Heat and Water

As I was beginning my musings on the upcoming TLC pay per view blog, I took a stand on my soap box and began a rant regarding the diluted programming of today's WWE and yester-years WWF programming. What was successful back then that could be used in today's era?

Understandably, if it isn't broken, don't fix it. But considering that there is so much advertising and marketing for the WWE right now, and with so many different programs that saturate our televisions at home, who can honestly keep track? WWE RAW; Smackdown; Main Event; Superstars; WWE NXT; AM RAW; and Total Divas, along with alternative programming overseas, such as Bottom Line, Afterburn, Vintage Collection, Experience, This Week in WWE, and Free For All. A total of thirteen programs, and where Germany and Austria show nine out of these thirteen! This total infiltration of WWE/TV is unnecessary and superficial, and not only does it pollute the airwaves, I would be hard pressed to think that this is also watering down what ratings RAW and Smackdown should be getting.

Case in point; from what I remember, about the time of the brand split, there was RAW, and Smackdown as your major shows. Then ECW/WWE (which was a poor rendition of what it should have been), Heat and Velocity. I'm not going to work with ECW as it was a rebirth disgrace that was beaten into the ground as a minor "C" show, but I will focus on Heat and Velocity for this blog.

A Velocity Moment Brought to you by Billy Gunn
and Mark Jindrak (07/17/2004)

At the point in time with a brand split, Heat and Velocity worked in tandem with their major counterparts, and allowed the lower mid-card some viable TV time, and even allowed new stars to come up from the rankings of OVW and FCW to showcase talent on TV. It was a minor pollution, and it kept the roster relevant. Heat and Velocity also allowed a handful of Cruiserweights to develop, even having a Velocity Cruiserweight Championship battle royal at one point in October 2005.

A battle royal of cruiserweights. I don't think there are even enough cruiserweights in the WWE to have enough for a battle royal.

The Olympic Gold Medalist makes his WWF Debut
on WWF Heat!

With the inception of the WWE Network, I can see the use of all this programming (plus tons more) allowed on a channel that displays 24/7 WWE wrestling. However, there has been rumor of the WWE network to be a premium channel. For those who aren't vastly rich or do not want to fork out a monthly fee for the service of the WWE Network, regular WWE TV should be limited to the two "A" shows within the week, a "C" show allowing nothing above mid card, and a recap of the week.

WWE Monday Night RAW.
WWE Friday Night Smackdown.
WWE Sunday Night NXT.
And Saturday Morning Slam.

Grand Master Sexay and Steve Blackman working together
on Heat. Mid-card talent used the right way on the
right show.

Whatever is left over should be designated to the WWE Network. Saturate that channel with all of the overflow for the hardcore and the nostalgic. And keep national TV simple. As there isn't a brand split any longer, and after Sunday's TLC pay per view, the WWE Champion can float over both shows, and be a target across the board. The Intercontinental title can stay specifically to RAW and be a top tier title defended solely on RAW, and the same idea goes for the US Championship for Smackdown. NXT should be influenced strictly by the rookies, lower mid-card, and cruiserweights, and can be the "kick-off" before a pay per view; and Saturday Morning Slam can have a continuation of NXT talent and a week's recap over one hour for those who missed all week (because the IWC doesn't have recaps and dirtsheets), or need a summary on a Saturday Morning.

This way, things stay simple, and WWE Creative could churn out much better storylines and programming on free TV. Just a thought, McMahon. I want to see the WWE product succeed just as much as the next fan, and this is why I take a few hours of my time, research, and write such compelling information with a non-profit stance. I bet anything TNA could take this same approach, SEPARATE THEMSELVES FROM THE NORM, and be a successful contender. But I don't see that happening. Not with the current management. Talent is there, mindset isn't.

Either way, this is my short rant before Sunday rears its head and presents to us a rushed and shameful product. But you'll get to hear that on Saturday. Take care, Spectators, and I will see you soon!

A Golden Dilemma

Too many or not enough?

This is an imposed question on many a fan in the WWE right now, with several titles running rampant on both RAW and Smackdown. Of course, with both shows seemingly melding together, the Internet Wrestling Community is split down the middle. Some say keep the titles the way they are, some say unify the titles and create more prestige within the company and turn up the competition.

