FromStLouis
Superstar
With the current brand split, momentum is always vulnerable to a Vince McMahon superstar shakeup, to bolster his beloved RAW. Ryan Ward, The Miz, Ambrose, whatever that was with Cena. All under the guise of 'balance'.
Instead of a brand split, I want brand depth.
In order to achieve brand depth, first a brand must be identifiable. RAW and Smackdown are both cola sodas and in a blind taste test most could not tell the difference. They're interchangeable. 6(7) man elimination chamber on RAW, 6 man match on Smackdown.
Oh and John Cena is on both.
How refreshing.
One show needs to be Pepsi, the other needs to be Mountain Dew. Cherry Coke isn't enough.
RAW and Smackdown need to be unique unto themselves. In this case I view each as a quasi-territory co-existing under one company, instead of 'rival' promotions.
WWE has a huge roster and needs 2 shows to feature it, that much is certain. What's important is to split at the divisions, not to split the divisions themselves. Allow me to clarify.
We have 5 men's singles titles. 2 tag titles, and 2 women's titles.
The RAW Brand :
The Smackdown Brand :
Handling Roster Movements :
STABLES :
MISC:
Instead of a brand split, I want brand depth.
In order to achieve brand depth, first a brand must be identifiable. RAW and Smackdown are both cola sodas and in a blind taste test most could not tell the difference. They're interchangeable. 6(7) man elimination chamber on RAW, 6 man match on Smackdown.
Oh and John Cena is on both.
How refreshing.
One show needs to be Pepsi, the other needs to be Mountain Dew. Cherry Coke isn't enough.
RAW and Smackdown need to be unique unto themselves. In this case I view each as a quasi-territory co-existing under one company, instead of 'rival' promotions.
WWE has a huge roster and needs 2 shows to feature it, that much is certain. What's important is to split at the divisions, not to split the divisions themselves. Allow me to clarify.
We have 5 men's singles titles. 2 tag titles, and 2 women's titles.
The RAW Brand :
One. Big. Super. Division.
Nobody likes the Universal Title. It was booed when it was unveiled, it looks like a fruit rollup. Brock Lesnar rarely defends it. Daniel Bryan mocked it. Get rid of it. Bring over the WWE and US Championships to RAW. Add a Television Championship.
RAW : WWEWHC, IC, US, TV.
Four men's heavyweight titles. The same number as there are now, but on one show.
One. Big. Super. Division.
RAW is the spiritual successor to 'Where The Big Boys Play'. An edgier, targeted show. A show were every man is out for himself. If FOX is looking to WWE to bring in the UFC male demographic, this is it.
Furthermore, you're allowed to build a mid card, a lower card. The boom-then-bust rocket pushes are brought to a halt. Instead, Jinder Mahal has to work his way up to WWE Champion. You can bring up a Velveteen Dream at 22 at little risk of overexposure, limbo, or pressure to challenge for the WWE Championship within a year.
The roster depth is there for fresh matchups. The roster depth is there whereby you would need and could pull off a robust legitimate ranking system. The roster depth is there whereby you can put your big $$ stars and matches behind a paywall on the WWENetwork, and still have a stacked 2-Hour Monday Night RAW.
The weekly Roman 15 minute match can be saved for PPVs, that time can be given to others. Speaking of time, with a stacked roster, tv time limits wouldn't be a bad idea.
Nobody likes the Universal Title. It was booed when it was unveiled, it looks like a fruit rollup. Brock Lesnar rarely defends it. Daniel Bryan mocked it. Get rid of it. Bring over the WWE and US Championships to RAW. Add a Television Championship.
RAW : WWEWHC, IC, US, TV.
Four men's heavyweight titles. The same number as there are now, but on one show.
One. Big. Super. Division.
RAW is the spiritual successor to 'Where The Big Boys Play'. An edgier, targeted show. A show were every man is out for himself. If FOX is looking to WWE to bring in the UFC male demographic, this is it.
Furthermore, you're allowed to build a mid card, a lower card. The boom-then-bust rocket pushes are brought to a halt. Instead, Jinder Mahal has to work his way up to WWE Champion. You can bring up a Velveteen Dream at 22 at little risk of overexposure, limbo, or pressure to challenge for the WWE Championship within a year.
