The "brand extension" is BOMBING

[Guest HossSauce]

WWE's "brand extension" -- it's a roster split -- is bombing big-time. Not only is it not helping the product, it's making the product less enjoyable. Here are the major problems that I see with it:

 

1. The titles - Did Vince and company even think about what it would mean to the titles when they split the rosters?? In my opinion, ALL champions should be able to float between RAW and Smackdown!. Before, we had a situation where the show without the tag team champions was completely deprived of any meaningful tag team matches and the show without the Intercontinental champion was completely deprived of any meaningful mid-card singles matches. Now it's gotten even worse...the undisputed champ is now Smackdown! exclusive, which makes RAW the biggest waste of 2 hours on cable TV. To quote Stone Cold Steve Austin, if you're not gunning for that undisputed WWE championship, I don't know why you're here...

 

2. The talent - So let me get this straight...Vince split the rosters so that The Big Slow, Bubba Ray, Reverend D-Von, Mark Henry, Spike, Crash, Albert, and the female wrestlers can get more TV time?! Give me a damn break. Would ANYBODY care if these guy's fell off the face of the Earth tomorrow? Vince is shoving talent that we don't want to see down our throats at our expense. Obviously, sometimes you've got to give new talent the ball and let them run with it, but do you really have to split the rosters so that they get as much TV time as the main eventers? I miss the old days of the "experiment" runs with under-utilized talent. If it worked out, they stayed on RAW and Smackdown!. If not, they were back to Heat. What Vince needs to realize is that we LIKED it when The Rock, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kane, Undertaker, HHH (Yes, I even prefer him to Mark Henry), etc. were getting all of the TV time. We don't WANT Bubba Tough ™ mixed tags.

 

3. Availability - During baseball season, Smackdown! gets pre-empted nearly EVERY WEEK in my area. That means that I almost never get to see the Smackdown! roster in action.

 

4. Bischoff vs. Steph - These brand "defections" are just Vince's way of moving talent around when he needs to and NOT OWNING UP TO THE FACT THAT THE BRAND EXTENSION IS NOT WORKING. IF YOU NEED TO DEFECT TALENT ONCE A WEEK FOR STORYLINE PURPOSES, THAT IS A SIGN THAT SPLITTING THE ROSTERS WAS A BAD IDEA!!! And on a side note: nobody likes Steph on WWE TV, nobody wants Steph on WWE TV, nobody buys Steph as the creative genius that she portrays herself as, and all of the 4-week absences in the world isn't going to change that. The next time that she is "banned for life" because of a fan backlash...make it FOR LIFE.

[Guest LJSexay]

The euro and cruiser could have been SD exclusive, the Hardcore and IC Raw exclusive, and the Tag, Women's and Undisputed could have floated.

 

The split isn't bombing, moreso having some problems it didn't think of.

[Guest HossSauce]

Watch last night's RAW again and tell me it isn't bombing.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

I don't have the time to discuss how wrong you are right now, but I will make sure to get to it soon. The execution of the brand extension hasn't been the greatest, but the idea is the best that the WWF has had since TNN squashed the WCW Invasion (the orginal one, before it was revamped in the summer) right out of the gate.

[Guest Will Scarlet]

Well...I guess I will add my two cents, before others who can do it much better than I step up to the plate.

 

Now it's gotten even worse...the undisputed champ is now Smackdown! exclusive, which makes RAW the biggest waste of 2 hours on cable TV.

 

I am sure the WWF has a plan in mind for this angle. It might actually be a good plan or a plan that is written under the influence of illegal substances, but I am assuming they are going somewhere this angle.

 

Vince split the rosters so that The Big Slow, Bubba Ray, Reverend D-Von, Mark Henry, Spike, Crash, Albert, and the female wrestlers can get more TV time?!

