WWE: Brand Extension Returns

[M.C.G. 31]

Jerry Lawler reportedly told someone at a convention that there will be two PPVs every month with the exception of the big four (RR, WM, SS, SS).

 

[Le Barron de HF]

...are you serious smh.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

...are you serious smh.

I don't have a problem with it. The brands are split up.

 

[RockLobster]

I don't have a problem with it. The brands are split up.

And the Network makes it a lot easier for people to watch both PPV's (because they won't be spending $50 a pop on them)

 

[M.C.G. 31]

More fun mock rosters cause I'm bored

RAW | SMACKDOWN
Aiden English|AJ Styles
Alberto Del Rio|Apollo Crews
Alicia Fox|Blake
Austin Aries|Braun Strowman
Baron Corbin|Bray Wyatt
Bayley|Bubba Ray Dudley
Becky Lynch|Buddy Murphy
Big E|Chad Gable
Big Show|Chris Jericho
Bo Dallas|D-Von Dudley
Cesaro|Epico
Charlotte|Erick Rowan
Colin Cassady|Fandango
Curtis Axel|Finn Balor
Dana Brooke|Jack Swagger
Darren Young|Jason Jordan
Dean Ambrose|Jey Uso
Emma|Jimmy Uso
Enzo Amore|John Cena
Eva Marie|Karl Anderson
Goldust|Luke Gallows
Heath Slater|Luke Harper
Kalisto|Maryse
Kane|Mojo Rawleye
Kevin Owens|Neville
Kofi Kingston|Primo
Konnor|Randy Orton
Lana|Sami Zayn
Mark Henry|Shinsuke Nakamura
Naomi|Stephanie McMahon
Natalya|The Miz
Nikki Bella|Tyler Breeze
Paige|Zack Ryder
Roman Reigns|
R-Truth|
Rusev|
Samoa Joe|
Sasha Banks|
Seth Rollins|
Shane McMahon|
Sheamus|
Simon Gotch|
Sin Cara|
Summer Rae|
Titus O'Neil|
Viktor|
Xavier Woods|

And the Network makes it a lot easier for people to watch both PPV's (because they won't be spending $50 a pop on them)

Exactly. It leads me to believe that the women will stick to one show, though, like Raw, so they can fill television time and PPV time. The women can probably take 2 matches on a single PPV card with a brand split.

 

[Fa Ci La]

The main (only?) issue with that is that it'd mean that smackdown house shows have no females on it, which I'm guessing they won't have happen.

I guess they could try to have a rotating group of NXT female wrestlers on it, if the NXT schedule allows it.

 

[saintflannel]

I don't have a problem with it. The brands are split up.

I think it's a good indication that there will be a hard split. It's exciting news. Also means twice as many donair pizzas for me.

 

[Sacha Baron Corbin]

The main (only?) issue with that is that it'd mean that smackdown house shows have no females on it, which I'm guessing they won't have happen.

I guess they could try to have a rotating group of NXT female wrestlers on it, if the NXT schedule allows it.

NXT wrestlers work WWE house shows every now and then don't they? I went to a house show in Feburary before Corbin got called up and he worked a match with Fandango so I think having the NXT women working Smackdown shows would be pretty cool

 

[KaseMeOutside]

so wwe's solution to their already overstretched product, is to add another ppv every month? count me out of thinking it's a good idea.

 

[Le Barron de HF]

so wwe's solution to their already overstretched product, is to add another ppv every month? count me out of thinking it's a good idea.

That's how I see it too. Unless they plan on going the NXT approach (2 hour long PPVs instead of the current 3 hours), I think it's a bad idea. Would have preferred 1 PPV a month but the brands rotate like they used to do back when they had the original brand split.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

so wwe's solution to their already overstretched product, is to add another ppv every month? count me out of thinking it's a good idea.

It was overstretched because both programs were geared towards the same group of people. A split roster only one show means two or three hours a week seeing a group of talent instead of five hours. A PPV for each brand is fine since it's once a month each and it's on the Network so 10 bucks for it works...as long as they keep them split. Once they start the crossover nonsense, it'll be time to scrap that two PPV per month stuff.

