With PPVs on the WWE Network, Can the Brand Split Return?

[pepentorresHHH]

I was talking to a friend about the old days when WWE had Raw and Smackdown competing and how they wont come back because they want all their stars to sell ppvs when It occured to me.... WWE's network has abandoned this idea. PPVs are already sold and the Network numbers eclipse the ppv buys. So could WWE get away with Smackdown or Raw PPVs?

The roster is arguably big enough for two shows, with the eventual debut of stars from nxt added to the mix. You only need to give a new world champ to the other show. Divas and tag teams can be swapped or the divisions can be split. The US and IC titles become exclusive to a brand. We can have a draft (which can become a big event in the network) and also have the return of impotyance to the big 4 or 5 ppvs when u actually see all the roster under one roof. House shows are divided like this already.....

Thoughts?

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I don't think the WWE abandoned the idea for the reason you mentioned...I think it was because there realistically wasn't parity between the two brands when they supposedly were apart. It became quickly apparent after a couple of years of Smackdown's existence that it was the B league, and wrestlers drafted there were either taking a step down, or becoming the big fish in a small pond. Wrestlers who caught on there would fairly quickly be moved to the A league, i.e. Raw. After awhile, the idea that there was any brand split at all had to be ditched.

Now that I think about, we do have a true brand split...it's WWE and NXT.

 

[chuckmdubya]

Although at the moment, I don't think they have enough great talent to carry two separate brands, I think it would be a good idea. Mostly because smackdown has faded into obscurity. Breathing some new life into Smackdown might turn the program around and make it much more entertaining. After a few injuries heal, and additions to the roster are made, Smackdown could carry its own weight and be a great product.

 

[Anaxamander]

I really hope so, because I was always down with the brand split, even when seemingly everyone else hated it. I liked the fact that each show had a completely different roster, angles, commentators, and tone. For a long time, Smackdown was far more entertaining than Raw to me.

Now, I'm not compelled to watch Smackdown at all, because it just feels like a giant rehash of Raw with very little new to offer.

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

I voted never again because that was the single worst thing that ever happened to Wrestling. It relegated the "World Heavyweight Title" to being a secondary hilariously booked piece of trash (just like the show it was on. Smackdown was unwatchable for almost a decade)

One Champion is fine.
If anything I like adding a Cruiserweight division/show or something similar.

 

[Navi]

If we still had two titles and a loaded tag team division then maybe. That's not the case anymore. Also the main event picture which has been riddled with injuries just wouldn't be able to be spread across two shows.

I do agree they have to do something different with SD, because it is a rehash or RAW every week, and has become boring. Maybe it should be a launching platform for the NXT guys. The fact that it's on a Friday night when a lot of people aren't home is an issue as well. A move to Thursday would be better.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

With the exception of having twice as many championships, the brand split was really a split in name only. With the exception of Raw being live, there wasn't a whole helluva lot going on over at SmackDown to that made it any different. Besides, if WWE initiated the brand split, it wouldn't be 6 months before people were crawling out of the woodwork wanting them to do away with it.

I agree with Joe's notion in that there already is a brand split in place - the WWE and NXT rosters. If you watch NXT, everything about it is different from Raw and SmackDown. The booking style is quite different because Triple H is ultimately allowed to have the final say as to what happens in NXT. As a result, there's generally a lot more consistency since Triple H doesn't change his mind a dozen times a day or have the show rewritten mere hours before it's taped. Also, the production values aren't as grand, yet that doesn't detract from NXT. The commentators are infinitely better and are instructed to treat the product seriously instead of trying to be funny. Just the overall look and feel of NXT is different to the point where, aside from the lack of WWE main roster stars, it's forging its own identity in the eyes of a lot of people as being more than simply WWE's developmental territory.

 

[TheICChampion]

Well, if the Authority loses at Survivor Series, and they bring back actual General Managers with the illusion of power then this could maybe work. Keep them completely separate from each other and make sure the titles actually mean something. But then again, I suppose that's asking too much?

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

Maybe in 2 or 3 years, Yes. The issue that Wwe had when the decision was made to murge the two divisions, still stands. Wwe doesn't have enough star power to keep two divisions going strong. Maybe if they could make two or three more future stars, then maybe they could split the brands back.
Raw
Cena Reigns Ambrose (Lesnar) (new *)
Smackdown
Orton Rollins (Bryan) (new *) (new *)
If Wwe could find the right people to be inserted into those spots, I would be all for a brand split. Though the way it looks, Wwe needs to find people that can be major heels for the future, because that list seems a little heavy with faces.
I am definetely hoping for the return of the brand split. I miss the days of the Brand invasion, and Survivor Series/Bragging Rights brand warfare, and MAYBE if they bring back the brand split, Survivor Series would finally gain its importance/prestige back.