 

How exactly ARE they getting more TV time? Slow is basically doing the exact same thing he was doing before split, which is basically relegated to the usual token appearance. When was the last time we have seen Crash on TV? Bubba Ray and Spike make a perfectly acceptable tag team(IMO.) D-Von and Mark Henry have been stuck jobbing on Smackdown, and Albert has been jobbing on Velocity, basically. The Women are not doing much of anything since the Gayda debacle.

 

The split has helped guys like the cruisers, Dreamer, and new guys get more TV time, which I have no complaints about whatsoever.

 

What Vince needs to realize is that we LIKED it when The Rock, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Booker T, Kane, Undertaker, HHH (Yes, I even prefer him to Mark Henry), etc. were getting all of the TV time. We don't WANT Bubba Tough ™ mixed tags.

 

I actually do not mind that others are getting more tv time. I get to see guys like Funaki, Tajiri, Chris Nowinski, etc., more now, and the top guys stay more fresh because they do not have to do the exact same thing on two shows a week. Do we REALLY need two shows for those guys to come out and cut 20 minute promos and have random partner tag matches?

 

These brand "defections" are just Vince's way of moving talent around when he needs to and NOT OWNING UP TO THE FACT THAT THE BRAND EXTENSION IS NOT WORKING. IF YOU NEED TO DEFECT TALENT ONCE A WEEK FOR STORYLINE PURPOSES, THAT IS A SIGN THAT SPLITTING THE ROSTERS WAS A BAD IDEA!!!

 

I do not mind it. The original WWF brand extension was not as effective as the WWF planned it to be, so now they are trying to fix things by trying to promote competition between the brands, and trying to make them at least appear separate and competitive. I am not sure if it will work, and it will probably take a long while before the fans look at them that way, but, by jove, it just may be successful in the long run. I credit them for at least trying.

 

I do, however, agree that Shane would probably work better than Steph because Shane comes as a more likeable character. Of course, I am a pretty big shane mark, which may be clouding my judgment.

[Guest NoCalMike]

My biggest problem is that the split is that the same main event guys are just following the title belt back and forth. They should have never got rid of the other World Heavyweight title belt, and kept each show SEPERATE.....a trade once every month or two would be fine because it would be built up with hype, right now it just seems that the same 3 or 4 guys follow the belt around like the plague.

 

WWE needs to let each show grow it's own identity and run with it's OWN BRAND!

[Guest El Psycho Diablo]

Shane would have been better, and that's about universally agreed. (Please, no "He'd make Test world champ! They're friends! Friends!" BS.)

 

Thing is..

 

- Jericho's stuck jobbing. He's not going anywhere.

- Angle has just gotten out of being humilliated every week. He's not going anywhere.

- RVD has a midcard belt..again, despite being the most over person on Raw. He's not going anywhere.

- Booker T. Does he even have a singles win? A CLEAN singles win? Booker is stuck in Tag Limbo with Goldust. (Entertaining, but still..)

- Raven isn't even ON Raw. Despite having talent, promo ability, and being a better color commentator than Lawler and Tazz combined.

 

- The cruisers only get one match a week, or get fed to Hardcore Holly/Albert on Velocity.

 

- The only real tag teams that don't get humilliated every week (Storm/Christian) are Hosses (Island Boys) or have a Hoss (Bubba/Spike).

- Why split up teams like the Dudleys and APA just for shock value? Bubba and Bradshaw get pushed. D-von gets buried, and Faarooq is too old to do anything singles wise.

 

- Bubba gets at least one match a week, on Raw. Guys like Dreamer, D-lo, Raven usually don't.

- Every week has the required Bubba, Henry, Rikishi match.

 

- More stupid owner stuff overshadows everything not named "Lesnar". (I like Bischoff, but still..does he need to occupy a good chunk every week? No, neither does Steph.)

- Every feud since KotR has been thrown together, with the exception of HHH/HBK. That, and the Lesnar/Rock feud get all the airtime.

 

- The only guys getting real "elevation" are Brock Lesnar and Edge.

