WWE should "stack RAW" with it's highest drawing wrestlers
 

WWE should "stack RAW" with it's highest drawing wrestlers

Here's what the WWE should do in my opinion.

1) Rank every single wrestler, top to bottom, based on how much they draw on average per viewership, quarterly segments, etc.

2) Put the first half of that list on RAW (I.e. the biggest draws), and the second half of that list on Smackdown.

What this achieves:

1) RAW is now a stacked show in terms of potential for interest, and now has an (outside) shot of bringing in new viewers and/or rekindling serious interest.

2) Smackdown is now forced to re-invent itself by taking currently existing characters, and making them interesting or changing their gimmick. This could be the place where see our "Terra Ryzing's" morph into our future HHH's.


-WWE goes back to its traditional roster split (I'd do it after Mania).
-every 18 months, a draft takes place just like it did a few years ago.
-RAW goes back to 2 hours. Smackdown remains a 2 hour show.
-John Cena turns heel at Wrestlemania.

I'm all for the roster split coming back. It would force a little order into the mess they have going right now as far as booking and the identity of the titles.

You lost me here however...

-RAW as a 3 hour show seems to be too long and drawn out (if the ratings are of any indication).

-John Cena going heel is pretty much the only thing in the WWE right now that could create enough shock to piqué some substantial interest.

Both of these issues can be solved by better booking and doing either of these things would basically be throwing money away.

I can agree with the first part of your statement. Regarding the Cena heel turn however, I think it could be similar to Hogan/WCW/nWo.

If WCW could turn the biggest name in wrestling history into a heel (successfully), then I can't see why the WWE can't do that with Cena.

By turning Cena, it forces the WWE to push and create new "franchise faces."

I have much less faith in WWE's bookers than WCW's in '96. They should create new franchise faces regardless. They're on their way with Ryback. If they turn Cena and he ends up as the same old generic pussy heel that they always do when someone turns heel, they'd be losing a shitload of money.

As long as Cena is face however, he'll always be the #1 good guy.

We saw what happened this past year with CM Punk (when Punk was face). Even as world champ, he took a definitive backseat to Cena. Ryback would most likely be in that same boat.

Well they just weren't able to get Punk over to the same level as Cena. It came down to booking (and maybe the fact that Punk just isn't the type of guy who can be a "franchise player".) They need to get some guys to that level first and then they can think about a Cena turn.

THANK YOU! This is why I've been against a Cena heel turn. You'd need to have a franchise level face. People already cheer Punk and boo Cena. All they'd be doing is losing merchandise money.

If they turn him heel, he should return from a hiatus with the new "ATTITUDE". The hiatus would serve purpose to completely repackage him, complete with marketability for "heel cena" merch. It could have potential.

I see where both WWF and Heyman come from. Cena will always be #1 Face..... but while he is there, no one else can really be "that guy". You take a risk by turning him heel, which could allow for a new "face" to take said spot. The Hogan turn is slightly reminiscent of that, and on paper it could work.

Just thinking with the mixed reactions Cena gets, would people simply switch sides? The kids/moms booing him while tweeners cheer? I think ratings would soar with a Cena heel turn, but they would definitely need some planning to get it to stick.

Kinda like Punk and his face push.....

His whole respect thing started when he laid out Rock. I get why it was done and I get the gimmick of the angle....... but he was cheered up until that point. He just had to turn his back on the fans and build on it. Now people love to hate him.

I think Cena, whether face or heel, will still be a "top guy".

There's not much variation on who appears on RAW each week in the first place, all you'd really be doing is putting all the Superstars jobbers on Smackdown.

Top Notch Heel Cena still sells merchandise.

HHH has never had an issue making money as a dominant Heel. Let Cena use that formula.

<font color=goldenrod>Even if they did something like this, I highly doubt they'd officially enforce the brand split. At this point, the only reason it even exists is to run 2 different sets of house shows every weekend and fans have an idea of who they'll see competing. Putting all of the big names on one show could kill SmackDown house show attendance.

