The 2016 Brand Split Discussion Thread

[Dale]

I can't help but feel that once again, SmackDown got absolutely shafted. The 4 top guys is pretty damn good, Orton vs AJ at some point should be incredible, but after those 4 guys there is literally nobody else on that roster worth a damn other than Becky & American Alpha.

RAW as expected is relatively stacked. Rollins & Reigns as the two cemented top guys with Jericho who can bounce in and out when needed. You've then get Sami, Owens, Cesaro & Rusev who all have the potential to break through that glass ceiling.

SmackDown is just lacking so much, it's actually sad to see. I honestly think that RAW should just have had exclusive rights to the Womens Division while SmackDown had exclusive rights to the Cruiserweight division or vice versa because I can't help but feel super bad for Becky with the trash she's been left with.

RAW basically got the standouts for the Womens Division minus Becky and the standouts of the Tag Division minus American Alpha

 

[Austin Bates]

I still think it's too soon to make a judgment on the rosters. SD can still bomb Raw in quality. Don't know til we see.

Sent from my LGL16C using Tapatalk

 

[Sabretooth]

Yeah I kind of felt the same way as well. I feel like smackdown needed a good overall wrestler like a Sami Zayn or Kevin Owens or Cesaro but Raw got all 3. And yeah the women's division should have been exclusive to one brand. Oh well

 

[Deezy]

Smackdown got the biggest active star in the company....if not the world.

It's not like this small roster will be the entire roster.

Expect call ups galore.

 

[Smart Marx]

Smackdown got the biggest active star in the company....if not the world.

It's not like this small roster will be the entire roster.

Expect call ups galore.

People are calling this way too early. Not only did they get Cena, but they also got Randy Orton. Two of WWE's go to players and then you have AJ Styles who is primed for a run at the top of the mountain.

Raw
Male Singles (20)
Seth Rollins
Finn Balor
Roman Reigns
Brock Lesnar
Sami Zayn
Chris Jericho
Rusev w/Lana
Kevin Owens
Big Show
Neville
Cesaro
Sheamus
Titus O'Neill
Darren Young w/Bob Backlund
Sin Cara
Jack Swagger
Mark Henry
Braun Strowman
Bo Dallas
Curtis Axel

Female Singles (7)
Charlotte
Sasha Banks
Nia Jax
Paige
Summer Rae
Alicia Fox
Dana Brooke

Tag Teams (6)
The New Day
Enzo and Big Cass
Gallows and Anderson
Goldust and R-Truth
Dudley Boyz
Shining Stars


SmackDown
Male Singles (15)
Dean Ambrose
AJ Styles
John Cena
Randy Orton
Bray Wyatt
The Miz with Maryse
Baron Corbin
Dolph Ziggler
Alberto Del Rio
Kane
Kalisto
Zack Ryder
Apollo Crews
Erick Rowan
Mojo Rawley

Womens Singles (6)
Beckly Lynch
Natalya
Naomi
Alexa Bliss
Eva Marie
Carmella

Tag Teams (5)
American Alpha
The Usos
The Ascension
Breeze and Fandango
The Vaudevillains

What are some feuds that might come out of these Rosters?
Will the Divas Championship be reintroduced for Smackdown?
Will there be a Tag Team Championship for Smackdown?
Will there by a World Title for Raw? or should Ambrose lose at Battleground - Smackdown?

In my opinion the three world titles (Heavyweight, Women's and Tag) should be cross promotional. Any superstar should be able to compete for these and they shouldn't be diluted with copy titles on the other brand (No World Heavyweight Championship or Divas).

Secondary titles like United States, Intercontinental and Cruiserweight should be held on one show to keep brands unique. SmackDown Live should get their own unique division in juxtaposition to the Cruiserweight.

 

[Deezy]

In my opinion the three world titles (Heavyweight, Women's and Tag) should be cross promotional. Any superstar should be able to compete for these and they shouldn't be diluted with copy titles on the other brand (No World Heavyweight Championship or Divas).

Secondary titles like United States, Intercontinental and Cruiserweight should be held on one show to keep brands unique. SmackDown Live should get their own unique division in juxtaposition to the Cruiserweight.

Would be annoying trying to push a ppv when the champs are on the other show doing something else.

You could try push the other titles as equals...but that sure wouldn't catch on for a long long time.

Womens title isn't something you mainevent a show with, not yet if not ever because we know most of the women are not over.

Tag titles too, but if WWE were to do that instead of adding titles, that would be far better.

 

[Smart Marx]

Would be annoying trying to push a ppv when the champs are on the other show doing something else.

You could try push the other titles as equals...but that sure wouldn't catch on for a long long time.

Womens title isn't something you mainevent a show with, not yet if not ever because we know most of the women are not over.