The roster depth is there for fresh matchups. The roster depth is there whereby you would need and could pull off a robust legitimate ranking system. The roster depth is there whereby you can put your big $$ stars and matches behind a paywall on the WWENetwork, and still have a stacked 2-Hour Monday Night RAW.
The weekly Roman 15 minute match can be saved for PPVs, that time can be given to others. Speaking of time, with a stacked roster, tv time limits wouldn't be a bad idea.
The Smackdown Brand :
Let's understand something, NXT doesn't have Roman Reigns, Brock, Cena, AJ, Strowman, Rollins, Nakamura. That doesn't stop Takeovers from being the most in demand ticket on big weekends.
Smackdown becomes the home of Women's Wrestling, Tag Team Wrestling and Cruiserweight Wrestling. This would become WWE's show geared towards the casual fan.
WWE's fastest growing fanbase (women and girls) need no longer sit through 3 hours of RAW and 2 hours of Smackdown for 6 women tags. I would also add a secondary women's title, a Television Championship. The same number as there are now, but on one show.
SD: WWC, CWC, TTWC, TV
The Cruiserweights haven't appeared on RAW since the go-home show for the Royal Rumble. There were no Cruiserweights in the Rumble. 205Live should be canceled. You don't put your newest, least over division, behind a paywall in the 6th hour of television. You put AJ vs Seth behind a paywall, not Jack Gallagher vs Akira Tozawa.
Tag Team wrestling could be presented in the unique light that it is, vying for one championship. Tag matches have been some of the best matches on takeovers and main roster ppvs. The Usos deserve a chance to carry the ball for a brand.
These divisions would share the main event, depending on the program. Usos vs New Day? Main event. Charlotte vs Asuka? Main event. Liv Morgan, Mandy Rose, Sarah Logan are pre-show, television champions at best.
Furthermore, where RAW is an every man for himself show, Smackdown, due to less star power, and because of a natural fit, would prominently feature stables, factions, duos, and loners.
RAW would feature a heavy use of managers. (Zelina, Heyman, Lana and more).
Smackdown becomes the home of Women's Wrestling, Tag Team Wrestling and Cruiserweight Wrestling. This would become WWE's show geared towards the casual fan.
WWE's fastest growing fanbase (women and girls) need no longer sit through 3 hours of RAW and 2 hours of Smackdown for 6 women tags. I would also add a secondary women's title, a Television Championship. The same number as there are now, but on one show.
SD: WWC, CWC, TTWC, TV
The Cruiserweights haven't appeared on RAW since the go-home show for the Royal Rumble. There were no Cruiserweights in the Rumble. 205Live should be canceled. You don't put your newest, least over division, behind a paywall in the 6th hour of television. You put AJ vs Seth behind a paywall, not Jack Gallagher vs Akira Tozawa.
Tag Team wrestling could be presented in the unique light that it is, vying for one championship. Tag matches have been some of the best matches on takeovers and main roster ppvs. The Usos deserve a chance to carry the ball for a brand.
These divisions would share the main event, depending on the program. Usos vs New Day? Main event. Charlotte vs Asuka? Main event. Liv Morgan, Mandy Rose, Sarah Logan are pre-show, television champions at best.
Furthermore, where RAW is an every man for himself show, Smackdown, due to less star power, and because of a natural fit, would prominently feature stables, factions, duos, and loners.
RAW would feature a heavy use of managers. (Zelina, Heyman, Lana and more).
Handling Roster Movements :
Roster movements would be purposeful. By design this brand split, is intended to limit arbitrary roster movements. AJ going from RAW to Smackdown isn't all that groundbreaking. Seth going from 218 to 205 has some significance. A Cruiserweight leaving not only SD, but his stable where he has a tag team watching his back is intriguing.
Dean Ambrose in a loser leaves RAW match means he'd have to add a tag partner on SD. The New Day or Usos moving to RAW is career altering. Different brands, different territories with their own dynamics and sets of rules.
I'd love to see Ambrose turn heel and show up on Smackdown with Wyatt. Fans would have time to invest in that pair, with no heavyweight titles on SD. Creative would be forced to commit.
GMs and Commissioners would still exist and facilitate movement, that won't change. They however wouldn't be adversarial, they have different shows and different objectives. I want to see both GMs talking in the skybox at Takeover.
I want to see joint Commissioner press conferences. We traded Dean for the rights to draft Gargano. Finn has felt he's accomplished all there is to accomplish in the Cruiserweight division and made a trade request. (Becky assumes leadership of Balor Club.)
