TSM Town Hall: The Brand Extension - Six Years Later

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Dandy and I are going to be taking turns with the Town Hall topic. The idea behind this thread is to have an active discussion topic mid-week between Raw/ECW and Smackdown.

 

FORMAT

 

First, discuss the topic and your general thoughts about the item. After discussing the topic, check the additional questions located at the bottom of the post. Remember, the idea is to discuss the topic; the questions only serve as a guideline for what you might want to cover.

 

 

TOPIC

 

The months after Wrestlemania are genereally used to reshuffle the deck and prepare the fed for the next year. Six years ago, WWE made a drastic alteration to the strucutre of the company when it split into two brands: Raw and Smackdown. We are now approaching the six year mark of this brand extension. Originally created to fill the void created by WCW shutting down and keep the brand from buring out, the brand split has evolved to the point where it is just two separate iterations of the same WWE product. So let's use this thread to reflect on the successes and failures of the brand extension thus far.

 

 

Additional Questions

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how successful has the brand extension been? Why?

2. Has the extension helped to create new stars that wouldn't have had a chance to shine in the old set-up? Is it more effective than having one brand?

3. What has been the biggest success of the split? The biggest failure?

4. Have fans come to accept Raw and Smackdown as two separate brands with their own characteristics, or just tv shows with different wrestlers doing the same thing?

5. How much longer do you see the brand extension lasting? Do you still think it's a good idea?

[Promoter 0]

I say it's a 6 and a half. My reason being that it has been hit and miss. When they did the inter-brand matches at WM XX it gave the illusion of making the event seem bigger than it was. The problem is they don't have enough talent to go around fully in terms of identifiable stars for the masses. It was supposedly to create new stars and in some ways it has spread the spotlight, but the main guys are still HBK, HHH, UT. Orton and Cena would have gone to the main event without the brand extension. Edge however benefits from the brand extension as it allowed the wwe to give him a run with the title whereas without it I doubt Edge would have feuded with Cena and Taker the way he has.

 

It is more beneficial to have two brands. The biggest success of the split has been its impact on WM and the RR. The wwe can play around with the predictability factor unlike pre-brand era where it was obvious a lot of times who would win. It has also helped somewhat with the placing of the title matches at Mania. I think the fans see it as two different shows. The placing of the titles and the drafts have helped in that regard. I think the brand thing is here to stay as long as Vince is running it. I actually think they need it. The philosophy of ecw=aaa wrestling, smackdown=American League(junior circuit), and raw=national league(senior circuit) is a good one.

 

 

 

 

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

While I'm not out to spit in the face of rules, most of my answers lead towards my theory, and not the other way around.

 

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how successful has the brand extension been? Why?

Somewhere between a 3 and 4. It certainly hasn't been a total flop, and we'd still never have seen, say, CM Punk or Londrick on television if HHH worked Monday and Tuesday. To an extent, though negated to a huge degree by Benoit, it meant increased time off or a less-hectic schedule than working two or more tv shows.

 

2. Has the extension helped to create new stars that wouldn't have had a chance to shine in the old set-up? Is it more effective than having one brand?

Definitely. There's been those who have fallen through the cracks (neither of the Dudleys shined on their own, for example), but recall, say, the SmackDown Six. Routinely stealing the show, all of whom were legitimate main eventers, which likely would not have been the case if it was still one set of storylines, at least not all six men involved.

 

3. What has been the biggest success of the split? The biggest failure?

The biggest success, in my mind, has been the seeds being planted for 'dream matches' - two that immediately jump to mind are from WM21: Taker-Orton and Angle-HBK. Both were rematches six months later, but they're both forgotten, and I think a lot of it has to do with being on the same show (Orton was on SD at that point, wasn't he? Angle and HBK were certainly both on Raw by the summer of 05). The biggest failure has been two sets of world and tag titles. (Though a secondary title per show, de facto, is harmless). It's devalued them - did Ric Flair ever hold Edge's title, for example. A belt just introduced or given isn't a title, and we've seen that more than once during the split.

