WWE News: Update On Why WWE Decided To Go With The Brand Split, Touring Also Changing?
When WWE decided to split the brands yet again, it was met with a lot of love but along with some criticism. It made sense to see hate, as the split was terrible all around toward the end of it years back. However, it did serve a good purpose for years and gave us a reason to watch both shows. Overall, the move was smart to make and WWE will surely bring in higher ratings at least for WWE SmackDown due to it.
According to The Wrestling Observer, the plan to do the brand split was certainly for that very reason… ratings. The hope is that, by making SmackDown LIVE each week, they will be able to bring in more viewers. The company already tapes the show on Tuesday, which allows them to keep the same production schedule in place, but the company will simply make the show live rather than taped, which is a simple addition.
There is more cost in making the show live, which may result in USA Network paying a bit more into WWE to help with it, especially if they know they will make more money long-term from the move. Regardless, WWE knows the move is a big, but if the result in the end is that the plan was worth it, then the money put into the live production will have made sense. The cool part is that this also changes up touring a bit as well.
The thought also is that going live weekly will make people want to see the show as it runs rather than watch it on DVR, similar to what happens with RAW usually. It makes total sense for the company to want this, as live numbers mean more than DVR numbers.
The Observer also claims that the final decision for the brand split and live SmackDown was made about two weeks ago, after WWE officials met with their television partners. The brand split has been rumored for months now. However, the live SmackDown was not yet known. Some thought WWE might go with it, but it was not official whereas the brand split seemed to be pretty concrete as of January of this year.
Apparently touring for WWE RAW’s crew will be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday along with the obvious live program on Monday. Meanwhile WWE SmackDown will be working just Saturday and Sunday, and of course the live program on Tuesday. There is a thought that WWE will add another day, possibly Monday like they have done in the past, but some speculate they could simply add a Thursday show instead.
SmackDown touring has always been lighter than RAW’s, so that looks to be continuing. This could be why we’ll see some veterans like John Cena end up on SmackDown, as the plan for Cena is to be the top babyface there. The thought is that he might want to do more outside projects, and the lighter schedule will allow him to work with WWE a lot while still having room to do the projects he wants to do.
Don’t be surprised if the likes of Chris Jericho also end up on SmackDown for the exact same reasons, as well as others WWE feels will be used in projects outside the WWE. SmackDown is supposedly going to be given more new stars than older and/or established names, but they do need some top names. The biggest is rumored to be John Cena, but plans could change.
Fans are seemingly excited to see where WWE goes with the entire brand split and live show idea. If things go well, this will be a huge mark for WWE history that we will remember as a good moment for the company as a whole. If it goes badly, then it will be remembered still, this time for completely different reasons than before. No pressure, right?
[Image via WWE]
