Raw and Smackdown

[Aussie Skier]

OK.

what do people think of this idea?

Just like the Monday night wars, could the WWE consider putting up Raw and Smackdown at the same timeslot?

It would be incredibly risky, but just imagine it! i think it'd be great.

and out of curiosity, which one would you people watch?

Personally, I would be watching smackdown all the way!

[Corkscrewed]

We've agreed this would be even more suicide for the company, especially when they don't care about SmackDOWN!

[V]

rofl, dude, whatever crack you're on, i'd like some

anyway i'd watch raw live and tape smackdown then watch it

[Aussie Skier]

Well...the difference in this and the monday night wars is that vince can manipulate the ratings, unlike i nthe monday night wars where the two companes oculd only od what they could with their own show.

If it looks like smackdown is going badly, then get better writers, and move some of the talent.


anyway, i wouldnt put the two up against each other, but i think it'd be really interesting

[Anybody Thrilla]

Raw, Raw, a thousand times Raw.

[The CyNick]

Ive actually thought about this.

It does seem kinda dumb to split your audience, but I guess the hope would be to create more interest.

Its possible it "could" work, but it wouldn't under the WWE. Here's a few key reasons why not:

#1. In order for that to work, I think you need to make people believe the two brands are somehow separate. So you need some angle where say Bischoff takes over RAW.....yadda yadda and now its WCW, or whatever. I dont think you can do it with both shows pushing the other brand and WWE logos plastered all over the two brands.

#2. HHH would have to retire. Seriously. I mean if HHH was in a position where he was up against another WWE run and WWE boked product, you know his show would be FAR superior to the other show. I mean its already pretty much like that in terms of talent distribution, but it would be much worse if they were head to head.

So at that point the one show would become missable, and with the other show up against it, people would only watch one. At least now if you want to watch wrestling you can watch both brands.

So yeah, it would be a huge gamble, but with the way the WWE is run right now, I dont think it would be wise.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I don't actually mind the idea. It would certainly gain media attention, and I think if Vince McMahon didn't interfere on either show majorly, this could work. Triple H's power would be irrelavent if they seperated all RAW power from SmackDown!. This could almost create a new age for the industry, and if/when TNA gets much more popular, we could really see the WWE step up with their developement of the product.

[LK]

We've agreed this would be even more suicide for the company, especially when they don't care about SmackDOWN!

[Lara Emily]

It would be without a doubt the stupidest fucking thing they could do.

[Aussie Skier]

It would be without a doubt the stupidest fucking thing they could do.

that's a pretty big call

what about the gobbeldy gooker, mordecai and XFL? :lol:

[Lara Emily]

that's a pretty big call

what about the gobbeldy gooker, mordecai and XFL? :lol:

None of those 3 would kill a show.

[Aussie Skier]

why do you think putting them up would kill a show?

i'm merely playing devils advocate, but i dont see how it would kill a show. vince would have the power to manipulate 1 of the shows so that if 1 was doing poorly, he could get wrestlers from the other show...or better yet! improve the product!

[Molly fan 25]

It would be without a doubt the stupidest fucking thing they could do.

What she said.

[Lara Emily]

why do you think putting them up would kill a show?

i'm merely playing devils advocate, but i dont see how it would kill a show. vince would have the power to manipulate 1 of the shows so that if 1 was doing poorly, he could get wrestlers from the other show...or better yet! improve the product!

Umm Smackdown all but sucks and everyone would watch Raw thus killign the ratings for SD.

[Aussie Skier]

hence...wouldn't smackdown HAVE to improve the product

its pure capitalism, competition thrives business.


anyway, i know 4 sure i'd watch smackdown over raw

[Lara Emily]

hence...wouldn't smackdown HAVE to improve the product

its pure capitalism, competition thrives business.


anyway, i know 4 sure i'd watch smackdown over raw

Yeah but competiting against oneself is not true competition, Vince still controls everything. It would fail.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Yeah but competiting against oneself is not true competition, Vince still controls everything. It would fail.

It would certainly make Vince look psychotic. I can already see a picture in the newspaper of Vince McMahon smiling with eyes popping out, wearing a half-red, half-blue suit tipping out a packet of miniture red men and a packet of blue miniture men onto two opposite ends of a scale with a headline saying "WRESTLING "GENIUS" COMPETES WITH HIMSELF".

