duskjome Let’s all take a moment and go way back to the aught’s (2002 to 2011, to be precise). Y2K turned out to not be a thing (although Y2J was definitely a thing), TV went from unwatchable to better than ever when Netflix started competing with it and the WWE was two different “brands,” Raw and Smackdown.
Now I’m going to honest again and admit that I missed a lot of that era but I think I caught enough of it to be able to comment. And if I didn’t well screw it I’m going to comment anyway.
It’s an only barely kept secret that the disappearance of the authority and the continued appearance of Shane McMahon might signify a brand split in our near future. Both in front of and behind the camera the company has been making Triple H audition for various jobs. I think we can all agree that his time with NXT has been successful but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will be able to run one of the big shows. And since the WWE isn’t in the business of just hoping for the best, it’s very likely that the Game, or rather Mr. Levesque, will be booking/starring on Smackdown very soon.
But is that a good thing? For those of you unfamiliar, this is generally what a brand split entails: each GM chooses from the entire roster to build their best approximation of a complete show. Generally titles are assigned to shows in the same fashion so we can expect the GM’s to draft the champions early. Also generally the tag titles are not a package deal which can create a problem and a solution (by breaking up the tag team champs, each brand has a valid championship to start their own tag team division). Most PPV’s are cross-brand, meaning people from each brand can compete against each other, which is great in the event that certain titles superstars are generally aiming for particular titles(tag team, women’s, light heavyweight).
And that’s about it, so what are we looking at for Pro’s? First, and most obvious, Smackdown will become watchable again. It’s been a disaster lately with little content and most of that content being matches between competitors with little to no rivalry in order to save the animosity for Raw. This is important to fans and to the company since I’m sure pumping out what is now a slightly upgraded version of the old Sunday Night Heat is not satisfying to the networks that allot two hours on Thursday to it. That can lead to losing TV time, which costs a lot of money, and money is good.
Second, the sheer “shot in the arm” effect can’t be denied. These last few weeks since ‘Mania have been great with all the TV time given to new, exciting talent but once the shine wears off of your Enzo and Cass’s and your Baron Corbin’s we’ll be left with the same product that has been hemorrhaging watchers for ten years now. Splitting the talent up creates opportunities for new divisions (Diva Tag, Cruiserweight, Hardcore, a US title that occasionally shows up on television) and new possibilities (new announcer pairings, a face GM, cross-brand rivalry/loyalty). It’s this sort of radical change that allowed the WWE to beat WCW in the first place.
Third, it’s no secret that the grueling schedule takes it toll on talent. Not just in injuries, of which we have lots, but also in lifestyle. Might there have been some way to resolve the issues with CM Punk with the advantage of a second show on which he could compete? Furthermore, a few of the “wellness policy violations” may not have been as likely had some of these men and women not been working two televised shows a week with only five or six of them being in main event contention. Longer weekends could bring that work/life balance around to a point where I don’t have to feel so guilty for the types of lives the stars of this show I like have to live.
So why wouldn’t we want this? First, Smackdown being the way it is may be a good thing for the company. The creation of Smackdown was essentially a happy accident back in the nineties and stemmed from a sudden glut of untested (on television, with competent bookers) talent coming from ECW and WCW. It may have served it’s purpose in giving some exposure and a launching pad for potential stars to be on the same stage as proven talent while not affecting the face of the company on Raw. It might be worth it to look into changing Smackdown’s timeslot and/or format so that it is in fact a revamped version of the Heat or even the old Superstars program from the late eighties.
Perhaps most importantly, there’s something to be said for having somewhere where the best of the best will be competing every week. Theoretically, with a brand split, we’ll have the top ten superstars only viewable if you want to invest five hours into wrestling for the week. I, personally, am not willing to do that and the current climate in entertainment just doesn’t seem to support that model. It’s a damn shame that there are talented individuals not getting time on Raw/Smackdown but that’s what NXT is for, and for that matter, that’s what scouts are for. If they were better than what I see every week then they’d already be there. This isn’t elementary school, where we have to make sure everyone gets a passing grade so no one feels left out. If you’re not in the top twenty then you don’t get to be on the big show.
I know that sounds like I have the narrowest of tunnel-vision but we have to look at the closest approximations in other sports and the world at large. The NHL didn’t expand to new teams when it was having difficulty bringing in money. They did it because arenas were full and people were lining up to host the new teams. The WWE is not in a position where networks are breaking down their doors looking to host two more hours of wrestling. They are in the unfortunate position of having too much time to fill and not enough talent to fill it with entertaining programming. The mid-card is the mid-card for a reason and if it was good enough to fill another show then the ratings would be a hell of a lot higher.
But then, what do I know, if I recall correctly my last predictions were almost 90 percent wrong and I’m still watching and enjoying WWE programming. So… here’s to the upcoming brand split and me thoroughly enjoying it despite complaining that it would be lame before it happened.