- Undertaker, HHH, and co are STILL clogging up the main event. Putting Lesnar in there isn't going to make it any more exciting. It's elevation, yes..but what about the guys people want to see?

- While I may like Taker/HHH to an extent, we've seen every combination of the two known to man, and HHH/Lesnar and HHH/Taker or HHH/Taker/Lesnar dosen't make me reach for the remote to turn on my TV.

 

Am I the only one that thinks there needs to be a change in management (Steph/Ross..goodbye) and a serious roster trim? Ugh.

 

For a roster that has so many people..I sure see the same guys/matchups a lot..

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Am I the only one that thinks there needs to be a change in management (Steph/Ross..goodbye) and a serious roster trim? Ugh.

 

No. People have been saying Steph/JR need to go for almost two years now (since Austin's return/move to TNN).

[Guest jester]

Here's what's bugging me about the brand extension:

 

1. Self-defeating. Bischoff and Stephanie drone on about which is the better show. They get mad if commercials for the show run during their time, because they want to me to watch their show, not the other one. So what if I, as a fan, decided I agreed with one or the other, and vowed never to watch the other show again? WWE obviously does not want that. They want me and everyone else to watch every last minute of WWE TV, from Confidential to Heat to Smackdown and Raw. They don't really want me to choose between any show, they want me to watch it all.

 

2. What's at stake? Vince never explained exactly what was at stake for the two GMs. Will someone lose their job? Will the show get canceled? Is their a fictional "limited budget" with more rewards from Vince if a show does well? At the same time, what's in it for the wrestlers? Did Steph promise Brock a massive raise when he came over to Smackdown? Another title shot if he lost the one he already had? Sex with Keibler? They have never really explained why a wrestler should be on one show or the other.

 

3. Stephanie. I do not have the raging hatred for her that some do, but I agree such's really just taking up space. She's neither heel nor face nor, tweener, she's just there yelling at the wrestlers for no real reason. If she becomes a heel, she's essentially competing with another heel (Bischoff), if she's a face, her actions are limited. Bischoff can get the Island Boys to beat up old women to establish his heeldom. What can face Stephanie do? NOT have someone beat up old women?

 

4. Some may find the whole GM thing boring in general, since the whole wrestler vs. owner/authority figure is the over-used storyline for a new millennium. I like Bischoff's character, and he isn't really feuding with anyone but Steph. But I think there may be something to charges that GM characters steal heat from the actual wrestlers. For years wrestlers did their thing without GMs being in the way. Why are they needed now?

 

4. Deus Ex Machina Paperwork. It used to be that wrestlers wrestled to settle things. If I beat you in a match, you're off the show. Now WWE can just wave some phony paperwork around as an excuse for why things happen. But contracts don't make for exciting TV. Oooh, Stephanie signed a contract! Be still my beating heart! Also, wrestlers jumping around constantly is both boring and confusing.

 

5. The belt situation. WE've talked about non-floating belts vs. floating belts to death here, I won't rehash it all. The lastest development of Brock being exclusive to Smackdow...now did she say the BELT was exclusive to SD, or the CHAMPION? Both ideas are dumb, especially if leads to the creation of a second championship belt. It takes something out of going to Raw knowing I won't see the champion or a potential title change, or worse, seeing the new "fake" champion.

 

I am not totally against the split, it's just as it is currently, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I usually just ignore any stuff about it totally, unless it effects the wrestlers I like.

 

Long rambling post over.

[Guest The Czech Republic]

I said JR and Steph had to go in another thread, incidentally. I wish Johnny Ace would fire Ross's Hosses and bring back the good workers they let slip away like Jett, Michinoku, and so on.

[Guest dreamer420]

at first I liked it but seeing how the wwe handled it, I would say it is bombing. with titles and talents switching shows regularly it is obvious to any fan that they are just putting people where they should have been in the first place.

