wheeljack83
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 16, 2018 23:52:48 GMT -5
Posts: 1,353
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Post by wheeljack83 on May 12, 2020 7:42:44 GMT -5
So now we are getting Wild Card Rule V.2.0. Brand extended PPV events were already ditched. It's very simple folks. WWE has no incentive to "compete with itself." It hurts their bottom line. And now that ratings are falling to an alarming level, Vince McMahon is left scrambling and we get ideas like this.
WWE never fully commits to the brand extension. They are a big corporation and Raw and Smackdown are all tied to their destiny and stock quotas. So the brands competing for brand superiority doesn't work. One doing bad or being dominant over the other is bad for business. The problem with competition is that you want to see a winner ultimately. When the chips are down, WWE can't beat itself.
They tried to refresh it after the move to FOX with that joke of a draft, and now it's already eroding again.
END THE BRAND SPLIT. Tear down the wall. Rip off the bandaid. Take off the training wheels.
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Post by Next Manufactured’s Sweater on May 12, 2020 7:45:31 GMT -5
Ah, the endless Wfigs cycle - “end the brand split” and “bring back the brand split” threads.
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Post by LA Times on May 12, 2020 8:14:23 GMT -5
Pretty sure a limited roster due to a pandemic has something to do with ending the brand split now.
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Post by tylerbreezee on May 12, 2020 8:42:46 GMT -5
Pretty sure a limited roster due to a pandemic has something to do with ending the brand split now. Might as well close the thread because the OP’s rant is wrong and the real reason is right here |
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Post by tylerbreezee on May 12, 2020 8:49:50 GMT -5
You also realize, that if the brand split was ended, ratings for Smackdown would most likely plummet because you’d just see the same guys you saw on Raw 4 days ago doing the same exact thing.
When there was no brand split from 2012-2016 Smackdown was literally just a taped rehash of Raw and virtually nobody watched it. That’s why it was bumped to a lower level channel like SyFy.
I can tell you right now, that before the brand split in mid 2016, I never watched a full episode of Smackdown for those 4 years. I honestly don’t think I ever even flipped to the channel and watched part of an episode. I only watched Raw and PPV’s because Smackdown just became a cheap uninspired continuation of what happened on Raw.
It had become a show with jobber/lower midcard filler matches and 1 or 2 segments/matches of a feud that was primarily showcased on Raw.
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Post by hitmancmedge on May 12, 2020 8:57:39 GMT -5
I actually have always thought the brand split is a great thing. The networks asked for this because of the limited roster of the brand splits. The Wwe is gonna do it but it’s only gonna be one or two people on a show a week. Bliss and Cross don’t count cause they are the tag champs floating from both shows. The brand split is great cause it creates more opportunities for guys, and spots on the card. It keeps guys from getting stale and overexposed more than they are already. It’s a fine idea, it creates a main event for the show without going to the same match again or blowing a match down the line. Just more for people like you to complain about.
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Post by rowdy1971 on May 12, 2020 9:14:45 GMT -5
I always thought the split was dumb, and this is what, their third time trying it? Who cares about having two rosters. It's dumb. Two "main" champions and secondary and tag champs. We always get the case of the same matches happening over and over again. Do we really need to see Drew fight Andrade every week now it seems? Mix em all up. That way every week or month we get a whole bunch of new things. Who wouldn't want to see Drew vs Daniel Bryan?
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Post by tylerbreezee on May 12, 2020 9:42:37 GMT -5
I always thought the split was dumb, and this is what, their third time trying it? Who cares about having two rosters. It's dumb. Two "main" champions and secondary and tag champs. We always get the case of the same matches happening over and over again. Do we really need to see Drew fight Andrade every week now it seems? Mix em all up. That way every week or month we get a whole bunch of new things. Who wouldn't want to see Drew vs Daniel Bryan? Without the brandsplit you’d be seeing Drew vs Andrade on Raw and then again on Smackdown. |
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kinnikuman
Main Eventer
Joined on: Feb 6, 2020 21:42:25 GMT -5
Posts: 4,674
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Post by kinnikuman on May 12, 2020 10:07:24 GMT -5
You can't split your brand ... because it's your brand. A true split would mean a total and complete separation of the shows. Different websites, different social, no mentions of the other show, no wrestlers crossing over, etc.
WWE, you have one brand, two main shows, and too many wrestlers. At least NXT and definitely NXT UK sort of resemble something separate. Not perfect, but they do feel like something different.
Red brand, blue brand ... give me a break.
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Post by cordless2016 on May 12, 2020 10:23:36 GMT -5
A brand split can work, but the problem is you need stars and the will to stick with it. The WWE has neither of these currently.
After the purchase of WCW and bringing in of former ECW stars, it made sense to split the brandS based on the sheer size and star power of the roster. During the first draft, we had guys like Austin, Rock, Taker, Hogan, nWo, Lesnar, RVD, Booker T, Edge, Benoit, Christian, Hardyz, Dudleyz, Kane, and Big Show. And that’s just the very top names off the top of my head. Currently, id argue we don’t have one full time male star today outside of Styles and Bryan who was as over as RVD was then (who was booked as a midcarder at the time) with the die hard and casual fans. Even before the current situation we would see a guy like Corbin constantly in world title matches.
