Dear WWE Creative,
Since the re-introduction of WWE’s brand extension, storylines have seemingly geared towards an idea that RAW and SmackDown LIVE were of equal value. While the three-hour Monday Night program has always been considered the WWE’s flagship show, the move to make the Blue brand a live show as well was supposed to signify that there was no A or B show, and that both SD LIVE and RAW were equally entertaining. Past brand extension era, circa 2002 to 2011, seemed to feature SmackDown as a comedic downgrade to the dominant RAW, and in many ways the new brand split worked hard to prove SD LIVE as a viable sports entertainment competitor to the Monday Night monster.
Having said that, this letter isn’t something that is meant to grade each program, or even reveal one that is better than the other. When you look at Monday Night RAW’s roster versus SmackDown LIVE, both are comparable, and in many ways SD LIVE knocks it well out of the park most weeks, when RAW is considered a snoozefest.
However, while the objective should be to elevate each show equally, I can’t help but think WWE officials favor the Red brand. After all, they annihilated Team Blue during the Survivor Series in terms of wins and losses, and even the single win SmackDown LIVE did score (albeit, during the pre-show), has been swept under the rug. Moreover, the biggest way creative is failing SmackDown LIVE is around how it’s top-tier gold, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, is being positioned. Not only within each Blue brand show, but moreover, within any dual-branded pay-per-view (PPV).
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These two have unfinished business and they’re handling it here tonight at #WWECalgary
Since May of this year, the WWE decided to give fans “two for the price of one”, by having both brands participate in PPVs, together. Since then, an SD LIVE WWE title match has failed to close the show. In fact, even when the Universal Championship was not prevalent at a PPV, thanks to a part-time champion in Brock Lesnar, the WWE title still wasn’t the PPV’s main event. WWE Backlash’s closing match was an epic fail between Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe; Money in the Bank had the MITB men’s match close; Extreme Rules elevated the Intercontinental Championship by having it main event the PPV; and Crown Jewel gave the tag team match against Undertaker, Kane, HHH, and Shawn Michaels a main event nod.
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@bryanldanielson has SNAPPED on #SDLive and possibly injured @ajstylesp1!
What does this tell me as a fan? That the WWE Championship is viewed along the lines of a Television title, and it seems as if WWE Officials and Creative are making the same mistakes that were made during the 2002-2011 brand extension, when the World Heavyweight Championship was attainable for upper-mid card talent trying to navigate into the main event scene and be considered for the position of top guy.
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Was @mikethemiz right all along about the “NEW” @bryanldanielson? #SDLive
The WWE Championship is losing relevance and prestige, and to gain this back, the match should close the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs PPV. Not just for the title itself, but for SmackDown LIVE, it’s talented roster, and the show’s fans.
Signed,
Me.