[Guest mickberna]

I hate the "brand extension". Quite frankly, there was enough wrestling on TV before Smackdown debuted, and now with Raw, SD, Velocity, Confidential, Heat, and 12 PPVs a year, you can't take a shit without being bombarded with hype for the next bit of WWE TV. Frankly, I'm tired of seeing extra coverage of second-rate wrestlers. I just wish it would go back to Monday nights and maybe 6 PPVs a year.

 

I love wrestling, but man, this one company is being spread wayyyyyyy to thin.

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

I look at it like this. The Invasion angle basically lasted from June to November of 2001 (5 Months). It was dragging towards September or so, and they let it go roughly two more months before they *killed* the angle at Survivor Series.

 

The Brand Extension has been on since the end of March (5 Months) and while you could say its starting to drag, at this point the GM angle has freshened it up to the point that I dont consider it to be dragging as bad as the Alliance angle was at the same point in time.

[Guest Redhawk]

I think they should have split the rosters, but they shouldn't have made a storyline out of it. There would have been nothing wrong with just taking a certain group of guys and only having them work one show and not saying anything about it on-air. Really, would the marks have noticed all that much? Probably not. Making an angle out of it has made it stupid.

[Guest Will Scarlet]

- Jericho's stuck jobbing. He's not going anywhere.

 

I cannot disagree here. It seems like the WWF has some bizarre fetish with seeing Jericho job.

 

- Angle has just gotten out of being humilliated every week. He's not going anywhere.

 

You can blame Vince for this one, from what I heard. Apparently, Vince loves the comedic Angle.

 

- RVD has a midcard belt..again, despite being the most over person on Raw. He's not going anywhere.

 

I think the WWF is afraid to elevate RVD. Maybe because he is not a WWF product. Maybe they fear that. while people like him because he has cool moves, that he does have the personality to pull off being a main eventer. Maybe they are displeased with his "selling." I cannot say I agree with them holding him down. I like RVD.

 

 

- Booker T. Does he even have a singles win? A CLEAN singles win? Booker is stuck in Tag Limbo with Goldust. (Entertaining, but still..)

 

In their defense, he is like 37 or so. Hardly making a spring chicken. Perhaps, they feel he is too old to be elevated. They seem to be wanting to elevate guys in their mid 20's lately.

 

- Raven isn't even ON Raw. Despite having talent, promo ability, and being a better color commentator than Lawler and Tazz combined.

 

Much like Booker T, Raven is getting up there in age. The WWF seems to be most interested in elevating the real young talent lately, hence young guys like Edge, Cena, and Lesnar getting the major elevation. Perhaps, they want to set themselves up for a longer time than elevating guys who are already in their 30s. Whether that is the best idea or not can be argued either way.

 

- The cruisers only get one match a week, or get fed to Hardcore Holly/Albert on Velocity.

 

Cruisers seem to be getting more matches lately. I have seen Tajiri, Chavo, Kidman, Rey, Two Count, Funaki, and Knoble on my TV lately. The division seems to be branching out as of late though with Rey going after Angle, and Two Count doing their own thing with Matt Hardy, and a light feud with Billy/Chuck.

 

As for jobbing to Hardcore Holly/Albert on Velocity, I disagree there. I know Funaki has jobbed to them before, but that is Funaki. I know of at least Tajiri getting a win over Albert on Velocity. He also holds a win over Mike Awesome. I believe Chavo has been put over larger wrestlers on Velocity as well.

 

- The only real tag teams that don't get humilliated every week (Storm/Christian) are Hosses (Island Boys) or have a Hoss (Bubba/Spike).

 

Personally, I like the Bubba/Spike team. Spike seems to play a good Ricky Morton, while Bubba comes in and cleans house. It seems like that dynamic could work. Heck, it did for the Spike/Show tag team in their short stint. It also keeps Bubba away from singles wrestling.

 

I have not seen the Island Boys wrestle, so no comment on how good or bad they are from me.

