Brand Extension

[Guest MR. COOLING]

I wrote this awhile ago in another topic but I thought I'd post it again with a few changes.

 

 

The problem with the first spilt was the way they did it, they just had Linda come out and announce it and it meant nothing AT ALL, there was no reason for it.

 

The second problem was that when the did the rosters they were just 50% of the old combined roster, neither roster had a character of its own, they also gave Flair and Vince the wrong shows, Flair should have got Smackdown (which always has had more wrestling) and Vince RAW.

 

Also they didn't establish a strong central authority independent of the two GMs say a President or a Commissioner.

 

Also they were muddled as to what the split would mean for business, would it be two versions of the WWF or (as I would do) a WWF like product on RAW and more Wrestling orientated/ WCW type show on Smackdown to try and tempt the old WCW viewers (with recognisable WWF faces to keep the WWF'ers happy) so to stop a promotion sneak up and fill the void.

 

What they should have done is during the Undertaker/Flair feud (although I think having Angle in UT's role would be better) have Flair become more and more paranoid about it being Vince who has set The Undertaker on him. Flair accusing him many times of it but Vince denies it.

 

Come Wrestlemania The Undertaker beats Flair, afterwards Vince comes onto the stage and applauds the Undertaker and then gives UT a big wad of cash.

 

In the Title match after HHH has won Flair comes down and takes the old WCW belt leaving HHH with only the old WWF belt.

 

On Raw HHH demands that Flair brings him the other belt. Flair comes out and tells HHH to get lost. Flair then calls Vince out, Vince stays in the back. Flair then goes and has a big rant about how awful the WWF is with the short matches, the Seven-Footers, Sleaze, etc, etc. This provokes Vince to come out and demand that Flair gets to the point. Flair tells Vince that he wants out. Vince is happy thinking Ric wants to sell his stock and leave. But Flair tells Vince he doesn't want to sell his stock, He wants to takes his half of the company, half the wrestlers, announces and TV time and leave the WWF. Vince goes crazy at Flair for trying to divide the WWF up, the WWF President Jim Cornette (Linda? Yeah Right!) comes and calms them down and tells them to cool down and leave this till Smackdown.

 

During the rest of RAW Vince McMahon stays in Jim Cornette's office talking, we also see Arn Anderson join them, as Flair gets more and more paranoid.

 

On Smackdown Jim Cornette, Arn Anderson and Vince McMahon come out. Jim Cornette announces that he and Vince had come up with a compromise deal. Flair would be able to take half the wrestlers and TV time (Smackdown and an hour long show) and he would have his own independent Cruiserweight Title under his complete control which would be exclusive to Smackdown (Vince would have the Hardcore Title) and each belt would have its ten man roster that goes straight to each man's show. The rest of the roster would be selected with drafts. However it would still be in the WWF and the World Title, World Tag Team Titles and the Intercontential Title (which will be unified with the European Title) would be for both shows and irrespective of which show the champion belongs to.

 

They would be a central authority independent of the two GMs and they would be himself as President and Arn Anderson as his Commissioner who would decide who gets the shots at the three "federal" titles. Cornette also announces that as the WWF would no longer be a federation but a confederation and will be renamed the World Wrestling Confederation (WWC). Also an hour of Excess will be handed over to Cornette's OVW to groom the stars of the future (with the other hour going to Confidental) and that Heat will be run by the central WWC with each Franchise supplying matches.

 

Flair comes out and after Anderson persuades him agrees. On RAW they sign the contract, which sets the date for the draft as Backlash and that it comes into force a week later. The draft would be split into Top 8 in the rankings/9-20/Tag Teams and the two division rosters, which have already been decided. They also decide that when King of the Ring comes each will hold a mini tournament of 16 (with Quarter Finals on the PPV) with the final two going to Interpromotional Semi Finals and that for the Royal Rumble each Franchise would contribute 15 wrestlers each. They also set the amount of "Federal" funds each GM gets from the WWC although each can raise more. Also Vince McMahon will get exclusive rights to the Women's Belt and the Women's division/diva's.

