WWE confirms Live Smackdown and Brand Split ****Keep it in here!****

[Aquaman6686]

I think that those guys I mentioned are realistically at the level where they're too valuable to be made exclusive to just one show. I also wouldn't always have them work both shows. and I think it would also save us from listening to the IWC going all "WWE is limiting who can feud with this person", etc. I mean yeah, they'll still complain, but that's just one less thing they have to complain about. Lesnar being able to appear on both shows would be good because it wouldn't restrict who WWE could put a feud with Lesnar together with. Let's say Orton, Owens, etc. go to SmackDown and Lesnar were to go to Raw. Neither of those feuds would be able to happen, and that would be disappointing. Same thing for Cena. He's good for really putting someone on the map, like he did with Kevin Owens. And if he were to become US champ again, he can have that open challenge and there wouldn't be any restrictions on who would be able to accept it.

That's what a Draft is for. After a year or two, when fans are clamoring for a Lesnar/Orton match, one of them gets moved to the other show. WWE needs to do this right, the way the Brand Extension was in the beginning. Other than the Royal Rumble match, there should be NO interpromotional competition.

 

[Loganity]

Not taking the time to read the whole thread so I apologize if a lot of what I'm about to say has been asked and answered.

First off I think it's a great idea with the roster being the biggest it's ever been, I think WWE is dying for some sort of way to let more of the roster show itself for lack of a better term. This does that. I think it is a bit of a game changer in today's world. In my opinion most fans these days only care about a select few so if your favorites end up on one show, that's probably the show you'll probably make more of a priority to watch, I know I will.

Also I can't help but what wonder what this means for all the part timers? Especially guys like Y2J and Lesnar? Will they be a part of the draft? What about Taker, HHH & Rock? I think all of them should be a part of the draft because it will make it feel more important, I'm not sure how it would work, but I'm not getting paid to figure it out. But I think if someone like Taker were to get drafted he should make a quick appearance and then he could go back home until it's time for his return. Same with guys like HHH & Rock. I think it gives it such a bigger feel if the part timers are involved, and isn't that what were going for here?

A final question, who's going to be Smackdowns GM? is it definitely going to be Shane or Stephanie? Why not somebody like Ric Flair?

Just some thoughts and discussion questions, I'm excited to see how it shakes out.

It's time to shake things up again!

 

[BringThePain834]

I feel like top talent are still probably going to be allowed to walk between shows as needed depending on storylines. Even though they want to do independent storylines you have to figure that they will crossover as needed. As long as they don't announce anything regarding the championships that has to also be assumed for the champions.
They did say the rosters would be unique yes, but you have to assume that if need be, RAW guys will show up on SmackDown. With the teased tension between Stephanie and Shane, it seems to me like there will be some brand warfare at least into Survivor Series. Example: Smackdown star shows up, wins RAW specific championship and takes it to Smackdown. Hilarity ensues.

 

[MWRedskins]

well if the brand split happens, i really feel they should split the World titles...i know people keep wanting one champion, but the roster is so large that two world titles could help create new stars....the only titles that i feel should be on both shows are the Women's and Tag Team titles due to lack of tag teams and Women's wrestlers, but WWE has a ton of guys who can be world champion right now and i wouldnt complain which is why i would like to see two world titles, BUT only if there is a brand split. if there's no brand split, then there's no need for two world champions.

 

[BringThePain834]

Things just got worse.

Based off information from his recent audio update. I think you have to pay to hear it so I haven't heard it myself, but a lot of different people are saying it and it seems reliable. I'm sure it will surface on YouTube soon.

Dave says that little information is out. Has heard from people in the company Vince is really pumped up, filled with ideas as far as talent goes. Expect Vince to be aggressive in going after talent that is not signed to WWE/NXT currently.

This move creates a greater barrier for the casual fan who doesn't WANT to watch 5-9 hours of wrestling a week and finds it overwhelming, but will be great for the super fan who feels committed to watching all WWE content.

If you put this whole roster on paper, yes it works for 2 strong shows. However, could be shortsighted due to the potential for injury.
Alvarez says they fucked this up the first time. Would love to see it work, but both guys don't sound optimistic. Less talent on the shows, the 3 hour RAW will suffer. More matches with guys that fans don't care about. Could hurt ratings, causing them to quickly panic and start sharing talent across brands (like before).

Dave says it's probably a given that Cena and Roman will be the headliners on the two separate brands. Points out that now the amount of matchups that can be created are cut by probably 40%.

Dave says the decision RIGHT NOW is that there will be TWO world championships. Bryan hates it. Also, IC title will be on one show and US title on the other. It will be a Stephanie and Shane split, one on each show.

No info yet on the women's situation, hasn't been decided.

Jesus Christ, this company.

