10 Signs WWE's Brand Split Just Isn't Working
1. Commissioner & GM Dynamic Feels Strange
Perhaps above all else, WWE have baffled everybody by adding even more authority figures to their core programming. Before the brand split, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were the chief authoritarians on shows, occasionally backed up by Vince McMahon himself. Now, Raw and SmackDown have more figures calling the shots than ever before.
Shane and Stephanie McMahon were installed as the Commissioners for both SmackDown and Raw respectively before the Draft. Over time, they revealed that Mick Foley would be the General Manager on Raw and Daniel Bryan would be his opposite on SmackDown. Since then, there's been a weird dynamic on both shows.
Bryan and Shane get along a little better on SmackDown. At the same time, Bryan still has to answer to McMahon. The same goes for Foley on Raw, who regularly has his power undermined by the presence of Stephanie.
If anything, WWE needed to move away from the idea of authority figures for a while and just let the wrestlers do their thing. Unnecessary explanations for why each match is taking place are exactly that: they're redundant.
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