The Brandsplit

[Nate DaMac]

I hear endless bitching about the brandsplit on here and well, I feel like arguing. Why do you feel that the brandsplit should end? Why do you think the brandsplit should continue? I want it to continue. It gives opportunity for more talent to emerge. I will reserve the other points I can make til the opportunity presents itself.

 

[Chill]

I think the split should remain, for the sole purpose of creating new stars. I mean, currently it is difficult enough for new talent to emerge and I think it would be even harder for new guys to get over if they were to end the split.

If that happened then the main event regulars of each show would be headlining all of the shows all of the time most likely, could you imagine how difficult it would be for Rhodes and Dibiase, for example, to gain any momentum if they were getting their asses kicked on all three shows as opposed to just once weekly on RAW? But seriously though, it would be much harder for them imo, at least with the split they (and other new talent) stand half a chance of succeeding...

Also, with the seperate brands there are storyline possibilites in the form of brand rivalries, inter-promotional match ups and so on, if the split were to end then I think the feuds and matches would get used up quite quickly, for example, had HBK and 'Taker both been on Smackdown since the original brand split then the chances are they would have most likely faced each other a hundred times over and probably teamed a few times too and hence we wouldn't have gotton our 'Mania classic. So, the brand separation allows for situations like this to occur but the main reason I am in favour of the split is that new stars have a real opportunity to prove their worth as opposed to getting lost in the shuffle.

 

[Slam Master]

I have mixed feelings on the brand split. For what they are doing now I think its appropriate. I like that each show has a different theme and their own set of storylines and talent. They kind of have to the because there are WAY TOO MANY guys on the roster for only one brand or set of shows. There's a lot of talent getting wasted away or pushed under the rug. Not to be harsh or mean, but if the WWE doesn't have plans for these guys he should cut them. In the early 90s when the WWF was struggling amongst all the scandals he cut a bunch of guys. Now Vince has the economy as an excuse.

Lowering the number of guys would help in the product and maybe lower it to one roster again, but on all three shows. I'm not wishing bad luck on any of them, I'm just speaking from a standpoint of how to change the format. With less guys they can concentrate more on the main players and develop the up-and-comers. I know Vince is the Grand Wizard of Pro wrestling and has the money and the workers to keep so many for all the traveling but there comes a point where there's too many.

 

[BigDaddyDawg]

IMO, the brand split was a great idea that led to great possibilities. It brings competition between the three brands. It allows a lot more midcarders to move up in the ranks b/c you split the main-event talent onto three shows. And, as much as I hate to see what ECW has become (I could write a manifesto about how Vince has taken the ECW name and just ripped it to shreds), I like the idea of the three having significant differences - Raw as the top cable show that has more hard-edge stuff, Smackdown being more action-based and accessible to younger audiences and ECW being a developmental league of sorts. It targets specific audiences, which makes the "rivalry" between the brands that much better.

But I do think that some changes can be made to make each brand and the entire WWE better. I agree there are way too many wrestlers overall in WWE, and many decent guys or guys trying to make a name for themselves get lost in the shuffle. Maybe cutting some of the fat can help to streamline the brands.

... and for God's sake, rename ECW to something else. WCW perhaps? Please quit tarnishing ECW's legacy with the product being put on under its banner (minus Evan Bourne and Christian, who I like).

Sorry. I'm off my soapbox now.

 

[JTS32]

Yeah the big issue I have with the brand split is ECW. With a few exceptions I find it useless. The big thing there are certain parts of the year when it means nothing, and there has been more than one occasion you had a "talent exchange" where ECW guys were appearing on Raw and Smackdown. If there is not enough talent on Raw and Smackdown to avoid having ECW on then there should not be a brand split. Not in the case of ECW anyway. Split that roster between the two other brands.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I think the Brand Extension was a great idea and should stay the way it is. You have to look at it from all sides and all sides point to “great idea”. If the WWE were to go back to one brand, the Smackdown Main Event scene would become WWE’s Mid – Card scene and the ECW Main Event scene would become WWE’s Lower – Card scene and forget about the current Lower – Card scene on any show, let alone the Blue and Black Mid – Card scene. They would still have the three shows, but if you recall, Raw and Smackdown, pre – Brand Extension, was just 4 hours of the same $#!+. What you saw on Raw is what you saw on Smackdown. I think financially, entertainment-wise, and any other aspect of business, keeping them separated is what’s best for the company. More, in this case, is better. More shows, more time, more Stars, more Titles, more money!!