The whole point of being a company's World Heavyweight Champion is that not everyone can win it, and that there's only one. Which is why it's so important when someone does finally win it. We all know that there being two World titles and champions greatly cheapens the idea. There's still only one Royal Rumble winner, and only one WrestleMania main event. The other belt just goes off to the side.

 

[MERPER]

The Brand Extension was the best thing in WWE history, and ending it was one of the worst. But I don't think WWE has the roster depth to pull it off right now, unless they're actually going to make their veteran talent MEAN something again.

They'll have the roster to do it again when it begins in July. Rollins has already returned. Cena and Orton should both be back by then with Bray Wyatt to follow. Plus, you still have the inevitable debuts of Samoa Joe and Finn Balor plus some other big names they signed recently.

If we assume the worst flurry of injuries arguably in history is behind them, then the roster is massive which is why this split is needed. Need a way to divide TV time and make sure many are getting the spotlight and chance to develop.

 

[Navi]

I think a lot of fans are getting their panties in a bunch with little or no information to go on. Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez have not always been right in the past and there is nothing to assume that they are right now. Both have been guilty of taking a small piece of legitimate information and turning it into a shitstorm.

It was just announced this morning, and let's wait until we know for sure what exactly the WWE is thinking of doing, then we can all have a fit. All I do know for sure is Jake is right, there is too much talent but too little stars. Part of the reason for that being that when the same people are featured on RAW weekly, then replayed on SD, it doesn't leave much room for others to get a chance to shine.

Maybe with a brand split we'll get focus on the mid card titles, which has been lacking, new stars will emerge and when NXT talent is called up, they will be booked correctly. Not the hit and miss style we've seen so far. So I'm willing to hold judgement until we see what all this will entail. They probably haven't even worked out the kinks themselves.

 

[MERPER]

I think a lot of fans are getting their panties in a bunch with little or no information to go on. Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez have not always been right in the past and there is nothing to assume that they are right now. Both have been guilty of taking a small piece of legitimate information and turning it into a shitstorm.

It was just announced this morning, and let's wait until we know for sure what exactly the WWE is thinking of doing, then we can all have a fit. All I do know for sure is Jake is right, there is too much talent but too little stars. Part of the reason for that being that when the same people are featured on RAW weekly, then replayed on SD, it doesn't leave much room for others to get a chance to shine.

Maybe with a brand split we'll get focus on the mid card titles, which has been lacking, new stars will emerge and when NXT talent is called up, they will be booked correctly. Not the hit and miss style we've seen so far. So I'm willing to hold judgement until we see what all this will entail. They probably haven't even worked out the kinks themselves.

One thing that shouldn't be overlooked here is that it could cut own on injuries.

I realize many of the recent injuries have been "Freak" things that could happen at any time. However, if one set of stars is doing RAW and another Smackdown and most/all won't be competing both nights, it's 1 less night of wear/tear on their bodies and potential for injury going forward.

 

[Navi]

One thing that shouldn't be overlooked here is that it could cut own on injuries.

I realize many of the recent injuries have been "Freak" things that could happen at any time. However, if one set of stars is doing RAW and another Smackdown and most/all won't be competing both nights, it's 1 less night of wear/tear on their bodies and potential for injury going forward.

I was thinking that myself actually. If you don't have to work both shows RAW and SD then that would also cut down on travelling. Gives you a day or two off. I'm wondering if it will also affect the house show circuit, which to be honest lately is where most of the injuries have been happening.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

the only problem i see with this is that raw is 3 hours long and you will have to fill a 3 hour show with 50% less wrestlers. So the possibility of seeing more match from the ascension or them calling up mojo rawley and having the hype bros in matches are really possible at this point. it's going to create opportunities for guys like ambrose, cesaro, owens and zayn just to name this guys of being top guys but again with the lack of main event guys it's just going to be the same old stuff has last time since i really doubt that lesnar will ever be put on smackdown after the brand split.

 

[MERPER]

the only problem i see with this is that raw is 3 hours long and you will have to fill a 3 hour show with 50% less wrestlers. So the possibility of seeing more match from the ascension or them calling up mojo rawley and having the hype bros in matches are really possible at this point. it's going to create opportunities for guys like ambrose, cesaro, owens and zayn just to name this guys of being top guys but again with the lack of main event guys it's just going to be the same old stuff has last time since i really doubt that lesnar will ever be put on smackdown after the brand split.

Again, we don't know exactly how this will work.

What if they recognize the 3-2 hour difference and go a 60-40 roster split or even 65-35?

What if all champions are required to work both shows?

It's just way too early to tell how this will be, which is also why I am excited.

