Lack of Distinguished Identity Causes Brand Split Irrelevance

   The current brand split in WWE, in my opinion, is even less successful than the last.  One thing that is hurting the brand split is that the format for Raw and Smackdown are exactly the same.  With the exception of the superstars and colors, there is absolutely no difference between the brands.  If the idea of a brand split is for competition between the brands, at least in kayfabe form, why present the shows in the same way?  Even though Raw may be an hour longer and the USA Network allots for overtime, the format is exactly the same for Smackdown.  Though it is still developmental, NXT at times has been presented as its own brand, and is presented completely different.  I for one, never liked any brand split to begin with but that's neither here nor there.  For me, competition within the same company makes no sense and more than one kind of a Championship also makes no sense.  For the argument, though, how can Raw and Smackdown be defined individually?

   Now that I think about it, there is one glaring difference but it's not the right kind.  Let's be honest!  WWE cares more for Raw than it does for Smackdown.  Raw will always be the A show and will always be seen and presented as such.  Separate but equal is not a thing when it comes to each show's importance.  Don't misunderstand this as me being contradictory to my own argument. Separate but equal should mean not just separate superstars but separate formats.  The equal part has more to do with the way a brand's importance is presented.  If Raw is seen as superior, it kind of makes the point of having a brand split redundant.  Ideally, the brands should be of equal importance but have their own identities.

   When it comes to the brand split, either commit fully to it or don't.  By the way, with split brands, there's still a way for there to be one World Champion, one Women's Champion, and one set of Tag Team Champions.  The idea of free agents, other than Champions, also makes the brand split redundant.  For instance, I know people like John Cena and the Undertaker can go wherever they please, but their presence on both shows kills the concept of separate brands.  One idea to make the brand split seem like a better idea, as well as making sense having more than one of each Champion, is to have Smackdown as the television show for a specific brand, in kayfabe, making it seem separate from WWE.  In a way, NXT does this somewhat, as it's completely separate from Raw and Smackdown, almost making it seem like it's not even under the WWE banner.  I'm not necessarily saying WCW should make a comeback, but they have access to plenty of other former Territory names.  Otherwise, as I said, competition within the same company doesn't make sense.

   There's got to be yet another kind of format that either Raw or Smackdown could make its own.  Perhaps when Smackdown's deal with Fox in 2019 starts!  Both WWE and Fox put a lot of money into this deal and that could be how Smackdown distinguishes itself from Raw.  As for NXT, I hope the rumor of it going to cable is false.  What I like about NXT is that it's only one hour, the talent isn't overexposed, and they still manage to put out good storylines along with excellent wrestling.  Going to cable will take away everything positive and different about NXT and it will be a big mistake, in my opinion.  I can't imagine any network that picks up NXT keeping the format the same.  Ultimately, the lack of identity for Raw and Smackdown is taking away from the point of a brand split, especially if the goal is to make fans believe there is competition between the brands.

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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