 

[S A W F T*]

20 PPVs a year with possibly Network specials mixed in? Holy crap...

 

[M.C.G. 31]

Meltzer says this would start in September but it's not confirmed yet.

More of a chance Canada can get a PPV a year.

 

[saintflannel]

20 PPVs a year with possibly Network specials mixed in? Holy crap...

Why not? They don't have to worry about PPV buyrates or DVRs. They don't even have to worry about people watching particular 'special events'; as long as more people subscribe. I think it's great.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

More live content for the Network is a good thing for the company.

 

[S A W F T*]

Why not? They don't have to worry about PPV buyrates or DVRs. They don't even have to worry about people watching particular 'special events'; as long as more people subscribe. I think it's great.

Maybe I'm just losing interest again... but even with different brands you run the risk of over exposure to the product as a whole.

 

[Kimi]

The source for this is a guy who's friend met Lawler at a comic convertion the weekend.

But Lawler has said things in the past that came true, like Smackdown going live on Tuesday, but I've no idea on his actual record of things.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

More live content for the Network is a good thing for the company.

Maybe...there is a bit of a cost factor to take into consideration. An extra eight live shows to put on the Network will likely need them to see some uptick in subscribers to justify that cost. PPV specials tend to have a healthy cost associated with them since it won't be like their random live specials that are just Network only and have less of a stage cost with them.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Maybe...there is a bit of a cost factor to take into consideration. An extra eight live shows to put on the Network will likely need them to see some uptick in subscribers to justify that cost. PPV specials tend to have a healthy cost associated with them since it won't be like their random live specials that are just Network only and have less of a stage cost with them.

Production cost will indeed go up. However, travel cost will likely go down or be about the same. Not EVERY ONE would have to come to ALL PPVs + all TVs. You can keep two separate travel schedules. It might save them some money (Instead of everyone to RAW, everyone to SD, everyone to every PPVs, two houseshow rosters, you have two rosters that go to 1 TV, 1 PPV a month and their own houseshows). You save travel to one televised show each week. Heck, it enables you to run two more houseshows per week (Monday with the SD crew, Tuesday with the RAW crew) or to rest your performers more and avoid more injuries.

As for the rise in production cost, it is a consideration, but the more interesting content on the Network, the more subscribers you will get. It won't pay off immediately, but well-done, it will in the future. It is a smart gamble... if they can give us a quality product (and that, I very much doubt).

 

[GarbageGoal]

The key is quality. And they're struggling with that already.

I almost fell out of my chair when Meltzer reported the extra PPV thing.

 

[M.C.G. 31]

WWE is reportedly reaching out to former talents to come back to the company to fill up rosters for the brand split.

I can think of them maybe being interested in Carlito to help The Shining Stars. John Morrison, but he's having success in LU, EC III, Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy has expressed interest in retiring at Wrestlemania and knowing his time is coming to a close but he's had issues in the past, Angle will never be cleared for full-time action by WWE, and they just recently released Sandow (looking at acting), Barrett (tweeted that Wade Barrett was dead and is taking a break from wrestling), Cody Rhodes (I don't see him going back anytime soon at all). I can see MVP maybe coming back for a run as well.

The brand extension may have also given Ryback some unintentional negotiating power when it comes to a new contract.

 

[BonMorrison]

Shelton Benjamin plz.

 

[Sheppy]

Ahem, Cody Rhodes...

 

[GKJ]

We definitely do not need more PPV's. They do run house shows on Sundays, so I don't think the costs would be as great as people think. If they feel the need, they should leave Royal Rumble, WM, MITB, Summerslam, and Survivor Series alone. So it would be an extra PPV in February, April (WM is really a March PPV even though it's sometimes in April), May, July, September, October, and December, actually that's still too much. They can't even prove they can put on good shows with the ones they already have.

 

[Cor]

Separate Shows with Separate PPV's is how it should be (With the exception of WM, SS, RR, SS, and possibly MITB).

So far, so good WWE