and Smackdown should be. The red conference and the blue conference, with different playoffs (mid-card titles) competing for the same championship (WWE Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship - use the Big Gold Belt, plz.) Don't defend the big belt too often, and try to keep intershow matches to a minimum.

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

Brand extension was just confusing. No matter how necessary it was, there were just too many belts, and too much of a convoluted mess, and all of it on top of them having to change their name from WWF to WWE.

I stopped keeping up with the WWF in late 99/early 2000, and when I finally gave it another serious chance around summer of 2002, it was like "WHAT HAPPENED?"

Brand extension, and the confusion it brought kept me from getting back into pro wrestling through the decade whenever something would reach outside the realm, and grab my attention back to the WWE.

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

I would have done the brand extension completely differently. When Vince bought WCW he should have never shut down the company. WCW Nitro should have taken Smackdowns time slot and WWF and WCW would still be completely separate. Then when Hogan, Hall, Nash, Goldberg and those guys come back after their Time Warner contracts run out you can run the Invasion angle much better. Let that play out and then go back to separate shows. Could stay WWF/WCW or just go RAW/SD. Have one show be geared towards the attitude era and one towards the old school era. Then theres something for everyone. Only time they meet up is Wrestlemania. Other then that theres two separate companys. I HATE having so many titles and two world champions on the same show.

That was actually what they wanted to do at first when the WWF bought the WCW. They invaded Raw at first, and then it was like a total takeover of Smackdown later that week. They experimented with the idea, and didn't like the responce from the fans.

Seems like that would have been the best way on Paper, but there would be too many people that would look down on it as "Bastardized" version of the original, much like the WWECW. A WWF run WCW would never have worked.

I still think they could have pulled off a decent WCW "One Night Stand" show that could have been awesome.

 

[HBKperfect23]

I had no idea that was the plan. Id still like to see them separate in some way or only have one world champion. I think a WCW "one night stand" would definitly work. Have Starcade or Wargames once each year.