Well the cat’s out of the bag!
The announcement came across early this morning that changes are on the near horizon in WWE. SmackDown, widely considered to be nothing more than the “other” show in WWE, is getting a major overhaul.
On Tuesday, July 19, SmackDown will be moving from its Thursday time slot and will now be a live show. Obviously this is just part of the equation.
SmackDown will also be sporting what is being called a “distinct roster.”
Ladies and gentleman, the brand split is upon us again!
Sometime between now and that date, possibly the Raw before or even that first SmackDown on the 19th, we will have our first draft in over five years – and the most significant since the initial draft of the first brand extension in 2002. From that point on, Raw and SmackDown will be competing shows with separate rosters.
For the first time in years, the WWE is sporting a VERY deep roster. With a large influx in young talent thanks to the development of the developmental NXT brand, several new stars are seeing time on screen. It’s this deep roster that shows a brand split is a great decision.
WWE quickly went to each show having its own Pay-Per-View show after the initial brand split. With how deep the roster is now, this is the route the PPV schedule needs to go now. It’s one thing to develop new talent and new rivalries on the weekly show, but it is an entirely different element when these rivalries are put on the big stage. Young talent needs this opportunity in order to properly develop into the new crop of stars in WWE.
Not only is it taking advantage of a deep roster, but it is also taking advantage of the WWE approval rating being the highest it has been in years. We all know that politics has always played a key role in several backstage decisions and this is no different.
Fans have more confidence in the product now than they have in years. It makes sense to take advantage of this in making a big change in the product like this. If this decision was made a few years ago when Ryback and Sheamus were headlining major shows, it probably would not have gone over nearly as well.
The announcement of the split alone has generated several questions to be answered – will there be two champions? Who will run each show? When is the draft?
Get ready folks – the next couple of months will prepare us for the biggest change in WWE in the last 15 years!
THE RUMORED BRAND SPLIT IS FINALLY HERE! ARE YOU EXCITED FOR IT? DO YOU THINK IT WILL WORK? IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME TO MAKE THE CHANGE? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @FROM_THETOPROPE AND LET US KNOW!