But to be honest, I can really see that working. The whole point of this would be to create more of a "split" in the roster spilt, and a more evn divide of talent. It really wouldn't surprise me to see Shawn Michaels & Chris Jericho both end up on SmackDown! trying to use the split to make their own markings on SD!, and lead it as its "major" talent.

At first you'd think it would be stupid to have both RAW & SmackDown! on the same night, but if you have different day replays, and a seperate writing team for each, it will in sense create more of a different company split between the brands, which will even illusion us.

I also wouldn't mind seeing a different management team for RAW & Smackers. I think it would be interesting to see if RAW does something interesting with Heat, and undercard talent, and it could be interesting to see SmackDown! hire a wrestler like say, Sting, and RAW to have no idea about it until they get home after working a long, hard night on RAW, only to discover the wrestling world buzzing about how "Sting makes debut on SmackDown!!!!!". This in sense, could spark more wrestlers to be more innovative, the writing teams to be mroe innovative, wrestlers to put in 200% effort into every match, hoping that they outshine SmackDown! over a few states away (or even a few countries away). Maybe the WWE could even enforce a "no watching the other brand's show during live airings" rule.

I agree with everyone who says this has potential to be a horrendous idea, but who knows? Competition is good for business, and if the WWE were fair in giving the split brands an equal chance, it might just create a revolutionary experience. In a way it could actually chance the way we think about TV, media and business. Reality TV show creators may split their writing staff into two, and have them compete with each other on two different channels. McDonald's may open two different stores in one location, and try to destroy the other one. It sound stupid, but that's the way we're heading these days in society.

Back to the RAW/SmackDown! idea, we may see less parallells between the show. People might start comparing John Cena to John Cena, instead of Randy Orton, SmackDown! might revive the European Championship, while RAW sticks to its current four. One brand may enforce a dress code, whielt he other will not. Basically it would be like two children competeing for a father's love, but with that assurance that if anything goes wrong, daddy and brother will be there to help. If worse comes to worse you either revert abck to the current scenario, or just do an another Invasion. :shifty:

[The CyNick]

It would work if they created RAW and SD as separate profit centres, and actyually had them compete. But like I said, with HHH you''ll always have RAW as the favourite, and then SD will die.

Of course SD is doing much better than RAW, so if it was an even playing field, I think SD might end up on top, but its not, so.

[Funky Fly]

It would be without a doubt the stupidest fucking thing they could do.
Yeah, pretty much.

[darkpower]

There is one more element about this that I think needs to be examined: Exactly wehat channels would they be on. We probably know that Spike is going to give WWE as much time as they want for RAW, but I don't know if the same will be true for UPN and SmackDown!. I don't think UPN would want to move SmackDown to a Monday Night slot for many reasons. For one, it is their highest rated show. Moving it to Monday Night not only puts it against RAW, but other huge compeditors like Monday Night Football, which I'm not thinking that UPN is willing to go up against yet. Secondly, UPN would never be ABLE to totally have SmackDown eclipse RAW in the time slot, since their time is only 8-10PM before local happens, and though Spike may make the adjustments for RAW, there's just too many other factors going into this for that to matter. And how about the shows that would have to be reschedualed because of it?

Of course, SmackDown could move to another network, but that brings in another array of difficulties too big for it to work.

It's a good idea, but too many roadblocks would stop it from becoming reality.

[Mr. Nerfect]

There is one more element about this that I think needs to be examined: Exactly wehat channels would they be on. We probably know that Spike is going to give WWE as much time as they want for RAW, but I don't know if the same will be true for UPN and SmackDown!. I don't think UPN would want to move SmackDown to a Monday Night slot for many reasons. For one, it is their highest rated show. Moving it to Monday Night not only puts it against RAW, but other huge compeditors like Monday Night Football, which I'm not thinking that UPN is willing to go up against yet. Secondly, UPN would never be ABLE to totally have SmackDown eclipse RAW in the time slot, since their time is only 8-10PM before local happens, and though Spike may make the adjustments for RAW, there's just too many other factors going into this for that to matter. And how about the shows that would have to be reschedualed because of it?

Of course, SmackDown could move to another network, but that brings in another array of difficulties too big for it to work.

It's a good idea, but too many roadblocks would stop it from becoming reality.


I agree with everything you said,but the roadblocks are just discouraging the idea, I don't think they are preventing it form happening.