11 Implications Of WWE's Brand Extension 2016

8. A Show Vs. B Show? Or A Show Vs. A Show?

wwe brand extension
WWE

When the brand split first came into being way back in 2002, the brands were presented as equals. SmackDown actually managed to overtake RAW as the top show for a short while, especially under the watchful eye of Paul Heyman.

With a roster that was filled from top to bottom, the blue brand was the WWE show to watch, as the various members of the so-called SmackDown Six put on fantastic professional wrestling on a weekly basis.

This wouldn't last however, and towards the end of the split SmackDown was like a malnourished younger cousin in comparison to RAW. Sure, the blue brand seemed to win all of the SmackDown vs. RAW matches, but this was surely to give the impression of equal brands. Wrestlers moving to SmackDown felt they were being demoted, and if the brands were equal this simply isn't possible.

Will they be equal today? How much damage has been done to SmackDown in the meantime, is it possible to rebuild it as a brand every bit as 'strong' as RAW? This is one of the most important issues WWE needs to address with the forthcoming brand split.

Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.