Let's take a look at what is currently active in the WWE:

WWE Championship: RAW's flagship title, currently held by the Rock
World Heavyweight Championship: Smackdown's flagship title, currently held by Alberto Del Rio
Intercontinental Championship: RAW's secondary, currently held by Wade Barrett
United States Championship: Smackdown's secondary, currently held by Antonio Cesaro
Diva's Championship: Unified with the Women's Championship and contested on both brands, currently held by Kaitlyn
WWE Tag Team Championship: Unified with the World Tag Team Championships and contested on both brands, currently held by Team Hell No!

The Cruiserweight division is suffering
just as much as the Diva's division
without a title

Pretty simple set up here, with two titles on each brand, along with two more allowed to be contested on both brands. Give or take, a "maximum" of four championships can be contested on each show. Fair enough. But I have heard time and time again to unify the remaining titles and contest every one on both shows. I don't think this is necessarily a great idea, considering the vast amount of superstars, and the line to wait to get to any particular title. I do believe that the chase for the titles is completely wrong, but I am not creative in the sense to tell which title should be contested against what superstar.

Keep in mind that at one point in time, the WWE had twelve titles running about, during the WWE/WCW Invasion angle, double the amount of titles there are in the WWE right now. On top of what is still standing, you had the European Championship, the Hardcore Championship, the Cruiserweight, Light Heavyweight, and World Tag Team Championships. It was a ridiculous amount, and the WWE made it work. The WWE should take a piece out of TNA's cake, as they have a main, a secondary, a cruiserweight title, a women's single and tag championship. Women's tag championship really isn't necessary, but maintain the major and minor titles, bring some legitimacy to the up-and-coming cruiserweights, and the women's belt. I would even consider bringing back the Hardcore Championship in time for Extreme Rules, because with Linda McMahon not running for the Connecticut Senate seat, why protect the image any longer?

I don't believe that the titles be unified. I say, add more titles to give more of a variety in the WWE to make things more interesting! My idea would be as follows:

WWE Championship: Keep it on RAW as major
World Heavyweight Championship: Keep it on Smackdown as major
Intercontinental Championship: Put it on Smackdown as minor to build prestige in Smackdown
United States Championship: Put it on RAW as minor to build prestige on RAW
Cruiserweight Championship: Contest it on both shows, with the weight limit at 220 pounds
NXT Championship: Treat it as the "legitimate" Television championship and allow up and coming wrestlers on TV to fight for it
Hardcore Championship: Hardcore only
Diva's Championship: Contest it on both shows
WWE Tag Team Championship: Contest it on both shows

The NXT Championship; the stepping stone into the WWE

This set up would work wonders for WWE Creative, as it can keep every part of the roster busy and keep ideas flowing. There are two titles specific for each brand, which will keep at least eight to ten superstars occupied; all of the WWE Cruiserweights will be building themselves up... look at how Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, and Billy Kidman became famous; the NXT Championship will ultimately allow break-out developmental talent on television and build their own success into the minor title picture; and the Hardcore championship will bring out the tough and ruthless. Granted, I doubt the Hardcore Championship will ever be brought back to a WWE ring again, based on the PG environment and the WWE Disclaimer of "Don't Try This at Home", but it would be nice to see contested once in a blue moon.

The Monday Night Wars; WWE should take a look back
and consider what worked and what didn't in terms
of championship caliber superstars

If Triple H was thinking outside the box to work on ratings, as I am sure Vince McMahon and his team have done time and time again, he would go back and look at what gave the WWE the edge in the 8.1 Nielsen ratings back in April 1999. The competition of WCW and ECW has been gone for some time, but examine and run through the compelling elements that maintained such a drastic climb. The WWE kept ratings in the 6's and 7's for over a year. What they did back then was hold a captive audience. The championships, outside of being props, shouldn't be labeled as such a term; Championships should be revered as the next point in a superstar's career, and have them climb the ladder rungs one by one. From NXT to Minors, to versatility in Hardcore, up to the grande queso enchilada.

Simply put, don't unify. Reinstate.