 

4. Have fans come to accept Raw and Smackdown as two separate brands with their own characteristics, or just tv shows with different wrestlers doing the same thing?

The latter. Why? More on that forthcoming.

 

5. How much longer do you see the brand extension lasting? Do you still think it's a good idea?

It's a good idea in principle, but it hasn't worked on the whole - still it's tough to give it an expiry date. Maybe two or three more years.

 

 

The problem is competition. I can see why the brand-specific PPV's ended, but the Big Four need to have an All-Star-Game feel to them, which they do to an extent, but if something like perks or brand prestige were added, it's a whole new dynamic.

 

Give one brand the WWE title, the other the WWE tag titles. Only one show can have each champion, and have maybe one inter-brand match per show. The WWE and World titles make sense semantically, but that's about all. Have guys brag about why they're on the better brand, have the winner of the Rumble get the absolute main event slot at the WM, bring back the KotR and have it four Raw guys and four SD guys - there's a variety of ways to make it happen, but it won't with Raw still untouched as the perceived #1 brand.

 

If the whole idea was to recreate the competitive feel of the Monday Night Wars, it needs to be treated as such.

[The Dames 0]

Not to stray off topic, but in response to the above post...which set of Tag titles are actually more valued at this point? The Raw WWE Tag Titles with Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly or the Smackdown/ECW tag straps with Miz and Morrison? I've felt that the latter have been given more air time and a push and therefore, mean more, but since its SD/ECW, does anyone care?

 

Dames

[Dandy 0]

That doesn't stray off topic at all. The way I had originally intended these threads was to spawn discussion in other area that will either be discussed here or other threads. That is why we have been so adamant that posters not just answer the questions, and especially just with one or two words answers and no reasons for their answers.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I think the World Tag Team Championship are on PPV more often than the WWE Tag Team Championship so I think they are valued more, but I do agree that Morrison / Miz are a better team than Rhodes / Holly.

 

WWE has admitted that the brand split has been a somewhat failure given that they reunited the brands on PPV along the SD / ECW "merger". However, I like the RAW / SD format, just put ECW out of its misery.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I think the World Tag Team Championship are on PPV more often than the WWE Tag Team Championship so I think they are valued more, but I do agree that Morrison / Miz are a better team than Rhodes / Holly.

 

WWE has admitted that the brand split has been a somewhat failure given that they reunited the brands on PPV along the SD / ECW "merger". However, I like the RAW / SD format, just put ECW out of its misery.

 

They could even allow for a "Smackdown AND ECW vs. Raw" kind of feel, like a less-botched Alliance, but I think that re-inforces Raw's #1 spot.

[Perfxion 0]

There are three major problems with the split/WWE right now.

 

1: "To be the man, you have to beat the man". Wrestling by its nature is around to show a champion and everyone under that person. With the split showing that its the same company, who the hell is the man? Is it Kane, Orton, or Taker? All three are "world" champions for the same company? But who is the man? If they had the split only for touring and house shows fine. WWE has always done an A card/B card lineup. But right now, the split means nothing since in the last 2 weeks people from either show freely show up on the other show. This hurts the main titles because now its not Smackdown champion/RAW champion/ECW Champion. It is now "World title A", "World title B", "World title C". They have no meaning.

 

2: tag team and secondary titles only seem to change hands on suspensions and injuries. The only time they remember so and so is champion is when it comes to wellnesss problems(health/drugs). So MVP's massive title reign is a good sign of creative not knowning to do with so many titles. I can't tell you who the last three tag team champions on either brand were. Too many titles and too few storylines to go along with them.

 

3: Everything looks the same, just color changes. The only difference between RAW and Smackdown right now are the colors. The only reason I don't watch SD is because I hate Cole. Everything else looks/sounds/feels the same. It is pointless to keep the split around. ECW needs to be shot and given a mercy killing.