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

God no, I don't want to see a brand split it's a dilution of talent, and it has always seemed cheap. Two world titles? No thank you. The Rumble winner choosing which title to go after? No thank you. There are tons of ways to reinvigorate Survivor Series without the need for a brand split. Just no, please no. Smackdown can be exciting without the need for a brand split, Smackdown. And invasion angles have been done to death.

You wanna shake things up and do the whole draft/trades thing? Then do it by division, put Teddy Long in charge of the tag division with the ability to recruit trade and sign teams. Put someone in charge of the IC division with the ability to promote/relegate talent. And so forth for the other titles but please for the love of God no brand split.

 

[LBGetBack]

The brand split only made sense after Vince bought WCW and a lot of them came over to WWF over the next few years. For a few years there the roster was absolutely loaded with big names and main eventers.

That slowly faded, and the WWE has really done a poor job of making new stars for a good solid decade now.

They don't have the "names" to do a brand split. There's guys with talent, but there's not a lot with credibility.

We know how a brand split would go right now.....and given the types that we know would be on Smackdown, I'd have little interest in watching.

 

[MC_Live]

I voted for "Down the Line", only because what's old is new again, and there is no telling if it will ever be a viable option in the future. As I younger fan, I started watching in 04. So the first thing I knew was brand split. At that point, everything seemed pretty equal. All the titles meant something, and the rosters didn't seem so unequal. At least for a little while. Heading in to 2005 and 2006, the differences in talent level really started to show. SmackDown truly became the "B show" and WWE stopped trying as much with SmackDown and the superstars and titles on it.

As of right now, WWE doesn't have a strong enough roster to split. Sure, they have a lot of people contracted. But that doesn't mean WWE has enough established talent to support itself. WWE has to work on creating a multitude of stars before it can even think about separating brands again. But hey, maybe next time they truly treat the shows as equals and we have an overall great product all around. Great Khali is a former World Champion, so crazier things have happened.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I really hope so, because I was always down with the brand split, even when seemingly everyone else hated it. I liked the fact that each show had a completely different roster, angles, commentators, and tone. For a long time, Smackdown was far more entertaining than Raw to me.

Now, I'm not compelled to watch Smackdown at all, because it just feels like a giant rehash of Raw with very little new to offer.

This. SmackDown was an amazing show for the duration of the Brand Extension and was better than RAW more often than not. Ending the Brand Extension killed SmackDown and made it unwatchable. The Brand Extension was the best thing to ever happen to WWE in my book, and ending it killed a lot of my interest in the product, because WWE went back to a "safer" way of booking their company. The separate PPVs, announcers, rosters, and championships made each show unique and interesting.

 

[joey414]

The brand split was hot to begin with, it worked, it lasted best part of a decade and was quietly phased out, bringing it back too soon would be pointless for all concerned, the format works atm so id leave a brand split for a few more years, get all these new guys to the top of their game then have a big draft.
The original draft included the likes of the Rock and Y2J who were established stars and could be split fairly with enough heels and faces per brand.

I dont feel it could work with todays roster but heres my attempt at a fantasy draft
(top 10 picks per show) Brock Lesnar exempt as he is wwe champ and probably wouldnt show up anyway

RAW; Cena, Reigns, Rollins, Wyatt, Ryback, Cesaro, Dolph, Barrett, Bryan, Kane


Smackdown; Ambrose, Orton, Sheamus, Rusev, Miz, Bo Dallas, Big Show, Henry, Harper, Axel

As you can see its difficult, not even trying to work out the tag division and divas
Anyone else fancy a shot at this

 

[Dagger Dias]

Not a fan of this idea, at least not for today's WWE. Maybe some day in the future. There should not be another brand split until we get to a point where NXT could be an equal entity to Raw. If the WWE can't treat ANY of its current titles with the respect they deserve, then what makes you think that they would properly book an entirely seperate set of titles? Sure you could move the US Championship over to Smackdown, bring back older belts like the big gold World Championship, the Womens Championship, and maybe even the Cruiserweight Championship.... but the problem remains that the secondary title tier would be potentially be treated even worse. I'd hate to see that happen and it wouldn't be fair to the wrestlers involved. I would rather see the title structure remain the way it is with no type of brand split until NXT has grown enough as its own brand, it can one day become a true second brand. Move the US Championship over to NXT while keeping all of the current NXT belts on that brand. When that time comes is when this question could be asked again. I'd be fine with a couple of PPV's being Raw exclusive and a couple of others being NXT exclusive at that point, with bigger ones like The Big 4, Night Of Champions, and Money In The Bank being dual-branded.

 

[gers09]

No never again the point of the split as the roster was too big with the wcw/ecw stars as well as the wwf once they had now it dradrastically smaller the split made no sence so they ended it. The stories became dry and boring nd was the same month after month yes the stories now arnt great but are better than what we were seeing