How do you end the brand split?

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

I hear a lot of people in different posts talk about the extension and split needing to end, but I wonder how that would work with all the talent they have. Before the split, you had the big names dominating the two big shows. Raw and Smackdown would both have the likes of Rock, HHH, Austin, Vince, Steph, Undertaker and to a somewhat lesser degree Benoit, Angle and Y2J taking up the majority of the time. The mid to low card talent, mainly the tag teams like the Dudleys, Hardys and E & C would pretty much eat up the rest of the time.

 

As it stands now with the split, you have some midcards moving up to the lower upper card, and lower card workers moving to the mid card etc. Matches are getting slightly more time, more wrestlers are being exposed, and cruisers are getting more recognition. Heat and Velocity also are dedicated primarily to matches with lower to mid card talent.

 

Of course the WWE is not handling the split properly. Tag team belts are only defended on one show, and there aren't even any great teams out there. There are good feuds we'd like to see, but the wrestlers are on different shows. They can do a lot to make things better, but I don't think getting rid of the split would be the answer.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

The WWF is not handling the split very well, but the worst thing they could do is give it up. The split has been a good thing, and I would hate to think of what the WWF would be like right now without it.

[Guest greeneb22]

obviously the wwe isn't ending the split with naming bischoff the gm for raw and stephanie for smackdown. I think this is a step in the right direction and as kahran said above, the worst thing they could do is give it up.

[Guest Nezbyte]

Well, with the `theft` of wrestlers, they could very well do feuds and then be `stolen` back.

[Guest TheyCallMeMark]

They should trade more often, though. Like after a fued on either side blows off have the guy ask to be traded to the other show or something. Writing in more trades, temporary trades or whatever might make it more interesting.

[Guest razazteca]

just let all champs float between shows and have the occational talent raid by Bischoff or have rouge wrestlers than live by their own rules just show up on the other show, it worked for Beniot.

[Guest chirs3]

How do you end the brand split?

 

YOU DON'T.

 

Seriously, I am perfectly fine with watching just Raw now, I like it. It's kicking Smackdown's ass week in and week out, and as much as I like Jericho, Angle, Rock, and Co., if they come to Raw it might get overcrowded again.

[Guest GenerationNever]

How do you end the split? Fire Stephanie from the writing team and fire the entire Kliq. End Smackdown! next. Next, make cuts to the roster, 10-20. Make RAW the only show, except for a live show replacing Velocity called WWE Saturday Night Main Event. Make house shows mean something again and have title changes.

 

I would also try to get OVW/HWA on a cable network.

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

Move some guys into tag teams so there are AT LEAST 5 or 6 different teams. That gets more guys on the show with less matches. Release some of the older guys, whiny guys, and guys that no one cares about anymore. (Faarooq, The Godfather, Mark Henry, Albert, Hugh Morrus, The Big Bossman)

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

Also fire X-Pac, Nash, and Michaels. Keep Hogan and Flair around strictly for nostalgia purposes... only wrestling on house shows and sometimes mid card PPV or TV.

[Guest justcoz]

You don't end the split...

 

The WWE Champion, Intercontinental Champion, Woman's, Cruiserweight and Tag Team Champions compete on both Raw and Smackdown. This way several top names are on both shows for ratings purposes but the undercard has time to develop with longer matches, etc. like we've been seeing. It would restore the credibility of the championships, especially with longer title reigns. Think about it. You have RVD defending the I-C Title for several months, rotating between both shows and facing Benoit on RAW, Angle on Smackdown, Eddie on Raw, Edge on Smackdown, etc. Suddenly say Randy Orton defeats RVD to win the championship on Smackdown several months later. His title win is seen as being more important and you have a fresh face on RAW.

 

You could have Rey Mysterio defending the Cruiserweight Title on RAW against Jeff Hardy or Eddie Guerrerro.

 

Drop the Hardcore and European Championships. Hold tournaments to crown a RAW Division Champion and a Smackdown Division Champion. These titles are defended exclusively amongst the talent on each respective show.

 

There are two designated trade deadlines. A post Wrestlemania trade and a post Summerslam trade.

 

The Bischoff thing may make things more interesting but I don't think that they will ever succeed in creating a true "rivalry" when they are cross promoting PPV's and what happened on this weeks Raw or Smackdown. There can be a rivalry with the creative teams and how the shows are presented but it's never going to be truly seen as a rival competitor when both shows are WWE.

 

So just rotate top names for several months as champions appearing on both shows. You don't own a title or you hold the Smackdown or Raw Division title, you only appear on one of the shows...

[Guest the pinjockey]

I would make the WWF title, women's title and tag titles float and I would also give anyone who has been undisputed champ free reign as a reward for holding the most prestigious belt in the biz. It is a bit of a cop out of the split but they need star power on the shows with the business being so far down.

 

This way you get the top names on both shows but the undercards are still split not taking each others time. This would let Jericho, HHH, UT, and Hogan float and it would give the undisputed title more importance. You could play up that Kurt Angle is jealous of the others being on both shows so he goes after the title like it actually means something not just having matches where Jeff Hardy gets a title shot because he can take a beating.

[Guest chirs3]

I like Justcoz's idea. Provided the right people have belts, that is.