There's no rhyme or reason to superstar shakeups currently.
Dean Ambrose in a loser leaves RAW match means he'd have to add a tag partner on SD. The New Day or Usos moving to RAW is career altering. Different brands, different territories with their own dynamics and sets of rules.
I'd love to see Ambrose turn heel and show up on Smackdown with Wyatt. Fans would have time to invest in that pair, with no heavyweight titles on SD. Creative would be forced to commit.
GMs and Commissioners would still exist and facilitate movement, that won't change. They however wouldn't be adversarial, they have different shows and different objectives. I want to see both GMs talking in the skybox at Takeover.
I want to see joint Commissioner press conferences. We traded Dean for the rights to draft Gargano. Finn has felt he's accomplished all there is to accomplish in the Cruiserweight division and made a trade request. (Becky assumes leadership of Balor Club.)
There's no rhyme or reason to superstar shakeups currently.
STABLES :
No Stables on RAW.
An unwritten locker room rule would be no stables. No one wants to be on the lookout for 8 guys. This of course, lays the groundwork and demand for just that, but it'd have to be done right, if at all.
Such a stable would have to be a force to be reckoned with, they'd have to have the numbers, strategy, a hierarchy, leadership. It would be them vs RAW ala WCW vs NWO, that big.
As mentioned earlier however, Smackdown would have stables, factions, duos and loners. Just a few ideas:
Charlotte, The Revival, Tessa Blanchard, Richie Steamboat.
(All from Charlotte and/or North Carolina. Spiritual successor to the Four Horseman. Even if Richie can't wrestle I'd want him there for credibility. My dream stable )
Usos and Tamina - Tamina would just superkick mofos ringside in the Usos matches
Sarah Logan and The Bludgeon Brothers - they look like a fit.
Balor Becky Gallows and Anderson - Balor Club
Ronda, Shayna, Sonya, Bianca - Evolution
An unwritten locker room rule would be no stables. No one wants to be on the lookout for 8 guys. This of course, lays the groundwork and demand for just that, but it'd have to be done right, if at all.
Such a stable would have to be a force to be reckoned with, they'd have to have the numbers, strategy, a hierarchy, leadership. It would be them vs RAW ala WCW vs NWO, that big.
As mentioned earlier however, Smackdown would have stables, factions, duos and loners. Just a few ideas:
Charlotte, The Revival, Tessa Blanchard, Richie Steamboat.
(All from Charlotte and/or North Carolina. Spiritual successor to the Four Horseman. Even if Richie can't wrestle I'd want him there for credibility. My dream stable )
Usos and Tamina - Tamina would just superkick mofos ringside in the Usos matches
Sarah Logan and The Bludgeon Brothers - they look like a fit.
Balor Becky Gallows and Anderson - Balor Club
Ronda, Shayna, Sonya, Bianca - Evolution
MISC:
SD has the Women's Rumble.
RAW has the Men's Rumble.
RAW's MITB briefcase is for the WWEWHC.
SD's MITB briefcase rotates year-by-year among tag teams women and Cruiserweights.
I'd bring back Nitro Girls to RAW, straight up.
RAW - Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton.
SD - Vic Joseph, Paige, and I'd want a bi-lingual Luchador (not Rey) as face commentator.
RAW Panel - Coach, Sam Roberts, Booker T, Nigel McGuinness
SD Panel - Renee, Paul Rosenberg, Beth Phoenix, Otunga
If there's anything I haven't answered, that you'd like me to clarify, don't hesitate to ask.
This is a lot so if you read it all, you're a trooper.
RAW has the Men's Rumble.
RAW's MITB briefcase is for the WWEWHC.
SD's MITB briefcase rotates year-by-year among tag teams women and Cruiserweights.
I'd bring back Nitro Girls to RAW, straight up.
RAW - Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton.
SD - Vic Joseph, Paige, and I'd want a bi-lingual Luchador (not Rey) as face commentator.
RAW Panel - Coach, Sam Roberts, Booker T, Nigel McGuinness
SD Panel - Renee, Paul Rosenberg, Beth Phoenix, Otunga
If there's anything I haven't answered, that you'd like me to clarify, don't hesitate to ask.
This is a lot so if you read it all, you're a trooper.