Tag titles too, but if WWE were to do that instead of adding titles, that would be far better.

During the first few months of the 2002 Brand Extension the Undisputed Champion would appear on both shows and take on challengers from both brands. They typically rotated the contenders for PPV, but if both brands have monthly PPV they would only have to do this for the big four. I would suggest doing this for all three titles in mentioned and I'd make the US and IC titles seem more important. Let them headline some shows.

Now I suppose you could have two world titles, there is enough talent for it. Despite the fact I believe it devalues the idea of a world champion it can work. There is not however enough women or tag teams to make two divisions work. They tried and failed the first time.

 

[Wang Chung]

During the first few months of the 2002 Brand Extension the Undisputed Champion would appear on both shows and take on challengers from both brands. They typically rotated the contenders for PPV, but if both brands have monthly PPV they would only have to do this for the big four. I would suggest doing this for all three titles in mentioned and I'd make the US and IC titles seem more important. Let them headline some shows.

Now I suppose you could have two world titles, there is enough talent for it. Despite the fact I believe it devalues the idea of a world champion it can work. There is not however enough women or tag teams to make two divisions work. They tried and failed the first time.

But if vince really wants competition and the 2 brands to be independent of each other they really need to do it like that. Think of it as the Nl/AL in mlb or the afc/nfc in the nfl. I really wished they could make each its own company in its own right and allow each one to contract their stars or at least make it seem that way. So each star drafted would be under contract to that brand for however many years or year and then play it that way. The title stuff needs to happen a a certain still unsure the best way to do it though as of right now.

Do you smell what Tap a Talk is cooking?

 

[Smart Marx]

But if vince really wants competition and the 2 brands to be independent of each other they really need to do it like that. Think of it as the Nl/AL in mlb or the afc/nfc in the nfl. I really wished they could make each its own company in its own right and allow each one to contract their stars or at least make it seem that way. So each star drafted would be under contract to that brand for however many years or year and then play it that way. The title stuff needs to happen a a certain still unsure the best way to do it though as of right now.

Do you smell what Tap a Talk is cooking?

Even in those two sports they still compete for one grand prize in the World Series or Super Bowl.

I get want WWE wants to do, but they failed miserably to build two separate women's and tag divisions the first time.

Just think about a few weeks ago, were either of those divisions even that great when there was only one?

If they're gonna separate the top titles at least call them the Raw and SmackDown Championships.

Having a WWE and World Title was redundant.

 

[ants]

I think the way it's all been done, there has to be separate titles. Last time they did it, they at least made it clear that the Champ would be going on both brands, etc, etc.

So I think they'll introduce a new World Title, Tag Titles and Divas Title.

I'm intrigued as to where this leaves guys like Cesaro and Kevin Owens - they were both drafted a lot lower than I expected, I would hope they are in the World Title picture

 

[Smart Marx]

I think the way it's all been done, there has to be separate titles. Last time they did it, they at least made it clear that the Champ would be going on both brands, etc, etc.

So I think they'll introduce a new World Title, Tag Titles and Divas Title.

I'm intrigued as to where this leaves guys like Cesaro and Kevin Owens - they were both drafted a lot lower than I expected, I would hope they are in the World Title picture

If they do both brands will have terrible divisions. I can't imagine trying to watch a tag team division with 3 teams.

Or watching SmackDown's women's division with what Becky, Nattie and Naomi?

 

[Cwalker]

In my opinion the three world titles (Heavyweight, Women's and Tag) should be cross promotional. Any superstar should be able to compete for these and they shouldn't be diluted with copy titles on the other brand (No World Heavyweight Championship or Divas).

Secondary titles like United States, Intercontinental and Cruiserweight should be held on one show to keep brands unique. SmackDown Live should get their own unique division in juxtaposition to the Cruiserweight.

With 2 PPVs a month, you'd be killing the Champions having them work a schedule like that

 

[Smart Marx]

With 2 PPVs a month, you'd be killing the Champions having them work a schedule like that

The world champion doesn't have to work every PPV. This is actually how you build up the secondary titles by letting them main event a PPV. Plus, you have non-title main events like anything involving John Cena or Brock Lesnar.

 

[Cwalker]

The world champion doesn't have to work every PPV. This is actually how you build up the secondary titles by letting them main event a PPV. Plus, you have non-title main events like anything involving John Cena or Brock Lesnar.

But they'd still be working Raw/Smackdown back to back. Not to mention house shows. That's a lot

 

[Smart Marx]

But they'd still be working Raw/Smackdown back to back. Not to mention house shows. That's a lot

The vast majority of the talent are already doing that. The average talent works 300 days a year.

I looked around and from what I can gather at the very least the world champion is working both brands. If they add a second world title it won't be until after SummerSlam.