The Roster Splits

[Moonlight Drive]

What in the blue hell is going on?!

OK, I have a question for the WWE.

Is there a brand split or not?

Or better yet, is there a Raw/ECW, SD/ECW or Raw/SD Talent Exchange?

Because right now, it appears there is no brand split and there is a talent exchange with every brand. For fucks sake, this week we had a Evan bourne & The Miz both from ECW and Khali from SD on Raw. Last week on E-C-Dubya we had two SD Divas competing in a match on a completely different brand. Then the Smackdown of that week, we had an ECW superstar (Chavito) competing on Smackdown.

What is the point of a brand split if superstars compete on all three brands? It also tarnishes 'interpromotional matches'. We used to get some big ones which were booked like they were the first and last time, eg. Angle vs Michaels, Taker vs Orton, Goldberg vs Lesnar, but now we get interpromotional matches every week.

/rant

 

[Airfixx]

Look at this years inter-promo match at Mania. That did as much damage to the concept than any amount of show hopping low & mid carders could ever acheive! LOL


At a guess, due to the benefit of hindsight they're probably not too happy with the outcome of the draft and/or simply trying to plug injury/time-off gaps in the rosters.

 

[The Rated R CMStar]

I don't it actually hurts the real interpromotional matches, I mean, of WWE decides to give me HBK vs Undertaker, it won't be less special just because The Great Khali showed up on Raw and chopped Haas.

 

[Next Big Thing]

I really have no idea what is up with ECW but about Khali and HHH appearing on raw this week, I would imagine it's just to promote the move of smackdown to Mynetwork TV. Since the draft the wwe has done a good job of keeping raw and smackdown guys off eachothers shows.

 

[The Rated R CMStar]

The HHH appearance is understandable. Of course, one has to wonder, even in kayfabe, why would HHH be on Raw, but that's another case.

The Khali appearance made no sense whatsoever. Charlie Haas is a midcard act that somehow is getting hotter, and they had a superstar from another brand come out and squash him, reminding us Haas is pure midcard.

Chavo being on ECW is pure technicality. He is part of La Familia that is on SD, that's why he appears there. But the talent exchange is now Raw/ECW

 

[Austin_316]

^ Agreed. I think the whole brand split is rubbish in my opinion and the WWE should go back to normal, but i will expand more in a new post.

 

[Austin_316]

It has been how long now, 4 or 5 years since the first brand extension? We have seen the WWF turn into the WWE (why after so long does it have to change?) and numerous GM's along the way. We have seen stars born, legends retire and/or pass away. Now when the first roster draft happened and we were told that the shows would be split, it didn't seem that bad and a different and new direction that the world of sports entertainment was headed. Years later it seems that it has taken a big effect on how we see wrestling today.

Because of the brand split and the new brand of ECW, it seems that the storylines in WWE are not what they once were and the action is not as exciting as it once was. We have three world champions and some of them don't seem like world champions, two lots of tag-team champions with hardly any tag-teams on each brand, an IC champ who can't wrestle and is just a comedy act and a US champ who doesn't defend the title. Is it time the WWE went back to normal with no brand splits and so wrestlers can be on all three shows? Or should WWE resign back to just Raw and Smackdown? I'm sure some would prefer it especially with the talent today and possibly bring back the Cruiserweight title for the cruiserweights instead of putting them in tag-teams and jobbing to the mid-carders and main eventers.

Your thoughts?

 

[kingovkings]

Although i would like WWE to revert back to one roster. TBH it wouldn't work IMO as RAW and SD are stacked with top ME stars. Then you have the breeding ground as in ECW. With all the talent and only a limited time slots twice a week. Only the top stars would get air time. So new talent and 70% of the stars would not get tv time. Maybe it would work with the two brands Raw and SD and have the feuds and storylines work in between the two brands, Not separate brand so to speak. say like HHH feuding with Cena they are both on diff brands. But it wont happen tho.

 

[chessarmy]

No, WWE ending the brand split would cause mass chaos. The roster is so big that Vince would have to fire so many wrestlers just to make room to put them on TV.

Or should WWE resign back to just Raw and Smackdown?

THIS is the solution. WWE doesn't have the depth to have 3 brands, so going back to just RAW and Smackdown! is what they should do. ECW is useless, its basically a development territory on TV. Its also the lowest rated TV show on the WWE, and it really isn't worth watching. Going back to RAW and Smackdown! will not only bring us back to two world champions, but it will also mean that both shows will have more depth, which means that both shows, and WWE as a whole, will benefit

 

[chessarmy]

I miss the days when I would actually get interested when someone from Smackdown! shows up on RAW, because it rarely happens. I remember the first time RAW and Smackdown! feuded, it was great. I miss that weird feeling of seeing guys from Smackdown! on RAW, or guys from RAW on Smackdown!

The brand split means shit now

 

[Airfixx]

The HHH appearance is understandable. Of course, one has to wonder, even in kayfabe, why would HHH be on Raw, but that's another case.

It's simple... He was supposedly out-back hanging out with his buddy, HBK.

 

[kingovkings]

yup yup i agree thats what i was trying to say lol. It was cool when there just two brands and stars would pop up on each others brand it was wicked. Like Raw this week when when HHH was on with HBK (DX.) That shit is good. I would love to see inter brand feuds SD stars vs Raw stars again. But i doubt it will happen.
SORRRY for the double post .

 

[Moonlight Drive]

I miss the days when I would actually get interested when someone from Smackdown! shows up on RAW, because it rarely happens. I remember the first time RAW and Smackdown! feuded, it was great. I miss that weird feeling of seeing guys from Smackdown! on RAW, or guys from RAW on Smackdown!

The brand split means shit now

That's exactly my point. I remember the Raw vs SD feud leading into 05, and it was awesome. You hardly ever saw Raw guys on Smackdown or Smackdown guys on Raw, and they were having tons of interpromotional matches and run-ins.

Now it's kind of just 'meh'. I remember when Big Show & Khali, both SD superstars, had a confrontation on raw after WM 24. That made no sense at all.

 

[blueberryking2]

As the WWE brand weakens as a whole, they come together to finds ways to better the ratings and beat their competition down south. As new stars rise in ECW and appear on the more famous Raw, they gain more star power and have more people interested in the struggling ECW brand as they get entertained by the antics of The Miz and Morrison and the amazing high flying abilities of Evan Bourne. At this point, Raw isn't the WWE's hot comoddity, it now seems to be SmackDown! as they have better booking then Raw and have budding, interesting new rising stars. Taking away the brand extension in the WWE is very risking because it may benefit the WWE or may lead to its slow demise.

 

[Austin_316]

ECW needs to be gotten rid of so there are just the two brands and mix up the superstars. Bring back the cruiserweight and european titles so the lower card wrestlers can have something worth wrestling on tv for. Too many singles competitors and not enough titles to go around hence why they are being put into poor tag-teams and going nowhere jobbing to main eventers. Something needs to be done and hopefully it will be asap or at the start of 2009.