 

My idea:

 

1: End the split. The only thing is keep some wrestlers only on some shows for touring/travel reasons. But if everyone is on every show as it is. No need to act like Matt Hardy is against the grain by attacking a RAW superstar when he was a tag team champion on RAW last summer, while still being on the Smackdown roster.

 

2: Restructure the title lineup: Merge ECW/SD/RAW world titles into a triple crown. If they want make a new title that shows all three belts on it, or have them wear all three to show them as "king of all champions". Keep IC/Womens/US titles. Drop one of the tag team titles if they are going to keep that scene too weak. Better yet, add more teams from the ton of wrestlers doing nothing and make the SD tag titles the US tag team champions(rip off the old NWA singles title for a design of the belts).

 

3: Keep a touring split of A Show/ B Show. Since it has long been a big source of their revenue.

 

4: Drop all PPVs back to 12 since they have too many and buyrates are not climbing for the smaller shows due to another one within 2 to 3 weeks. Once a month is more that enough, hell they can go to 8 and make either PPV MEAN SOMETHING. Why buy No Way Out when Rumble just was more important and Wrestlemanina is WAY more important? Why buy Vengence when Summerslam is more important? Why buy 2 crappy PPVs in June?

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

The brand extension, in theory, was a great idea. And after the first year of it being put into place, it was proving to be valuable, despite its setbacks. Without the brand extension, it's not very likely that John Cena, Randy Orton, or Edge would have been able to rise to the top of the card. However, after the last year or so, the brand extension has proved to be nothing more than a reason to have multiple shows. A (pair of) wrestler(s) would thrive on one show, only to be brought to another and then buried. Say what you will of backstage politics, but this is unacceptable. There is no reason why a team like Brian Kendrick and Paul London, who held the WWE Tag Team titles on SmackDown for over a year, should be demoted to nothing more than a pair of jobbers on Raw following their trade. Similarly, there's also no reason why talent considered midcard on Raw (Great Khali, Big Show) should have been moved to either SmackDown or WWECW and treated as 100% bonafide main event talents. I'm glad that Big Show was given a main event run, he deserves it, but not at the expense of talent on another show that has worked hard to be taken seriously. Now to answer the questions and give me some direction...

 

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how successful has the brand extension been? Why?

6.5 or so. It started off poor, and then grew into something solid, as Raw became the show with top-name talent but lacking with in-ring excitement, and SmackDown shined as a show to watch for a solid in-ring product. Once the rosters were traded, though, it began to slide again, albeit with both brands keeping their own somewhat unique styles: Raw being more sports entertainment-based and SmackDown being a true professional wrestling version of what WWE was. Enter WWECW, which has been a failure to diehard Mutants (such as myself) since episode one, and the over-inclusion of Raw and SmackDown talent. This lead into 2007, where the decision was made to have each PPV (following December '06's disastrous December To Dismember show, well-known for its horrible booking and the various pro-TNA chants in the crowd throughout the main event) tri-brand, thus ending THE best aspect of the brand extension: offering a spotlight for younger talent to shine, and letting angles build over a 6-8 week period rather than rush them every 4.

 

2. Has the extension helped to create new stars that wouldn't have had a chance to shine in the old set-up? Is it more effective than having one brand?

Randy Orton, John Cena, Batista, Edge, and now CM Punk - despite what some may say - would not have gotten over to the degree they have since their debuts, IMO, without the brand extension in place. Orton leaving SmackDown for Raw and aligning himself with HHH while displaying a cocky attitude helped get him heat, and in the following years his more stalker-ish aspects put him over into the stratosphere, whereas were Raw and SmackDown one unified roster he would have been lost in the shuffle for several more years. Cena is the best pro-extension argument, as his "fiery young babyface" gimmick was horrible, despite his natural charisma, and his chance to shine as the wannabe-thug on SmackDown in '03 lead to his rise to the top of the card. Without the chance created by the extension, Cena would be just another musclehead. Edge was always going to be placed into the main event, as he was being groomed to head there before the extension, but thanks to the separated rosters (and fucking his former best friend's girlfriend) he was able to get over as the company's hottest heel in years. Batista was a generic hoss who got over on his cool demeanor and to-the-point promo's, which were aided incredibly by the brand split. Remember Deacon Batista? That would have been the end of his career, likely, were it not for Raw and SmackDown having different rosters. And CM Punk, regardless of his in-ring abilities, would have been buried as a cruiserweight if WWECW were not its own show.