Then again, a unified WWE vs. TNA could be nice. Imagine a main event scene with HHH, Orton, Batista, Cena, Big Show, Edge, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Jeff Jarrett, Sting, A. J. Styles, Mick Foley, Christopher Daniels, Booker T., Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner. I really have to stop day dreaming.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

The Brandsplit was a very smart idea, at first it seem stupid, then it became groundbreaking, because they were able to market more talent. You couldn't have Mr. Kennedy, The Miz, Shelton Benjamin... and so on! Without the split, you couldn't promote a third of these guys. It would be the same matches every week and PPV, which would of killed the WWE.

 

[GIMH]

I am a big fan of the brand split as long as they keep them separate. It all got a bit messy between No Way Out and Backlash. With Edge winning the World title, Triple H feuding with orton, and the whole Taker-HBK thing (which I loved, obviously) it was like the old days where everyone was on everything. I actually enjoyed tuning into Raw & Smackdown in that 9 week period and knowing that you would likely see large chunks of the roster, but you got the feeling that it made the whole thing a little pointless.

Since the draft has come into effect, they have pretty much kept to it, and it's working better than I can remember to be honest, with the two shows being separate entities and different styles. I read somewhere on these forums recently that Smackdown=WCW. Well if that's the case, it must be about 1996/97 because Smackdown pisses all over Raw!

I think a key thing about the brand extension is that it gives you choice. I know a few people who won't watch Raw anymore but continue to tune into Smackdown & ECW. Whereas pre-extension they would have just turned WWE off altogether.

 

[Why Always Me]

i feel the rband split has served its purpose, it created stars such as orton, cena, batista and perhaps even allowed others such as cm punk, jeff hardy and edge to flourish

i feel now if the rosters were brought together they could have as good a roster as back in the day (attitude era)

 

[yoshi_doce2006]

I think the split has run it's course and here is why. They have developed all of the main event stars they are going to for this generation because they do not put enough emphasis on the mid-card to make the up and comers relevant enough to elevate. Unless they make the mid card matter again and use it to elevate mid card talent to stardom on each brand then the Brand Extension has run it's course.

 

[_SCSA_]

i liked the idea of the brand split when it first started, now i find it to be pretty lame, raw basically has the same 4 stars going for the wwe title, smackdown has the same 4 going for the whc, ending the split brings forth new fueds which is what wwe so despratly needs right now, think about it, fueds like cena/taker, triple h/edge, cena/jeff hardy (who do the fans cheer for on that one? could bring some new excitement into the company for things we either havent seen before or havent seen in a long long time

 

[Aldo_The_Apache]

it worked until recently for me. There just isn't enough talent for three shows. ECW really does have the best young talent in the WWE. If they were to anex ECW we'd get guys like Swagger, Bourne, The Hart Trilogy, Christian, Finlay, Henry, etc on Raw and Smackdown and I really think it'd help out the product. For me, I'm enjoying ECW more than I;m enjoying Raw lately, which kind of sucks given that raws the marquee brand.

 

[Aldo_The_Apache]

With the whole Trump owning Raw thing, does anyone see a "Invasion" like angle happening? I can't imagine them sidestepping a rivalry between McMahon and Trump. Especially with all of Trumps claims about Vince on Raw and his big changes. That'd set up something really cool.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I dig the brandsplit, but it needs to be done better.

I have always advocated giving each of the shows their own "brand name". ECW exists, so I say that Monday should be "WWE RAW" and friday should be "WCW Nitro"...why the shit not? I am all about giving each brand its own distinc feel, and booking team, all of the above. I think the rosters need to become stronger and deeper, but that can, and most likely WILL happen, when/if the WWE buys out TNA.

I like the brand split concept, I just think it could/should be done a lot better than it is currently.

 

[MiiX]

IMO it should continue because as stated many times above it gives a chance to create new stars. Also instead of seeing the same people on 1 show a week we would see the same people on all 3 shows which all the T.V time would be given to the likes of Cena, HHH, Edge, Randy Orton etc and I and hopefully other don't want that. And to some extent it gives competition between the brands.