 

- Why split up teams like the Dudleys and APA just for shock value? Bubba and Bradshaw get pushed. D-von gets buried, and Faarooq is too old to do anything singles wise.

 

They wanted to push Bubba and Bradshaw in singles, and, obviously, it failed.

 

- Bubba gets at least one match a week, on Raw. Guys like Dreamer, D-lo, Raven usually don't.

- Every week has the required Bubba, Henry, Rikishi match.

 

I am sorry, but I cannot see why Henry is on tv. I just cannot.

 

I look at Rikishi as a novelty act. He seems to pop the crowd with the stinkface and the dancing. As long as the WWF does not try to seriously push him, then I have no problem with that. I can see that they probably put him on because he, supposedly, can pop a crowd.

 

The WWF seems like they want to do something with Bubba, which is why he is still on TV. The people seem to like him putting people through tables and stuff, so, maybe they put him there because the crowd likes some of his antics. If that is the reason, then I say that wanting to pop the crowd is not a bad thing.

 

Dreamer seems to be getting on tv more. They gave him a run with the Hardcore belt, and he had a ncie match against RVD on Raw.

 

D-Lo hurt Droz, and the WWF is tentative about pushing him because of that.

 

I have little clue as to why they refuse to push Raven. Age is the only factor I can come up with for that one.

 

- More stupid owner stuff overshadows everything not named "Lesnar". (I like Bischoff, but still..does he need to occupy a good chunk every week? No, neither does Steph.)

 

The WWF still thinks you need owners on the show for it to run efficiently. Hopefully, they will find some way past this way of thought in the near future.

 

- Every feud since KotR has been thrown together, with the exception of HHH/HBK. That, and the Lesnar/Rock feud get all the airtime.

 

I agree. The WWF needs more long term planning.

 

- The only guys getting real "elevation" are Brock Lesnar and Edge.

 

The WWF wants to push real young guys at this point. Is that a good idea? I am not sure.

 

Personally, I would rather push guy in their 30s to the top, so, when they are nearing retirement and their drawing power begins to weaken, you can merely job them out and let them retire. It would allow new people to step up, and having success. It would also lead to less problems when the old guard is losing their drawing power. Triple H is a good example of this. He is nowhere near retirement, but his drawing power has weakened. He takes up space in the main event, but is too big for the midcard. He is left stuck there, holding a spot that may be better served on someone else.

 

[QUPTE]- Undertaker, HHH, and co are STILL clogging up the main event. Putting Lesnar in there isn't going to make it any more exciting. It's elevation, yes..but what about the guys people want to see?

 

I agree. Taker has been there for awhile, and should have been put out to pasture awhile ago. He would be better served being fed to Brock, Kane, or whoever, instead of getting a serious push. Hopefully, they will start moving that way soon, and start inching Taker closer to retirement.

 

Triple H is a tough case. The WWF believes he is their saviour, but his drawing power is falling. He cannot just simply retire, so the WWF is left with trying to figure out what to do this guy. The WWF may run into this problem in the future, if they continue massively pushing the real young guys to the top. You never know though, with the right booking and motivation on Triple H's part, they could resurrect his career.

 

- While I may like Taker/HHH to an extent, we've seen every combination of the two known to man, and HHH/Lesnar and HHH/Taker or HHH/Taker/Lesnar dosen't make me reach for the remote to turn on my TV.

 

No complaints here. It looks like the WWF is being forced to do something now though with Austin gone, and Rocky gone most of the time. Hopefully that will mean some new guys will rise to top, allowing fresher main events.

 

Am I the only one that thinks there needs to be a change in management (Steph/Ross..goodbye) and a serious roster trim? Ugh.

 

I agree, but the WWF is afraid to release anyone because of Austin/Foley/Triple H. All three of those guys were deemed useless, and were let go by WCW, and look at what happened to them. The WWF may not be able to use some guy right, but there may be another promoter who could make him a big star. Heck, look at K-Kwik, for example. He did nothing in the WWF, but now I am hearing rave reviews of his NWA TNA work. If K-Kwik can do it, anyone can.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Let's look at this extension logically...and see if it succeeded in it's intentions.

