TPWW Forums - View Single Post - DISCUSSION - Could a 2.5 hour show work for RAW/Smackdown? (roster re-unification)

**The CyNick** · 01-23-2005, 09:48 PM

The main problem with bringing the rosters back together is that you'll run out fresh matches in about 4 months, and then they'll be dead.

The way things are set up right now, when the brands run out of fresh matches, they can switch some guys and create a bunch of new matches for the next year. You kill the extension, and you kill off new matches.

Of course then you'd also have the problem of the top guys being HHH, HBK, Taker and Angle. Then they'd play the game of putting each over, and switching heel and face in order to stay on top for the next 5 years. Few, if any young guys would be able break through that glass cieling. Watch WCW to see how this is done.

There's no guarantee that ending the split would increase business in any way. Say they run two shows per night right now, and they do 3,000for each show. In order to make ending the split worth it you have do over 5,000 per night. I just dont see that happening. The thing that usually drives major increases like that is the creation of new stars, and clearly bringing the rosters back together wouldn't do that.

They would also have to cut back on PPVs. The reason is that as it is now, they can promote 2 shows in a month because you've got one show with these guys, and another show with other guys. In theory, people would have a reason to watch both shows, just like they had a reason to watch one WWE PPV and one WCW PPV back in the late 90s and 2000. If you have only one roster, I dont think you can promote one show healdined by HHH vs Randy Orton, and then 2 weeks later go to HHH vs Kurt Angle (with both shows having basically the same undercard) and expect people to pay for both. So gaain, unless a new star is created, and there is another boom, there's no reason to think it would be good for business.

Perfect example was in June of this year. I can recall the exact numbers, but the combined buys for the RAW and SD PPVs that month were close to 500,000. There's no way a single show, even with the combined rosters would do that number, unless it was a Mania or Royal Rumble.

Heyman, you always talk about how SD guys aren't over, or whatever, again thats just your bias, its not really based on any facts. SD generally does better TV numbers than RAW, so even though YOU may feel that RAW has created "better" stars, the numbers dont back it up. The fact of the matter is that RAW hasn't really created ANY news stars who can draw. SD has at least made JBL an equally effective main event draw as what HHH is now, and they have Eddie, although they refuse to use him to his potential.

Making the shows longer is uselss, I dont understand your point with that one. When WCW went from 2 to 3 hours they struggled to fill the show. WWE as it is now, cant make 2 two hour shows that are entertaining, so why add more time?

01-23-2005, 09:48 PM	#25
The CyNick Make the IWC Great Again Posts: 8,922	The main problem with bringing the rosters back together is that you'll run out fresh matches in about 4 months, and then they'll be dead. The way things are set up right now, when the brands run out of fresh matches, they can switch some guys and create a bunch of new matches for the next year. You kill the extension, and you kill off new matches. Of course then you'd also have the problem of the top guys being HHH, HBK, Taker and Angle. Then they'd play the game of putting each over, and switching heel and face in order to stay on top for the next 5 years. Few, if any young guys would be able break through that glass cieling. Watch WCW to see how this is done. There's no guarantee that ending the split would increase business in any way. Say they run two shows per night right now, and they do 3,000for each show. In order to make ending the split worth it you have do over 5,000 per night. I just dont see that happening. The thing that usually drives major increases like that is the creation of new stars, and clearly bringing the rosters back together wouldn't do that. They would also have to cut back on PPVs. The reason is that as it is now, they can promote 2 shows in a month because you've got one show with these guys, and another show with other guys. In theory, people would have a reason to watch both shows, just like they had a reason to watch one WWE PPV and one WCW PPV back in the late 90s and 2000. If you have only one roster, I dont think you can promote one show healdined by HHH vs Randy Orton, and then 2 weeks later go to HHH vs Kurt Angle (with both shows having basically the same undercard) and expect people to pay for both. So gaain, unless a new star is created, and there is another boom, there's no reason to think it would be good for business. Perfect example was in June of this year. I can recall the exact numbers, but the combined buys for the RAW and SD PPVs that month were close to 500,000. There's no way a single show, even with the combined rosters would do that number, unless it was a Mania or Royal Rumble. Heyman, you always talk about how SD guys aren't over, or whatever, again thats just your bias, its not really based on any facts. SD generally does better TV numbers than RAW, so even though YOU may feel that RAW has created "better" stars, the numbers dont back it up. The fact of the matter is that RAW hasn't really created ANY news stars who can draw. SD has at least made JBL an equally effective main event draw as what HHH is now, and they have Eddie, although they refuse to use him to his potential. Making the shows longer is uselss, I dont understand your point with that one. When WCW went from 2 to 3 hours they struggled to fill the show. WWE as it is now, cant make 2 two hour shows that are entertaining, so why add more time?