 

3. What has been the biggest success of the split? The biggest failure?

Biggest success: John Cena. The man is over with half of the crowd to the point that they buy everything he does, says, and sells on the ShopZone. Biggest failure: PPVs. Too many PPVs in a year lead to the tri-branding, as fans refused to shell out money for shows with less starpower and no promises of great matches each and every month.

 

4. Have fans come to accept Raw and Smackdown as two separate brands with their own characteristics, or just tv shows with different wrestlers doing the same thing?

TV shows with different wrestlers now. SmackDown once was different from Raw, with an emphasis on the in-ring product over promo's, but now both shows share not only similar sets but similar booking styles.

 

5. How much longer do you see the brand extension lasting? Do you still think it's a good idea?

I see it lasting for another few years before the majority of WWE contracted talent retires, dies, or leaves for greener pastures (be it in or out of the ring). It's still a good idea, but I wish they'd go back to how it used to be, with Raw being more entertainment-based, SmackDown being more wrestling-based, and either just get rid of WWECW altogether or let it be the "extreme" show that was promised to fans when it was first announced that Vince was bringing the brand back to life.

[Toxxic 0]

Any show/brand which does not have, and does not have any option of having a singles World Champion on it is not going to be a show worth watching. However, the fact stated above about the titles meaning nothing when wrestlers are moving around between brands and showing up here there and everywhere is true.

 

The WWE is basically guilty of EWR Syndrome - you sign more wrestlers than you actually need, then you keep getting new ones coming up and being ready but you have nothing for them to do, and the guys on top aren't going anywhere even when they're past their best before date because a) as shit a competition as TNA is, you don't want them to get their hands on a name like Undertaker, even if he can't be called the Undertaker there, b) firing old guys doesn't make you look good to the guys who are coming towards the end of their prime, who might want to jump ship to somewhere they think will desperately hang onto them for name value, c) if you fire them or they jump, you'll be left with the young no-names that you haven't been able to build into names because the guys on top haven't let themselves be replaced.

 

The brand split theoretically allowed more young names to come through, but if it's not rigidly adhered to it's pointless, and if it is rigidly adhered to you have a much smaller amount of people for everyone to work with. For example, the WWE as a whole could have a damn good tag division. Split it between two (three?) shows and you've got a whole lot of not much.

 

The brand split has worked to an extent, but certainly not as well as was hoped. I wouldn't be surprised to see it disappear in the next year, although I'm by no means saying it will, or that it should.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

They can NOT end the split. Not at this point. It just can't happen.

 

I have been LONGING for Smackdown/ECW vs. Raw or Smackdown vs. ECW vs. Raw. I had an idea for the WWF/WCW invasion storyline that could have ran for YEARS, and now they have the ability to run something close to that and they just...don't.

 

Sorry, I don't want to run this topic off into that topic, but it sort of fits.

 

 

 

The brand extension hasn't been working to it's full potential. The only way it has really been working is that it is getting more guys on TV that deserve to be there (and some that don't). That's about it. Sadly, if WWE only had one brand over both shows, the main event and upper midcard (and the Divas) would be the only people on TV. The tag division, as craptastic as it has been lately, would be even more nonexistent, and it would just come down to the entire company falling into a HUGE rut that would make 1995 look like 1997 or 98 in comparison.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

I think they'll be forced to end the split when smackdown goes to MNTV and loses about 75% of its viewers. I honestly think its overdue ever since ECW came aboard. They've overused the interbrand crap and had it mostly on RAW and its always RAW when big stuff happens..just imagine how even more lopsided that will be come September.