 

The reason for the split was that there were so many wrestlers...they felt the need to seperate them. (Not that it creates any more air time, mind you...but this is the WWE after all...they can't think of everything)

 

So let's look at where the talent is now, compared to where they were THEN.

 

HHH: Was the undisputed champion...taking up alot of air time.

 

IS not the champion...but takes up most of RAW anyway.

 

 

Undertaker: Was Getting face pops as a heel...and geting a good sized push.

 

IS Getting face pops as a face...and getting a good sized push

 

 

Brock Lesnar: Had yet to have a match...get heat.

 

Has yet to have a good match...get heat. Is the champion...but he is also STILL only on one show...despite how retarded that is.

 

 

Edge: Getting a small push on SD!...about to feud with Angle.

 

IS getting a bigger push on SD!

 

 

RVD: IC champion...no direction

 

IS IC champion...no direction

 

 

Booker T: Jobbing in singles matches on RAW

 

Not jobbing as much...stuck in tag division.

 

 

Hogan: Getting a big push on SD!

 

IS off TV.

 

 

Bradshaw: Began a push for no reason on RAW

 

IS on Heat last I saw.

 

 

 

Bubba Tough: Starting singles career...with no where to go.

 

 

IS...for some reason always winning...but not getting pushed or anything. Very weird.

 

 

 

Jeff Hardy: Started off teaming on a show without belts...

 

 

IS currently? Who the fuck knows. Had a brief push...now is back to jobbing.

 

 

 

Rikishi: Doing nothing on SD!

 

Seems to be getting a push on SD!

 

 

 

UnAmericans: Doing nothing...two of them not even making TV

 

Tag champs and pushes for all now. As far as I can tell...they have made out the best of the "new talent to be elavated"

 

 

 

Angle: No direction on SD!

 

No direction on SD!

 

 

 

 

 

Basically...how did the split help anyone?

 

Same crap...different shows.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Oh yeah:

 

Jericho: Jobbing On SD!

 

Jobbing on RAW.

 

 

how could I forget that one.

[Guest wwF1587]

i think it is time for vince to come on RAW, kick bischoff's ass in a match for the RAW part of his company back, fued with his evil daughter for the next 4 months just to get his whole company back and restart all over again....sigh....

[Guest Raven_Effect01]

i think it is time for vince to come on RAW, kick bischoff's ass in a match for the RAW part of his company back, fued with his evil daughter for the next 4 months just to get his whole company back and restart all over again....sigh....

Fuck you.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

i think it is time for vince to come on RAW, kick bischoff's ass in a match for the RAW part of his company back, fued with his evil daughter for the next 4 months just to get his whole company back and restart all over again....sigh....

Worst....idea...ever!

[Guest bob_barron]

No Vince=good.

 

I like the brand extension personally. I like knowing that now storylines can have longer to play out.

[Guest chirs3]

Is there anyone that DOESN'T agree?

 

I don't.

 

Do you really think RVD and Booker T would be getting as much screen time as they are WITHOUT the roster split?

 

Logically, it makes negative sense, but its getting lots of people closer to the top.

[Guest eirejmcmahon]

Speaking for myself, I've found Smackdown to be an extremely enjoyable show since the split took place (with the odd hiccup along the way).

 

The fact that I don't have to catch Raw in order to keep tabs on the feuds pertaining to the Smackdown talent suits me down to the ground.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

Speaking for myself, I've found Smackdown to be an extremely enjoyable show since the split took place (with the odd hiccup along the way).

You're not the only one. With the exception of a few very goor Raw's, Smackdown has clearly been the better show since the split.

[Guest Strike Force!]

The brand extension is a fine concept.

