*RUMBLE SPOILERS* Should the winner of the Rumble switch brands?

[Head]

*ROYAL RUMBLE SPOILERS*



t?

Seeing as how Benoit is now switching to Raw it looks like, it wouldn't suprise me if the WWE started doing this every year with the Rumble winner. I'm really split on what I think about this.

On one hand, this could be a very nice way to mix it up a little bit, and could make for fresher feuds, with the potential for anybody being able to feud with anybody.

On the other hand, it would really kill the whole classic title chase against the GM thing that Austin, The Rock, Brock Lesner, and others did, and that Corkscrewed meantioned in his topic. A big thing for Wrestlemania main events, to me at least, is that they usually are a feud that has been building up for longer than a few months. Doing this would also make it manditory for whoever the WWE wants to wrestle for the title in the main event of Wrestlemania to switch brands.

There is also the whole issue with creating an imbalance between the brands if a main eventer switches to the other brand. For example, if Raw wins two years in a row, Smackdown would be 2 main eventers short. And I really don't like the whole trade idea much either, as since I see any feuding/on air negotiating between the two brands as taking away from their distinct idenities.

Thoughts, ideas, comments?

[Disturbed316]

thanks for the spoiler warning :wave:

:mad:

[Head]

Oh shit my bad.

Really sorry.

[Disturbed316]

the title still gives it away :roll:

*sorry for being so anal, but stupid folk can get easily pissed off about little things like this*

[Head]

Nah I understand, I get really pissed myself when people do it.

*smacks self*

[Disturbed316]

:)

[Heyman]

NO. I am against Benoit switching brands for the following reasons.

1) Benoit is much more suited to the "wrestling oriented" Smackdown as opposed to the "sports-entertainment oriented" Raw. Benoit is basically an upgraded version of Lance Storm. One could argue that after he wins the title on Raw, he could very easily get 'lost in the mix' half a year or so later (due to him being 'less of an entertainer' than most of the guys on Raw).

2) If Benoit (a face) becomes champ, he will inadvertently hold back guys like Jericho and RVD. I realize that some knowledgeable posters (i.e The CyNick), feel that Y2J and RVD will never main-event anyways, but I remain positive.



If It was up to me, I'd have Lesnar and Triple H (the two world champions) switch brands.

The Lesnar/Goldberg feud then takes place on Raw (live). Once Lesnar defeats Goldberg at Mania, he can then be the heel champ on Raw......and guys like RVD and Jericho can then be in a position to go after him.

[Disturbed316]

But anyway yeah, it doesn't make any sence what so ever.

Especially after the stuff with Brock.

[John la Rock]

I think Smackdown needs to be compensated big time for Chris Benoit. Id have Rob Van Dam go to Smackdown so he can fill the void left by Benoit. We all know what he can do with guys like Lesnar and Guerrero. Plus it would give him new competitors to face like Cena. And I think the WWE should eventually start a RVD/Mysterio feud sometime down the road.

As for Benoit winning the title off HHH at Mania, I'm all for it. Just imagine the World Title Feuds Benoit will have coming after Mania with guys like Kane, Booker T, or even another feud with Y2J.

[BasicThuganomics]

I don't think the WWE should make it mandatory for the Rumble winner to switch brands. But if the winner of the Rumble decided to, then I don't see the problem with that. Build up that the winner can choose to face the champ on his show, or can switch brands to face the other champ if he chooses to. But as for making it mandatory for the winner to swittch brands, thats not a good idea.

[The CyNick]

I like the idea of having the option to go after either champion.

However, the way I would do it, is to say the Rumble winner has the chance to go after either title, but he would remain with his brand in terms of 'contracts'.

So using the Benoit situation it would work like this:

Benoit wins, and picks the RAW title to go after. If he wins, he remains on RAW while he is champ, but he's still billed as a SD guy. So, if Benoit wins its like the SD guy has won the World Title, so SD is superior for now. When he loses the title, he goes back to his brand (ie Benoit would go back to SD).

Now, in order to counteract this, if as in this scenario Benoit goes after the RAW title, then the RAW brand gets a shot at the SD title. So, for the winner of the Rumble its like a double jeopardy deal, where they could have SD guys carrying both world titles, but by going after the other brands' championship they risk losing their own to a rival RAW guy.

However, in some scenarios (like in the Benoit one) it would make more sense for the winner to go after his own brands champion because he has a rivarly built up and wants to settle the issue. However they have to weigh that against a 'once in a lifetime' chance to get the other brands' championship and prove their dominance.

I think that would be a decent way to build up hatred between the brands and also offer some fresh matches for Mania every couple of years or so.

Imagine if Cena and Orton are big stars two years from now of SD and RAW repsectively, they both been world champions, and now Cena has just won the Rumble. Instead of going after the SD champion Lance Storm (this is fiction, obviously), he decides to win a title he's never won, the RAW title currently held by Randy Orton. Fans would have argued whose better between Orton and Cena for years, and now at Wrestlemania XXII in Chicago we get to finally see Randy Orton vs John Cena for the RAW title.

In order for this to work the brands would have to be seen as separate. I kinda look at it from the old WCW vs WWF days perspective. Imagine if there was a PPV where Austin would have had a shot at the WCW Title against say Goldberg. Then say Austin wins, he's now on Nitro every week and the WWF gets to say one of our guys is on WCW's TV and he's kicking all their asses. That would make the WWF seem like the dominant group. Until of course Austin lost, and then that guy in WCW would seem like a hero because he finally got the title back for his comapny.

Only problem I can see is that now say SD would have lost one of their top guys. So, perhaps he could appear on SD still, but wouldn't be allowed to defend the RAW title, but obviously he would walk aorund with it, and it would be recognized.