 

The way Id do it is make ECW its own brand again (keeping the ECW Title) and link RAW and SD together (but unifying the belts). I dont really see how this is such a bad thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

MyNetwork TV is in just as many homes as their current network. Why would they lose 75% of their audience? That's preposterous.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

MyNetwork TV is in just as many homes as their current network. Why would they lose 75% of their audience? That's preposterous.

 

Some people might have a clue what the CW is but I doubt many people have heard of MNTV or can name one show that airs on it. Just because a person gets a channel doesn't mean they know where it is. and I dont know what the plan is night wise but I have a feeling they'll put it back on Thursdays where it'll get murdered in the ratings. SD has actually done well for CW friday nights in the ratings..

 

and I dont get MNTV, so some of this is my anger towards them moving to the one network I cant get. I hope theres a decent place to download smackdown..Im really going to miss having the big ass satellite dish working.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Wrestling fans might not be the sharpest knives in the drawer, but I think they can figure out where Smackdown is if it's not on CW one Friday night. In my market it's channel 13 and CW is 12. Is moving up the dial one channel going to really cause them to lose 75% of their audience? I can't believe I'm even dignifying this notion with a response.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Wrestling fans might not be the sharpest knives in the drawer, but I think they can figure out where Smackdown is if it's not on CW one Friday night. In my market it's channel 13 and CW is 12. Is moving up the dial one channel going to really cause them to lose 75% of their audience? I can't believe I'm even dignifying this notion with a response.

Thats fine..every current wrestling fan knows its moving, but thats surely not going to help attracting new viewers is it? Plus they might as well not even bother with advertising on other shows that no one watches..

 

Im also assuming MNTV puts it back on Thursday where it will get kicked around in the ratings pretty bad.

[spman 0]

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how successful has the brand extension been? Why?

 

5/10 The brand extension was a great idea, in theory. Three different shows, three different rosters, three different products. In practice however it has shown that rather then having three distinctly different shows, you've essentially got the A show, the B show, and the C show, with all three being fairly similar in content, and without the entire roster to work with, the weaknesses of each brand are far more apparent then they would otherwise be. In spite of WWE's continual attempt to use the show as a training ground for new wrestlers before they move on to RAW, Smackdown, at least at the beginning of the split, had the far superior product. The Smackdown Six, Brock Lesnar, Big Show, were all staples of the early days of Smackdown, and the show was far better then RAW as a result. RAW for the first year or two seemed to be not only contain lackluster wrestling, but also contain numerous silly storylines that din't build any heat at all. That's not to say Smackdown didn't have their share of retarded storylines, but Al Wilson and Billy and Chuck were hardly pushed in the same sort of serious manner as the Katie Vick storyline, the kiss my ass club, or any of the hundred other stupid ideas that were prominent on RAW during the early days of the draft split.

 

Unfortunately, the death sentence for Smackdown came when it was moved to Fridays. This is without a doubt, the worst night of the week to put a wrestling show. No one is home on Fridays, I personally am usually at work Friday nights, and when I'm not working, I'm sure as fuck not going to spend it at home watching WWE. After the Friday move, it seemed as though both the talent and the writers simply stopped caring about the show. I read the spoilers every week, and there's never anything at all which compels me to watch. That's not to say however that RAW is any better, it most certainly isn't. I skip through RAW on my TiVo every week when I come home from work and watch the entire show in 10 minutes, there are very few bright spots on the show. It seems everyone is either good on the mic but bad in the ring (Santino, Kennedy) or vice versa (Jeff Hardy, Finlay). They just can't seem to find the right balance of good and bad.

 

ECW is hardly even worth mentioning, as far as I, and I think this goes for most other fans as well, am concerned, if you got rid of the entire show tomorrow and just divvied up, or released the roster, it wouldn't have any effect on anything.

 

Here is how I would fix the WWE right now:

 

1. Combine the rosters, the belts, and everything else that's split. While it is true that without the split, we'd just be seeing Triple H and John Cena twice a week instead of just once, as it stands there's just far too much extra time on each show every week wasted on talent that has no business being on TV in the first place, Khali, Mark Henry, Cade and Murdoch, Big Daddy V, The Divas, etc. etc. etc. Trim the fat on each show, and you'd have plenty of time for all the undercard guys.