 

[Navi]

the only problem i see with this is that raw is 3 hours long and you will have to fill a 3 hour show with 50% less wrestlers. So the possibility of seeing more match from the ascension or them calling up mojo rawley and having the hype bros in matches are really possible at this point. it's going to create opportunities for guys like ambrose, cesaro, owens and zayn just to name this guys of being top guys but again with the lack of main event guys it's just going to be the same old stuff has last time since i really doubt that lesnar will ever be put on smackdown after the brand split.

That's the whole point though. I know there are already 5 hours of TV to fill, but let's face it, they don't fill it with wrestling do they? Smackdown is just basically a repeat of what happened the night before, so that leaves a handful of the roster getting the bulk of TV time and everyone else gets nothing.

I think it will give way to better feuds and will give some of the undercard a chance to show themselves off. No one says you have to watch it, but I'm willing to give it a chance. If it ends up sucking, I'll be the first person to say so.

 

[OYDK]

Everyone's basically covered everything. Just came here to say I doubt there's a strong likelihood of the titles being split. Only reason they split them in the first place was because Lesnar didn't like to travel and didn't want to work both shows as WWE Champion during the original brand split. Or so I hear.

If they end up splitting the World title, I'm not going to be a huge fan of the idea. The title becomes something of a joke when people like Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, etc. win it. And also, I don't want to see guys like Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn hold a cheap knock off belt before they're actually ready. If they're going to be World Champions one day, it should be done properly.

 

[Jane]

So, we're back to "creating our own competition"?

That seems silly until you consider that professional wrestling is literally just creating competition from nothing.

I think the split is probably a good idea. Hopefully this will cut down on seeing the same fights two or three times a week and will force the WWE to make some new stars to lead both shows. I always enjoyed the original brand split and as pointless as they were, I liked Smackdown vs. RAW matchups at Survivor Series and such. They have the potential with the current roster so hopefully they don't fuck it up.

 

[Farese12]

Interesting post from Jim Ross' blog:

"I'd suggest the two broadcast teams need to be entirely different as well which could see Michael Cole, JBL and Byron Saxton manning the RAW side while Mauro Ranallo, Jerry Lawler and Cory Graves could do the same on Smackdown.

The two separate announce teams would help add a competitive element to the process that could include competition from two, separate creative teams as well and the rosters if the proposed brand split comes to pass as expected.

We had competition when King and I handled RAW while Cole and Taz broadcast Smackdown back in the day. It was healthy competition but competition nonetheless and it helped make both teams better. Ditto the writing teams."


Completely agree, but something needs to be done about that RAW team. I am so damn sick of JBL.

 

[rbv13]

How would you feel about a professional style draft? Something similar to sports leagues. Possibly run it as a Network Special or maybe USA. It would be something different than we've seen in the past.

 

[Navi]

Alvarez is reporting that the draft will be held on July 11th and will happen on RAW when it's televised from Detroit. That should be a fun crowd. LOL

He's also saying that many of the wrestlers have no idea where they will end up, and he's hearing that the women's division will be exclusive to one brand. He's also stating that each brand will have it's own World Title and the US and IC titles will be brand exclusives as well. Here is the link.

http://www.stillrealtous.com/possible-date-wwe-draft-rumors-plans-wwe-womens-division/

Now this might all be speculation at best, but I'm sure we'll hear more as it becomes available.

 

[BringThePain834]

It's kinda funny because Detroit is where the first actual Draft (the one in 2004) happened. I can understand the women being exclusive to one brand because there's not enough on the current roster to have some on both shows.

 

[MERPER]

If women are exclusive to 1 brand then you've got to think that is RAW. The longer show has more of an opportunity to showcase an entire division of wrestlers. It would/should also mean more than 1 women's segment per RAW, which would be really nice once Nikki Bella returns and they decide to bring up some NXT women.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Everyone's basically covered everything. Just came here to say I doubt there's a strong likelihood of the titles being split. Only reason they split them in the first place was because Lesnar didn't like to travel and didn't want to work both shows as WWE Champion during the original brand split. Or so I hear.

If they end up splitting the World title, I'm not going to be a huge fan of the idea. The title becomes something of a joke when people like Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, etc. win it. And also, I don't want to see guys like Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose and Sami Zayn hold a cheap knock off belt before they're actually ready. If they're going to be World Champions one day, it should be done properly.

It's still so early that there's no way to know what the situation will be though I think there's a strong possibility that various ideas will be added or dropped between now and the draft. The latest word regarding the titles is the feeling going around is that there will be two World Championships again, that each brand will have its own mid-card title, that the tag titles might be available on both brands and WWE isn't sure just yet on the Women's Championship.

