10 Ways The Brand Split Has Changed WWE (One Year On)

8. Sharing The Spotlight

the miz dean ambrose
WWE

One of the byproducts of having such a gigantic talent pool is that the writers feel obliged to cram as many of these wrestlers onscreen as possible. This has resulted in a considerable shift away from individual one on one rivalries to larger, multi-person storylines, with the SmackDown women’s division experiencing a particularly significant downturn.

Sure, SmackDown’s writers do a good job of getting their women on television, but they’ve been locked into overcrowded angles for much of the year. It’s impossible to stand out when you’re forced to share a scene with five or six other people at once, and while the likes o Becky Lynch were once standard-bearers, they’ve become faceless since this practice became the norm.

Nobody gets to show any personality when they’re booked in clusters, and nobody gets over. These stories are shallow, bland, and uncreative, with no consequences for the winners and losers, and little variation from angle to angle.

It’s worth mentioning that if it weren’t for this tactic, WWE would be paying even more wrestlers to sit at home twiddling their thumbs, but if they hadn’t been so overzealous in bringing new faces to the roster, neither of these problems would exist.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.