 

2. Slowly reintroduce the concept of jobber squashes to the audience. This is a rather divisive issue with some people, but the fact is that the big matches need to be saved for PPV. Jericho vs CM Punk is not a match that you should give away on free TV. I'm not saying that we need to go back to the old WWF Superstars format, where every match is a squash, except for the main event where MVP would fight Val Venis, but there needs to be less marquee matches on free TV. Now I'm not entirely sure if this would even work with the modern audience, and if there's even anyone still left watching from the jobber squash days, but doing this, along with my next suggestion would dramatically increase house show attendance and PPV buys, since you'd be seeing matches you don't get to see for free every week.

 

3. Make the A-Level talent work the Hogan schedule. I know this is difficult in the era of monthly PPVs, sometimes 2 PPVs a month even, but if you don't put guys like Cena, Triple H, Orton, Undertaker, etc. in the ring, or even on TV every week, or at the very least reduce their participation to merely angles and promos to build up to the PPVs, people will buy the PPVs and House Show tickets because they want to see the A-Level talent. Shit, back in the day, you'd NEVER see Hogan on TV, except in the weeks leading up to a PPV, or maybe the occasional SNME show. His schedule was PPV and House Shows only, and it worked.

 

4. Reduce the number of PPV's each month. Now I know this is NEVER going to happen as long as the PPVs continue to be profitable, but reducing the number of PPVs a year down to maybe 4 or 5 would make them seem that much more important. Since this is never going to happen however, perhaps a better solution would be to tie in my idea from #3, and try maybe not having all the A level talent on EVERY PPV. Maybe have a PPV every couple months that focuses primarily on the Mid-Card talent, have the US or IC title in the main event instead of the heavyweight titles. If you at least change it up or make it different every once in a while people will be more interested in watching.

 

2. Has the extension helped to create new stars that wouldn't have had a chance to shine in the old set-up? Is it more effective than having one brand?

 

Yes and no. While it may have provided the opportunity for talent like CM Punk, MVP, The Hardys, Benoit, Eddie, etc. etc. for shine, I feel it may have in fact provided too much opportunity. For every Mr. Kennedy we have gotten since the start of the draft, it seems as though we've gotten a dozen Simon Deans, Muhammad Hassans, Heidenreichs, Deuce and Dominoes, and Gene Snitskys. While I think there would be less opportunity for certain guys to get a chance at the main event, I don't think it would have hurt the introduction of new characters.

 

3. What has been the biggest success of the split? The biggest failure?

 

The biggest success has easily been the new generation of Main Eventers. John Cena, JBL, Edge, Orton, Batista, all may not have gotten the oppertunity to become the major stars they became without the split, while guys like Eddie and Benoit more then likely wouldn't have gottne the oppertunity to carry the company as they did. The biggest failure has been the lack of direction for the mid and lower card. Except for the heavyweight belts, all of the titles are worthless. They're usually not defended on the PPVs, they aren't given any sort of importance, and they just don't matter. Except for the main event, it seems like much of the mid and lower card on both shows often gets booked completely at random.

 

 

4. Have fans come to accept Raw and Smackdown as two separate brands with their own characteristics, or just tv shows with different wrestlers doing the same thing?

 

WWE has done a good job convincing their fans of the A Show, B Show, C Show concept. I certainly believe that most fans see the three shows in this way, with RAW being the important show, Smackdown being of lesser importance, and ECW not being important at all.

 

5. How much longer do you see the brand extension lasting? Do you still think it's a good idea?

 

Probably quite a while, and no I don't

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Wrestling fans might not be the sharpest knives in the drawer, but I think they can figure out where Smackdown is if it's not on CW one Friday night. In my market it's channel 13 and CW is 12. Is moving up the dial one channel going to really cause them to lose 75% of their audience? I can't believe I'm even dignifying this notion with a response.

