The WWE Is Going Back To The Brand Split Between Raw and Smackdown
While it would have made sense to do a Vince vs Shane or Steph vs Shane storyline to bring on the brand split, especially when it was RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THEM to do after Wrestlemania, the WWE announced today they are going to break up the roster between Raw on Mondays and SmackDown live on Tuesdays.
WWE - A SmackDown shakeup is about to completely reshape all of WWE. Beginning July 19, the second longest-running weekly episodic program in television history, SmackDown, will move from Thursday to Tuesday nights and air LIVE each and every week — for the first time ever — at 8/7 C on USA Network, the exclusive cable home to WWE’s marquee properties.
This bold move will have major ramifications for all of WWE and exemplify the New Era, as both Raw and SmackDown will each feature their own unique rosters and rivalries following an imminent Superstar draft.
“WWE’s flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV,” WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon said. “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around the world.”
I think this is a great move for them for a few reasons. For 1, nobody really watches or cares about SmackDown anymore. after 3 hours of Raw, SmackDown has become an afterthought where nothing really happens and no stories are continued. However, from the glimpses I’ve gotten of it, it’s been way more entertaining and fun of a show. Another reason this is a good move is because the roster has been beat down with injuries and more injuries. It’s almost impossible to name a big name who hasn’t been injured in the last year. The schedule these guys do makes it almost impossible to stay healthy- having one less big show a week to work should improve health and morale. And 3, it will allow writers to build up more people. Two shows, two main events, lots of more time for guys who might otherwise get lost in the shuffle to shine (is it too late for Cody Rhodes to un-quit??!).
The biggest problem I see with this is we still have a 3 hour long Raw. No TV show needs 3 hours to tell a story. None. Raw being 3 hours long hurts the show and overall product much more than it helps. The live crowd dies towards the end, as does the home audience. It’s just hard to keep an audience’s attention for 3 straight fucking hours. It’s a bit worrying that Raw was unable to put together a solid 3 hour show with the entire roster at it’s disposal..now they’ll have to do it with the roster divided in half.
I’m almost positive they’ll have Cena headline one show and Reigns the other, but it’ll be interesting to see what they do with a lot of the other top guys. Overall though, this is a change WWE desperately needed, as the product has grown stale and viewer interest has been waning. Right when I think I’m out…they pull me back in.