PWP Nation’s Caden Moran takes a look at the effects of the brand split on WWE and it’s product
Seven months have passed since the WWE draft separated the stars of WWE into two brands, Raw and Smackdown Live. In those seven months, we have seen a rise of stars and a whole new era in WWE. For me personally, I loved the idea of the brand split. In the seven months since, I feel as if there have been more negatives than positives due to the creative side of WWE being wrecked, the amount of content on the WWE Network, and the fact that its hurt WWE’s developmental brand, NXT. On the other end of the spectrum there has been one huge positive. Unfortunately for the WWE, that alone hasn’t saved the impact of the brand split overall.
First and foremost, since the split, creatively, the WWE has been exposed. Monday Night Raw specifically has been hindered with a lack of creativity when it comes to the variety of matches and having the same four guys in the spotlight each week. On the flip side, take a look at Smackdown Live. Even with a lack of depth on the roster, it still trumps Raw when it comes to doing something different week in and week out. If nothing else, from a creative perspective, its fresh.
History tells us that the WWE as a company typically goes outside the box regarding the presentation of their product. Since the brand split, it seems like we see the same thing week in and week out on WWE programming. Specifically, Raw. It’s not just the programming either. Take a look at the new championship belts that have been introduced. The Universal Championship, Smackdown Tag Team Championships, and the Smackdown Women’s Championship have no creative concept whatsoever. They are exact images of their predecessors just with different colors. The WWE needs to go back to that outside the box presentation of each brand so that both are different from each other, but appealing to viewers.
Secondly, the amount of content to take in now with two separate brands is almost impossible to experience. If you thought watching three hours of Raw was bad enough, I feel for you now. The WWE Network is a stellar idea without a doubt. Ever since the brand split, the amount of content WWE is asking fans to dedicate their time to is absolutely ridiculous. Think about it. Raw, Smackdown Live, NXT, 205 Live, two pay-per-views a month, and special tournaments like the United Kingdom Championship Tournament. Its safe to say that the WWE is producing too much content. Not only is it too much content, but they need to work on fixing the problems with their current programming before adding more. It isn’t rocket science.
The brand split has also hurt NXT. With the amount of talent on its roster, NXT had been a top show for WWE. NXT has been damaged due to the amount of call-ups the draft produced. They lost real talent like Finn Balor, American Alpha, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Carmella, and Mojo Rawley (I guess)? It was an awesome moment to see these faces on main WWE programming, but it did have a silent impact on NXT. Finn Balor was an instant loss considering he was the face of NXT for a couple years. In addition, losing their top three women, who were called up at the same time, hurt the NXT women’s division significantly. If you include the later call up of Bayley, the women’s division of NXT has been damaged with no one credible enough yet to defeat and replace the dominant Asuka.
NXT will always be the WWE’s developmental brand and I know faces come and go but the brand split and the draft damaged NXT and its appeal to fans. However, NXT will recover as they always do.
Now for the big positive. More stars are getting a chance to shine. We have seen AJ Styles, The Miz, Braun Strowman, Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Bray Wyatt, Heath Slater, and many others get a chance to shine and reach the top of the mountain in some shape or form.
We always criticize the WWE for not giving deserving stars a shot at success, but the brand split finally changed that. Look at Heath Slater. Heath was always known as a jobber, but we all knew he was very talented and could be a big player if given the chance. That is exactly what happened after the split. He went un-drafted and entered into an awesome free agency storyline that led to him and Rhyno becoming the first ever WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions. In addition, we’ve seen AJ Styles become the WWE Champion, The Miz bring prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship, Becky Lynch reach the top of the women’s mountain, and Bray Wyatt get the respect he deserves (notice how those are all Smackdown players).
The brand split promised to be interesting and have both positive and negative effects on the company. There has been more negatives than positives to date, but I do believe we will see the brand split pay off in 2017.
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