The other issue is that the WWE has no will power to keep them seperate. I’d argue from 2002-2009 the split was pretty successful and consistent for the most part. Today, Vince assumes we forget what we ate for breakfast. We don’t get long term stories any longer.
The WWE proved a split can still work from the second half of 2016. The problem is they get lazy and just assume we forget it after a few weeks anyway. I’m all for a split and believe it can work but the lack of stars today and the WWE’s crappy booking is what kills any chance of success it may have.
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Post by punksnotdead on May 12, 2020 10:25:39 GMT -5
They’ve only done the split right one time, and that was from 02-04. I enjoyed Smackdown to death in 2009 and in 2016 but they continuously don’t stay within the confines of their own parameters. This creates a disconnect with the audience. I’m sure it’s subconscious for most viewers, but it still undoubtedly happens.
It’s the same way wins and losses do matter. If someone loses all of the time, they’re perceived as a loser. It’s pretty basic psychology and WWE ignores it on almost a weekly basis. It’s why they can’t tell quality stories and why people check-out and never return. If WWE doesn’t respect the rules they set, why should the audience? The short answer: They don’t.
All that said, WWE is doing what they can to navigate this pandemic. Most of it is terrible, but they have to continue to do what they think is entertaining. At this point, it’s more in-character for them to disrespect the brand split than it is for them to stick to it. So we can’t be shocked over it, even if I do think (in general and not during an audience-less pandemic) it’s bad business.
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Post by bababooey on May 12, 2020 11:29:06 GMT -5
The best way for them to do a brand split would be to do it “unofficially”. Like they shouldn’t promote a brand split, but focus on different talent and stories on different shows. Then you can have people from any show to plug up the holes for the night or whatever.
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Post by Kill Em' All on May 12, 2020 11:51:27 GMT -5
The brand split is just fine, if it stays as one small interaction it won't dismantle. Anyways times are tough with rattings.
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Post by Yambag Jones on May 12, 2020 12:44:43 GMT -5
Vince doesn't have the patience or the creativity to make it work anymore.
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Post by marino13 on May 12, 2020 13:06:59 GMT -5
Well they were sticking with it just fine till you know, this whole pandemic thing happened. Damn you Vince, you should have known!
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Post by JTG on May 12, 2020 14:18:22 GMT -5
Given the circumstances, especially with a lot of heavy hitters sitting things out during the pandemic it kind of makes sense that they're going with an all hands on deck approach for this. It seems like it'll just be a one talent on each show per week type of deal which isn't that bad. It could make for some fresh matchups over the next few months. I say that but Raw gets Corbin as the first Smackdown talent crossover so I do see the irony in my previous statement. Even so, it could be a good thing to bolster each show through the coming weeks.
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Post by K5 on May 12, 2020 15:30:37 GMT -5
I’m actually completely cool with the brand split, it’s not a problem. their roster depth demands it.
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on May 12, 2020 16:08:01 GMT -5
The brand split is basically WWE Red and WWE Blue. That's it, nothing that makes each show stand out from each other
Not only that but no guy feels unique to their brand because there are drafts every year which switches them about.
The only time the split ever worked was from 02/06. After that it got old very fast.
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Post by stc13 on May 12, 2020 16:12:45 GMT -5
A brand split can work, but the problem is you need stars and the will to stick with it. The WWE has neither of these currently. After the purchase of WCW and bringing in of former ECW stars, it made sense to split the brandS based on the sheer size and star power of the roster. During the first draft, we had guys like Austin, Rock, Taker, Hogan, nWo, Lesnar, RVD, Booker T, Edge, Benoit, Christian, Hardyz, Dudleyz, Kane, and Big Show. And that’s just the very top names off the top of my head. Currently, id argue we don’t have one full time male star today outside of Styles and Bryan who was as over as RVD was then (who was booked as a midcarder at the time) with the die hard and casual fans. Even before the current situation we would see a guy like Corbin constantly in world title matches. The other issue is that the WWE has no will power to keep them seperate. I’d argue from 2002-2009 the split was pretty successful and consistent for the most part. Today, Vince assumes we forget what we ate for breakfast. We don’t get long term stories any longer. The WWE proved a split can still work from the second half of 2016. The problem is they get lazy and just assume we forget it after a few weeks anyway. I’m all for a split and believe it can work but the lack of stars today and the WWE’s crappy booking is what kills any chance of success it may have. I pretty much came here to write this. They have an absurdly talented roster, to the point that you have legitimate talent burried on the NXT roster who can't even get tv time on the 3rd brand. But in terms of actual stars who draw viewers? That's a short list. Years and years of inconsistent writing and booking that flies in the face of crowd reaction have made it tough to have anyone but the top stars truly over. Now they're missing arguably their two most marketable stars for who knows how long. When you don't tell good stories, constantly repeat matches, and use 50/50 booking, it's going to catch up to you sooner or later. So now we get the "throw spaghetti against the wall and see if it pops a rating" approach. |
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Post by greenjack1992 on May 12, 2020 17:37:55 GMT -5
No. The brand split is what gives rise to new stars.
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