I'm also leery of the idea of having two World Championships again because of how the World Heavyweight Championship spent the last several years of its existence. After Taker's last run with the title, it sort of became the unofficial upper mid-card title rather than something that was on equal or near equal ground as the WWE Championship. If both brands are going to be genuinely separate with their own separate storylines and feuds, then, as I mentioned in a previous post, there's potential for greatness and for a clusterfuck. If they're going to give SmackDown its own World Championship, I kind of like the idea of WWE creating an entirely brand new championship with its own lineage because all the various rewrites of title histories and lineage concerning the WWE Championship is muddled enough already. According to WWE, the World Heavyweight Championship was descended from the original World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship of the early 20th century, is connected to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, even though it's still active and completely separate from any WWE title, and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. Since it was unified with the WWE Championship, WWE's standpoint, and by that I mean primarily Vince's standpoint, is that the WWE Championship is now directly part of the lineages of all those titles no matter how illogical that is. Look at how many former World Heavyweight Champions are now referred to as former WWE World Heavyweight Champions despite never having held the WWE Championship. While it'd be cool to see the Big Gold Belt again, as I said, I'd prefer a totally different title design with a completely brand spankin' new lineage to get things started off with a clean slate.

If there are going to be separate World Championships again, I do have to admit that I feel more confident than I would have simply because SmackDown will be live. If WWE isn't going to make the blue brand equal, or as close to equal, to Raw as they can, then it could very well start them on a slippery slope in which the SmackDown World Championship finds its way to becoming the unofficial upper mid-card strap once more. It's more expensive to air a show live, though I wouldn't be surprised if NBC Universal is upping the ante by giving WWE more money to balance things out, so WWE would have more logical incentive to make the blue brand as strong and relevant as they can.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I think it all depends on how its done, Ive said it before that I would prefer to see one show more adult orientated such as edgier storylines and longer matches and make the other show more family orientated and child friendly, Give both brands completely different looks and different writers I also think theres a lot of wrestlers floating around with nothing to do at the moment and a brand split seems ideal for that, I did enjoy the previous brand split for at least the first year but they seemed to have so much star power to use in those days compared to today so if they couldn't keep it going then its difficult to believe that they can keep it going.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

I don't want the World Title to be split again, that's all. Then, it won't be a world championship, but two brand championships. You have 12 PPVs. 4 RAW guys fight for the world title at 4 of these and 4 SD guys in the other 4. This leaves the 4 big ones out. SD and RAW wrestlers compete against each other in order to see who is going to fight for the World title at each of these big 4 PPVs (WM, SSSlam, SSeries, RR).

This can also create interesting scenarios when a rematch clause is invoked, as there could be multiple guys fighting for the belt.

Each brand gets a mid card title and each brand gets a different division title. Given their weight the titles rank as following: IC>Tag Team>Women>US.

Put the gimmick ones (Tag Team, US) on RAW and put the "wrestling" ones (IC, Women's) on SD. There has been the notion of the IC title being a SD only title for a long time now. Plus RAW equals John Cena and I guess Cena will continue fighting for the US Championship.

WWE has lots of talent on NXT that could be part of the main roster (Joe, Balor, Aries, Nakamura). Plus there's also Orton, Cena, Rollins, HHH and Lesnar who are semi-active or inactive atm. So I can see why they are going with a brand split.

Just don't split the World Championship. Keep it as one belt. It also helps its prestige, as it is the World Title above all World Titles.

EDIT: Plus for me, there aren't many capable world title holders in the WWE at the moment (other than veteran names).

 

[BringThePain834]

I personally think that July 11th's Raw is gonna be interesting. There's the actual WWE Draft itself, Paul Heyman's gonna be in the UK that entire week so that's gonna leave Brock to do this show by himself, which will be the first time he will be on Raw alone since he first returned to WWE, and there's no doubt he'll be cutting a promo. I also am looking forward to see who goes where and hope that they don't make any bad decisions or send the wrong people to the wrong places. For example, keeping Kane and Chris Jericho on Raw in 2004, sending Edge to Raw in 2004, sending Rhyno to Raw in 2004. I disagreed with all of those things and hopefully I don't have to see WWE make a bad move Draft-wise.

 

[MERPER]

I think it all depends on how its done, Ive said it before that I would prefer to see one show more adult orientated such as edgier storylines and longer matches and make the other show more family orientated and child friendly, Give both brands completely different looks and different writers I also think theres a lot of wrestlers floating around with nothing to do at the moment and a brand split seems ideal for that, I did enjoy the previous brand split for at least the first year but they seemed to have so much star power to use in those days compared to today so if they couldn't keep it going then its difficult to believe that they can keep it going.

I'd love more adult-oriented programming but it isn't going to happen with this, Smackdown is still sticking to USA Network.

Only way we go back to adult stuff is if they put a show on WWE Network, but not holding my breath for that.

 

[Rocky84]

Hahaaaa, me and King Patrick called this months ago. Sucks to be you guys who hated the idea. I'm sure they'll do right by the roster split, but I really just wanted to pop back in to gloat (and rightfully so).

Can't wait to see what happens with this. Should be good.