 

The draft comes and they select the wrestlers (with a separate draft for tag teams). Vince selects mostly bigger more name wrestlers although he selects Rob Van Dam, Chris Jericho and Booker T. While Ric Flair selects more smaller, up and coming wrestlers although he selects Austin, The Rock and Kurt Angle.

 

The two franchises then offer different types of wrestling. RAW is sports entertainment, edgy, more mature (TV-14) with the high octane pair of Joey Styles and Cyrus doing commentatory whilst Smackdown is more wrestling orientated, for a younger/older (TV-PG) audience i.e. the old WCW audience and has a more "Southern Feel" which is show in its announcer team of Jim Ross and Kevin Kelly (or Mike Sanders). This is reflected in the areas they tour, RAW tours mostly in the old WWF areas like New York whilst Smackdown tours in the old WCW areas like Georgia and in their marketing; RAW has "ATTITUDE" and Sports Entertainers while Smackdown has "Desire" and Wrestlers.

 

This is also shown in the match rules for the two promotions: RAW is No-DQ with the exception of bans on Outside Interfereance and during a Tag Team Match the illegal partner staying in the ring for more than 5 secs. There will be no rope breaks nor count outs.

 

Smackdown on the other hand has more traditional rules with DQs, Count Outs and Rope Breaks all retained but also all non-managers will be barred from ringside and during a tag team match a partner may only break up a pin fall once.

 

The "Federal Belt Matches" will have comprimise rules in that there will be No-DQs (bar the two exceptions that RAW has) but Rope Breaks (although maintaining a hold won't result in a DQ the submission/pin won't count) and Count Outs (although if both wrestlers are still outside by 10 the count will just restart) will be retained, plus all non-managers will barred from ringside. For Tag Team Matches Smackdown's rules on Tag Practice will apply.

 

Also to help the two franchises develop separate identities there would be two separate booking teams, for RAW it would be Paul Heyman with Shawn Michaels and Raven helping him and on Smackdown Ric Flair with Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerruro helping him although Paul Heyman would be "Head Booker" and book the "Federal Titles". Both will have a team of (proper) television writers to write the drama segments and a team of ex-wrestlers to help the athletes with their matches (RAW Pat Patterson, Shawn Michaels and Raven/ Smackdown Johnny Ace, Dean Malenko and Arn Anderson).

 

Such a set up would give the fans a reason to care about each promotion against the other and could also tempt the old WCW fans to watch Smackdown which would give the WWF say a combined audience of around 10.0 to hawk the PPVs too.

 

To look into the short term booking of the two franchies; Vince will spend alot of money trying to beat Ric and get the best wrestlers (we could show that while Ric's wrestlers wrestle for Ric most of Vince's wrestle for Dollars), however by around KOFTR time Vince's money postion is starting to look shaky and he in effect allows all of his wrestlers to negotiate with Flair (including HHH mirroring Bret/Vince) which does cause some wrestlers to leave like Brock Lesnar, however this doesn't help Vince at all so in the end he has to sell the RAW franchise about two weeks after KOFTR, and the guy he sells it to is Eric Bischoft which then sets up Eric/Flair feud/rivalry and also HHH signing with Eric for the money to turn him heel on route to a match with RVD at Summerslam (HBK had already fought Brock).

 

Anyway hope you like it, feedback appericated.

 

W.W.I Cooling

[Guest mach7]

Interesting ideas. Though, I wouldn't have picked Cornette for the Presidental role. I just can't take him seriously, not that I don't like him - I just see him more as a heel manager/comedic-type than as a serious suit. Foley was kinda believeable in that role, but I think that they'd need to bring out someone the likes of Jack Tunney or Gorilla Monsoon. Though, at the moment, no one really comes to mind that would really click with the fans. Certainly not Slaughter, HBK, or one of the Stooges. No way. I was thinking Double A. But there'd need to be a good reason as to WHY he was elected the Prez. Either way, cool alternate-universe you got going there.

[Guest DJ Jeff]

If the brand extension had happened like that, it probably would have turned out better. Plus, like you said, there was no real reasoning for the roster split. The only reason was that Vince couldn't stand working with Flair, so they split the roster. Also, Flair should have had Smackdown, and Vince should have had RAW, since RAW is Vince's show technically.