10 Problems WWE MUST Solve In The 2019 Draft
1. Identity Crisis
Raw and SmackDown feel largely the same. The red brand's increasing Heymanisms provide some differentiation, as does its complete lack of authority figures, though there's little difference between WWE's two main roster brands otherwise.
The SmackDown Six era this is not. Team Blue is a good, solid wrestling show that's rarely anything worse than a 6/10, but it's not the workrate-centric island away from Raw's Sports Entertainment trappings it used to be. This differentiation, along with the brand-exclusive roster, provided greater incentive for fans to tune in to what was effectively still the B-show. It was different. As strong as SD is, that can't be said anymore.
It'd be great to see WWE solve this identity crisis in the 2019 draft. It's impossible for the shows to feel distinct when they're essentially presented as different hues of the exact same thing and while returning to something similar to the SmackDown Six era may not be possible, a handful of creative tweaks could make all the difference. Beating AEW at their own "real sport" game would send one hell of a message, too...