Thats fine..every current wrestling fan knows its moving, but thats surely not going to help attracting new viewers is it? Plus they might as well not even bother with advertising on other shows that no one watches..

 

Im also assuming MNTV puts it back on Thursday where it will get kicked around in the ratings pretty bad.

 

New viewers that would only really be aware that this Smackdown program has only been on MNTV, since you know, they weren't watching when it was CW since they're new? Anyway this is getting off topic, I'll have my brand split thoughts soon.

[Jericholic82 0]

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how successful has the brand extension been? Why?

I'd say a 7. The only reason being is because of its past success not its current success. With ECW added to the mix it's just too much. There was a time when RAW and SD did have their own unique feel and look. So in a sense it was working. Brand-specific ppvs may have hurt it, but I liked that for a time, one brand would go two months without a ppv, giving more time for build, and in absense of a ppv that month, a brand would maybe put on a "supercard" RAW or SD. Plus they could prmote rare cross-brand dream matches. so in all, adding ECW to the mix and having too much cross-brand stuff as of late has ruined it.

 

 

2. Has the extension helped to create new stars that wouldn't have had a chance to shine in the old set-up? Is it more effective than having one brand? Yes it has. Do you think Eddie would ever have risen to world champ in the old way? On SD he was one of the few top dogs and got over on his in-ring abilities. The Same with Cena, actually moreso. Cena would have been a midcarder for life under the old ways, if he wasn't on SD. The ability to have 2 shows and add more newcomers helped the product.

 

3. What has been the biggest success of the split? The biggest failure? Creating new stars has beem the biggest sucess. More revenue came about for WWE. And for awhile they were able to promote cross-band dream matches. The yearly draft has also helped to shuffle the rosters and give guys fresh opponents. The biggest failure is too many championships, and RAW getting all the talent in the draft and being treated as the A show.

 

4. Have fans come to accept Raw and Smackdown as two separate brands with their own characteristics, or just tv shows with different wrestlers doing the same thing? At one time, there appeared to be some brand loyalty, right now I fear that it's different wrestlers doing the same thing, although Smackdown is a bit different than RAW still. Maybe cuz it's taped.

 

5. How much longer do you see the brand extension lasting? Do you still think it's a good idea? I can see it lasting for a couple more years honestly. The only way I say it ending is if WWE starts losing money and needs to cut costs, or Vince retires or passes on. I still think it's a good idea in theory and they technically can salvage it wiht some smart booking, but I don't see it happening

 

[Guest frostdude1]

I think the brand extension is all but gone with them using the same set and superstars being on different shows throughout the week without us being shocked. I think within a year, the whole thing will be one again.

[Timmy8271 0]

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how successful has the brand extension been? Why?

- About 6. I think it hit it's peak in 2005 and has gone downhill ever since ECW came back. Without the Brand Extension, you probably wouldn't get a guy like Cena or Lesner becoming big stars. When ECW came back, The roster was spread too thing and you got the same matches all the time. It got a little better when Smackdown "got a partnership" with ECW though. It would probably be even better if they merged the ECW and World Heavyweight title.

 

2. Has the extension helped to create new stars that wouldn't have had a chance to shine in the old set-up? Is it more effective than having one brand?

No doubt about it. Smackdown is the best at this. Just look at Cena, Kennedy, Lesner and others. Raw is where the stars are but Smackdown is where they stars are born before they make it big. Plus you got guys like Eddie, Angle and Benoit who got new life thanks to the brand extension.

 

3. What has been the biggest success of the split? The biggest failure?

- Biggest Success: New and fresh matches. You didn't have the big wigs like HHH or HBK killing them every week and didn't have guys on every show. Biggest Failure: Raw/Smackdown vs ECW feud. You could have had so much more legs with it. Kinda like the Invasion angle.

 

4. Have fans come to accept Raw and Smackdown as two separate brands with their own characteristics, or just tv shows with different wrestlers doing the same thing?