Looking at WWE.com, Raw's roster is still way more stacked than SmackDown's even before making any other changes:

Raw - Cena, Punk, Ryback, Team Hell No, The Shield, Miz, Kofi, Santino, R-Truth, Brodus
SD - Orton, Sheamus, Big Show, Del Rio, Rhodes Scholars, Christian, Cesaro, Prime Time Players</font>

The demographic was much different when HHH was a dominant heel. And even then, HHH also had top tier faces on the roster with him.

Isn't Ryback on the Smackdown roster technically?

Kinda hard for Cena to pull off wearing "badass shirts" when he's been wearing rainbow inspirational poster shirts for the past 7 years.

<font color=goldenrod>Nope, they switched him over to Raw.</font>

I guess there's really no way to tell who's where anymore without looking it up. I just remember he started on Smackdown and I don't remember any reference to him being "traded" to Raw or anything. This roster split really is horrible. lol

Again.

Hogan. WCW. 1996.

Hogan was a far bigger face and legend than Cena was, and like Cena, had been a face for numerous years.

If Hogan could make the turn, then so can Cena.

I don't think they will judge whether or not to keep Raw 3 hours until they see more ratings after Monday Night Football closes up shop.

<font color=goldenrod>Yeah, Daniel Bryan was on the SmackDown roster for some time too and only got moved to the Raw roster recently. Ditto for Brodus Clay, who went from Raw to SmackDown (when he was "banned" from Raw), and is now listed as a part of Raw again.

They don't do a draft anymore because there's no reason to. I think they just update the roster page whenever there's a change to house show lineups.</font>

Different time period. Different demographic. And when Hogan turned there were faces that were already huge. They didn't turn him and then try to get someone to "fill his spot". There were already guys at that level.

And even if he did make money still, there's no way he makes more money for the company as a heel without some genius booking. For Hogan it was the NWO. Cena's heel turn would cause about a month of interest based on the shock and then you'd have to rely on these writers to keep him hot.

I doubt that's changing a thing.

I dont even understand what the point of this is.

Agreed. Did Hogan wearing Yellow and red somehow prevent a heel turn? NO.

In fact it helped drive home the turn. Seeing Hogan in black blew my fucking mind.

Take Cena out of Jorts and silly outfits with a hat, and you have something different to contrast his former face self.

Bullshit.

WCW was the dumps. Sting was a "star" but was hardly a franchise face. Flair was old. WCW was dying.

They turned Hogan and made Sting a Legend. Think about that. In the Months before the NWO was formed Sting and Luger were in the tag division. 6 Months later sting was the hottest commodity in wrestling and was the face of the company. He was the driving force behind the biggest boon in wrestling history.

Not to mention Heel Hogan helped get Luger over the hump as a mega face as well. He was inconsistent for years, but when he was chasing Hogan and beat him, it was the first time he was accepted as the man. Then they booked it all away and WCW went downhill.

Also, hate the "DIFFERENT TIME BLAH BLAH"

Wrestling is cyclical. Same Shit every few years and it works. Turning Cena Heel will make money like turning Hogan Heel made money and turning Macho made money and turning Andre made money and....

... What?

Yeah. Fuck writing ability. Turn heel, profit!

YEah, it would never work. The guy has been dumped on by half the audience for years, and is constantly put in his place by bigger names.

No way they could ever swing that into a properly written heel turn.

Did I stutter?

That half that cheers him also spends way more money on him than the half that boos him would if he turned heel.

Obviously that could change. Not impossible. But It would require some great booking and it would take time.

And again, it's not something you should do without a guy or two on that level who can replace the Cena merch that all the little kids get mommy and daddy to buy them...

And Sting was a "franchise face" in WCW. Come on now.

Sting didn't actually wrestle for over a year and they made a shitload of money.

No he wasnt. He wasnt even the top face, and it was during WCWs crap days. He wasnt drawing, he had little to no crossover appeal, and you are jsut being selective.

Sting in 1995/early 1996 was a bigger name in wrestling but not a "Franchise Face". He was on the level with a guy like Orton. Is Orton a franchise face?

You are being selective.

Thjey can keep him face and make that money of of "Half the Audience" that dwindles every week, or they could turn him heel and potentially shift the trajectory of the company. The Allure of a Cena Heel turn isnt Merchandise sales, it is ratings and buyrates.

The WWE doesnt make its nut at the Gimmick table.