 

However, the switching of wrestlers back and forth stinks, as does this stupid angle of Bischoff and Steph stealing each others' wrestlers.

 

The two shows should exist independently of one another.

[Guest tominator89]

My personal problem with the brand extention is the mere definition of brand extention. I'm not interested in WWE-1 (RAW, Heat) and WWE-2 (SD!, Velocity) plus Confidential, Divas Swimsuit shows, etc etc. I think there is plenty of WWE programming already in existence. What I'd prefer is a COMPANY EXTENTION. I know I'm gonna hear all sorts of negative feedback on this, but, WWE owns WCW. Look at the Alliance roster and look at who is available for a relaunched WCW now. MAJOR differences. Also, it appears as though WWE is fighting for the remains of ECW from Acclaim and I'm sure Vince will end up getting them at a bargain price. So, now we have WWE(F), WCW, and ECW owned by one single entity, PLUS the figureheads of each company (Vince, Bischoff, and Heyman). So, I'd say instead of extending the WWE brand, why not create WCW Nitro, WWE Smackdown, and ECW Heat? Maybe this would work, maybe it wouldn't, but I just can't get excited over Bischoff's WWE or Steph's WWE. To me, that would be like a professional sports team being divided into two teams: It's still essentially the same team! I'd much rather see a completely separate split with an entirely different identity ranging from names/logos to in ring style. And then maybe when someone leaves one show (or "company") for another it would mean more because they would be joining a separate identity; which is why I used to always mark out for a WWF-guy who'd jump to WCW or vice versa. It's interesting to see how they'd adapt to the other style.

 

Well, I'm done rambling on for now.

[Guest humongous2002]

All I'm waiting is to see what happens next, if by Wrestlemania they haven't push the right wrestlers to the top, then I will do what I did way back in the early 90's when wrestling got too retarded for me and just stop watching, just like an annoying girlfriend I'll kick WWE to the curve.

[Guest Olympic Slam]

The Brand Extension is a GREAT idea, they just don't have the starpower to pull it off right now. If they elevated Benoit, Booker T, Edge and a host of other mid-carders who are over to the main event then both shows can have legitimate main event caliber divisions. As it is now there's HHH, Taker, Lesnar and Angle occasionaly for both shows COMBINED! Not good.

 

The way it is now we have mid-carders not worthy of being on television rather than mid-carders not being elevated. I don't want to see D-Von, Batista, Bradshaw, Henry, and Bubba Ray Dudley being pushed as threats. Instead of the split being a way to showcase hidden talent, it's putting talent not worthy of such attention on showcase! The split isn't a bad idea, it just doesn't have the direction or roster to pull it off.

 

*And for those that are complaining about RVD's role in the company, what do you want? He's holding the I.C title and has been allowed to showcase what he can do in the mid-card without jobbing on a nightly basis. Do you want him to be elevated to the main event so he can job to Lesnar and HHH in shitty matches? Or do you want him to put on great matches in the mid-card with Eddie/Benoit?

[Guest RicFlairGlory]

*And for those that are complaining about RVD's role in the company, what do you want? He's holding the I.C title and has been allowed to showcase what he can do in the mid-card without jobbing on a nightly basis. Do you want him to be elevated to the main event so he can job to Lesnar and HHH in shitty matches? Or do you want him to put on great matches in the mid-card with Eddie/Benoit?

 

I think its safe to say we want RVD to be elevated WITH THE CURRENT MID CARD, and have HHH and Taker quietly drift off into the night.

 

We dont want RVD jobbing to HHH and Taker, we want HHH and Taker gone, so that Benoit and RVD can fight for the WWE Title, oh, and we'd like that Angle guy to have something to do with it all too

[Guest cabbageboy]

"Do you really think RVD and Booker T would be getting as much screen time as they are WITHOUT the roster split?"

 

Sure they would be. In fact they'd be getting TWICE as much time because both guys would be featured on Raw and SMDN.