- The second option. Since about 2004, Raw is such a more superior show than Smackdown. You got all the stars and big angles on Raw. Smackdown has basically become the new WWF Superstars. Once a star gets big on Smackdown(Cena, Kennedy), they go to Raw.

 

5. How much longer do you see the brand extension lasting? Do you still think it's a good idea?

- A couple more years tops. It's already beginning to die a slow death. You got more guys going to both Smackdown and Raw every week. I don't think there should be 3 shows. ECW should go. I think it's still a good idea but needs some work(sending guys like Kennedy, who's dying on Raw back to Smackdown.)

 

 

 

 

[Twisted Intestine 0]

The only thing that I really have to add is that I enjoyed there only being one champion, who could go between the shows. I think it could have been a good thing if done right. I would have also liked it if the champion stayed on their show, but had to defend against somebody from the opposite show at each inter-brand PPV. RAW could have the IC title as their "main" title for when the champ was on SD, and SD could have the U.S. title. I know this might not be good for business (People won't order a RAW PPV if the championship is on SD?), but it would be cool seeing the GM of each show try to pick somebody and prepare them for the inter-brand PPV so that they could get the big title onto their own show.

 

This goes along the same lines as the people who wanted to see more RAW vs Smackdown. The title would seem like more of a big deal if each brand had to try and be the best to get the title for themselves.

 

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how successful has the brand extension been? Why?

 

- 7, because it has helped build some stars and given everyone more TV time.

 

2. Has the extension helped to create new stars that wouldn't have had a chance to shine in the old set-up? Is it more effective than having one brand?

 

- I think so. CM Punk would never be a champion (At least as soon as he was). JBL would have never held the top title. Edge neither. If there was no brand extension, it would be hard to build up anybody besides John Cena and who he happened to be feuding with, for the duration of his title reign.

 

3. What has been the biggest success of the split? The biggest failure?

 

-Biggest success is the building of new stars. Biggest failure is the draft picks. I remember the first year I was really excited for them, now they're meaningless. People just jump from show to show whenever they want to anyways.

 

4. Have fans come to accept Raw and Smackdown as two separate brands with their own characteristics, or just tv shows with different wrestlers doing the same thing?

 

-I think at a time, Smackdown was seen as the wrestling show while RAW was seen as the soap opera. I'm not sure that it's like that anymore.

 

5. How much longer do you see the brand extension lasting? Do you still think it's a good idea?

 

-Probably forever. I don't think they'd ever have any reason to end it. Unless we get the plane crash of doom.

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

At first the brand split was exciting, because it really was something new. It had potential, but it took awhile for them to figure out the right format for each show. These days, I think the split is working extremely well. The SD/ECW talent exchange is cool, and helps alot of guys coming up right now get some shine.

 

 

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how successful has the brand extension been? Why?

 

3.5 in the beggining, 8 right now.

 

2. Has the extension helped to create new stars that wouldn't have had a chance to shine in the old set-up? Is it more effective than having one brand?

 

Most definetly. Way more guys are getting exposure on a national level now then anytime since like, 2001.

 

3. What has been the biggest success of the split? The biggest failure?

 

Having multiple champs has worked out well. Making the shows seem equal in importance, but they have worked on this lately.

 

4. Have fans come to accept Raw and Smackdown as two separate brands with their own characteristics, or just tv shows with different wrestlers doing the same thing?

 

I'd say most fans know there's a big difference between the 3 shows, even with SD and ECW sharing workers, and the new all purpose HD set. They all have a different feel and atmosphere to them, for the most part.

 

5. How much longer do you see the brand extension lasting? Do you still think it's a good idea?

 

It'll last as long as Vince is around, I'm sure. Maybe it'll be scraped for some new format down the line, but I think it's still a good idea right now. I also think that other then the Survivor Series from a few years back with Raw vs. Smackdown, oldschool SS match, and the build to RVD getting the title, and ECW coming back that summer, this year has been the best use of the split.

 

So, yeah. Brand Extension ftw