Really? *Possible Live Smackdown Spoiler*

[GD]

WWE Champion The Miz will face off Randy Orton on the special live edition of Smackdown. And who made this match? The RAW General Manager! It's like the brand expansion doesn't matter any more :nono:

[Xero]

The point is to draw ratings and attention for the live show.

The brand split hasn't really mattered much since the WHC was introduced. Sure, it REALLY doesn't matter now because WWE's major shows are all on Universal stations, but still, it hasn't mattered in like 7 years.

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>The brand expansion hasn't mattered since 2005.</font>

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Guru Dave, maybe you can answer this question for me because I've never gotten an answer from anyone who brought this up: why does the brand extennsion matter at all? It's a gimmicky concept from 2002. It has no purity to it. It has no history that it must honor. Why is maintaining its integrity important to you in any way?

[Supreme Olajuwon]

I mean honestly, if this is what you're complaining about, then you're just bitching for the sake of bitching.

[Jeritron]

Just to play along with your complaint (which is stupid), it's involving 2 Raw Superstars anyways.
Since it's being promoted as a special split-brand event, I would think the Raw GM would have some jurisdiction over his talent anyways.

Not that it matters at all, anyways.

[Joe Kerr]

Next week Smackdown gets to make the Raw Main event :shifty:

[GD]

Guru Dave, maybe you can answer this question for me because I've never gotten an answer from anyone who brought this up: why does the brand extennsion matter at all? It's a gimmicky concept from 2002. It has no purity to it. It has no history that it must honor. Why is maintaining its integrity important to you in any way?

It's a matter of opinion. As far as I remember, a lot of new talents got fair exposure due to the brand split. If it wasn't for the brand split, guys like John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and Batista might have never made it to the main event scenario.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

It's also good for a company to draw ratings when they've got a new timeslot as a one off and need to promote it. The only way they have to promote it is on their own programming, so promote it to Raw fans with a Raw match. Perfect.

And lol at your list of people who wouldn't have made it. That's the list that would have surefire made it.

[GD]

In 2002? Really?

[Juan]

As reported earlier, some Smackdown performers have been called to appear at tonight's Raw and vice versa for this week since the two shows will air on consecutive days on the USA Network. Expect more brand crossover in the months going forward as according to current creative plans, the separation of brands will be on the back burner through WrestleMania.

[Juan]

Also,, I swear Dave's made this thread before.

[Tom Guycott]

It's a matter of opinion. As far as I remember, a lot of new talents got fair exposure due to the brand split. If it wasn't for the brand split, guys like John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and Batista might have never made it to the main event scenario.


And lol at your list of people who wouldn't have made it. That's the list that would have surefire made it.

Not quite true. Again, remember Cena and Orton were "experiments". As much as the IWC hates "superman", there was a time where he was enhancement talent that 'Taker put over which started his rise. Guys like the above mentioned, and others like Kennedy/Anderson wouldn't have got the TV time to be anything productive. Three of the five would have drawn Superstars/Heat/Velocity duty until "future endeavor'd", the other two wouldn't have even been called up from OVW.

Also, we would have the same show opening that was dominating the airwaves pre-split; either HHH or a McMahon domineering the first 35min of a show with an in-ring promo, and some drawn out main event for the last 35 min (plus the overrun) featuring that same McMahon and/or HHH.

[Ermaximus]

Don't they always swap guys back and forth like this on both shows between post-TLC and pre-Mania?

[djoutcry]

ITS TIME TO SHAKE THINGS UP AGAIN!!!

[Mr. Nerfect]

I personally agree with Dave's point. Yeah, guys float around a lot even today (Ezekiel Jackson has randomly changed brands, and we've seen one or two random RAW vs. SmackDown! matches on Superstars for no reason at all), but I do get what they are trying to do. SmackDown! occasionally gets random matches on RAW's special shows (although the RAW GM apparently makes those matches, too). The goal is to get people interested in SmackDown!, but I think they could have done something a little different. Why not The Miz & Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton & Rey Mysterio?

[Ermaximus]

I personally agree with Dave's point. Yeah, guys float around a lot even today (Ezekiel Jackson has randomly changed brands, and we've seen one or two random RAW vs. SmackDown! matches on Superstars for no reason at all), but I do get what they are trying to do. SmackDown! occasionally gets random matches on RAW's special shows (although the RAW GM apparently makes those matches, too). The goal is to get people interested in SmackDown!, but I think they could have done something a little different. Why not The Miz & Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton & Rey Mysterio?

Orton, Edge, and Mysterio vs Miz, Kane, and Del Rio would have been good too, but I could see how having two 6 man tag matches as the main event 2 nights in a row could get stale.

[Fox]

It's a matter of opinion. As far as I remember, a lot of new talents got fair exposure due to the brand split. If it wasn't for the brand split, guys like John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and Batista might have never made it to the main event scenario.

No Cena, Orton and Batista in the main event? Wait... that doesn't sound so bad to me.

[St. Jimmy]

Smackdown is so terrible they have to have Raw matches on it to make it watchable. This is a surprise to you?

[MoFo]

Smackdown guys have been appearing on Raw and vice versa since Bragging Rights. This is not a new development.

[DLVH84]

Yeah, I'd say abandon the Brand Extension once and for all.

[Xero]

The brand extension still has its place. Without it, guys would get lost in the shuffle even worse than now. While they can go between shows at will, there's still a sense of separation.

They have nearly 15 main eventers at the moment. They would wind up dominating the shows, leaving the undercard even more fucked.

Plus it's less travel for the brands, at least for TV.

It may not mean anything really, but the brand extension still has its place.

[FourFifty]

http://www.tpww.net/2010/12/report-raw-sd-brand-crossover-to-increase/

– As reported earlier, some WWE SmackDown! performers have been called to appear at tonight’s WWE RAW and vice versa for this week since the two shows will air on consecutive days on the USA Network. Expect more brand crossover in the months going forward as according to current creative plans, the separation of brands will be on the back burner through WrestleMania.

[Juan]

Thanks for clearing that up for us, 450.