The entire WWE Universe is in a tizzy citing the upcoming brand split. Uninterrupted from March 2002 through to mid-2011, the brand split was originally created to give both the brands, Raw and SmackDown their separate identities and eventually appeal to a different category of audience to each show.
The idea was a huge success initially but gradually the effect faded off as SmackDown's top performers were transferred to Monday Night Raw one-by-one.
In a bid to revive their product in the wake of WWE's ratings close to touching historical lows this year, the World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. have decided to bring the brand split back, hoping it will do the trick for the popular professional wrestling company.
Wrestling fans can only hope that they've learned from their past mistakes and will make sure that the split is not just a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
Former professional wrestler, Peter Senerchia a.k.a. Tazz claimed that he predicted the brand split a few months back on his show. Noting that the WWE is actually late on the brand split, he confirmed that it does work though.
Tazz speculated that the company will do NXT from 8pm-9pm on the USA Network, which is an apt prelude to Raw.
According to the former professional wrestler, the 3-hour show takes its toll on the announcers and creative. Moreover, the show is too long for wrestling fans to watch, PW Mania reported.
While it remains to be seen whether the move yields the expected results, here are 5 predictions for the WWE's big leap forward.
Shane and Stephanie McMahon Will Each Oversee A Brand
It's no secret, WWE has overexposed the McMahon family giving them too much airtime in the past, and however things seem to have changed since WrestleMania.
The WWE's authority (led by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon) is no longer dragging the show and its huge fan base in the dumps. In fact, The Authority has kind of disappeared from the screens. Another possible reason behind this could be that they are working towards a solid Stephanie vs. Shane clash.
SmackDown Will Regain Its Early-2000's Fame
SmackDown was simply awesome during the early-to-mid 2000's. This was the time when WWE moved majority of its top in-ring superstars on to the blue show. Some of the most dominant in-ring performers including Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Edge were hitting it big, while Raw, on the other hand flopped.
The bottom line is that SmackDown needs to return to its early-2000's glory.
Although SmackDown (like Raw) has considerably improved after WrestleMania, the USA Network are not quite pleased with the ratings as the it still carries a reputation as a "Raw Lite" show and not an actual alternative.
If WWE wants to change this, they need to give the WWE Universe more reasons to watch SmackDown.
NXT Will Not Be Invaded
It's imperative for the WWE to broaden its talent pool if it plans to split the roster over SmackDown and Raw.
The lack of wrestlers is evident and it often looks like there aren't enough stories to complete an episode of Raw without the show losing its push. This pressure will only increase as the brand split closes in. This has stirred conversation among fans that WWE will turn to NXT in order to fill these gaps. If rumors turned to be true, this might strip WWE's school system of its top in-ring performers and fill out that roster with new recruits from the Performance Centre.
Shinsuke Nakamura Will Be Drafted
Despite been at the Performance Centre for just a few months, it won't be surprising if "The King of Strong Style," Shinsuke Nakamura makes the jump.
With a near perfect Dallas debut followed with another impressive showing against Austin Aries at "Takeover: The End," Nakamura is clearly ready to move up.
What's even more remarkable is that he is capable of working short WWE-style TV matches without putting his trademark style in jeopardy, WhatCulture reported.
John Cena Will Headline SmackDown, Roman Reigns Will Spearhead Raw
Although the crowd's reaction to Reigns' entrance music might not be the most encouraging one, WWE is well aware of him being their top guy going forward.
In fact, rumors hint that WWE will continue to build their shows centering on the former "Shield" member. One thing is dead cert, Reigns is not going anywhere any time soon.
Despite all his shortcomings, Cena has at least two more main event years left in him.
There's no other WWE superstar better than him to headline the tainted SmackDown brand at the moment, especially if the company opts to follow the same pattern as 2002 by showing off their top-notch in-ring performers on Tuesday nights.
