7 Traps WWE’s Brand Extension Has Fallen Into (Again)

Announcing news of what happened on Monday Night Raw appears to be the only reason Tom Phillips has been awkwardly shoved behind the SmackDown announce desk. Rarely offering anything except cries of what happened on the red brand or links between segments, the usually excellent presenter sounds like he yearns to be back on Raw when he recaps what happened there.

It was huge when The Undertaker stunned Goldberg and Brock Lesnar by interrupting their confrontation before the Royal Rumble. As major a happening as that was though, SmackDown requires moments exactly like it.

Rather than acting like a nerd talking about the latest exploits of the coolest kid in school, WWE's blue brand needs to start producing moments that demand attention. We're almost seven months into the latest brand extension and SmackDown is still playing second fiddle to WWE's flagship on Monday nights. That's not good.

If WWE want to create true competition between brands behind the scenes, surely it'd be better if announcers didn't mention the other show on air at all? As it is, this on/off false competition is jarring to watch and it's doing nothing for SmackDown; presenting Raw as the superior brand conflicts with WWE's business interests. Surely it's better if both shows are able to stand on their own merits completely?