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What I Miss: Brand PPVs |
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· 2002: o March 18 – The brand split is announced by Linda McMahon. o March 25 – The draft was held on Raw. Splitting the roster into two, Raw and SmackDown. o April 1 – The brand split officially began. · 2003 o From this day forward the only PPV that will include both brands are the big four (WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble) o July 27 – The first ever SD only PPV was held, Vengeanceo September 21 – First ever Raw only PPV Unforgiven was held · 2005 o June 12 – ECW One Night stand was held · 2006 o June 11 - ECW One Night Stand 2 was held and also announced that the WWE would be adding a 3rd Brand, ECW o June 13 – First ever ECW show on Sci-Fio December 3 - December to Dismember, the only ECWWE PPV to be held · 2007 o January 7 – The last ever Raw only PPV, New Years Revolution was held (It was also the last ever NYR PPV as well) o February 18 – The last ever branded PPV No Way Out was held for the SD brand. o April – All PPV are now inter brand PPV starting with Backlash What was good about the single brand PPV’s you ask? Well first off we got longer feuds. They normally had two months to build up for a story and the PPV match was the climax for most rivalries, even the lower card feuds. These days a feud is normally over and done with in a couple of months and two PPV matches later. While I believe two PPV matches is enough but just two months? What happened to telling a story? What happened to the beginning middle and end? Normally these days they just skip the middle and the end is happening at the same time as the start! Look at some of the last feuds, Triple H v Edge, how many weeks of build up did that get? Two? Three? Not many at all, not enough to get me excited about their PPV match anyway. The only decent storyline we have seen lately was the Matt Hardy vs MVP feud, and that happened over a long period of time (and you don’t need to include the injury time in that). Also I mentioned the lower card feuds ending at a PPV as well, that brings me to the next thing I enjoyed about brand only PPV’s. The lower card matches from each brand competing meant we got to see more wrestlers in the longer style PPV matches, oh what I’d do to get to see a Even Bourn 10min plus match. These days with all brands being at every PPV we hardly get to see any of the undercard wrestle. Look at the last PPV (The Bash) what would you call the undercard? Sure the 4 way Tag team match and maybe Hardy v Shelton, but that’s not much of an undercard, the rest of the matches were from main eventer’s, (that’s if you count the ECW match a main event match) Just look at the wrestlers that didn’t have a match at the Bash - Jeff Hardy, Mr Kennedy, Umaga, Kofi (IC Champ), Kane, Big Show, MVP then you have to remember that Orton. Undertaker and Mysterio will be back for ring action soon. This is just a small list of the wrestlers that could be used at a PPV! Does this mean these guys won’t ever get a PPV match again? I’m not saying that it does, I’m just saying they will need to make room for them somewhere and that mean that either the US title match or the Tag team match will be gone! I haven’t even brought up the fact that there are two woman titles now as well. Does this mean that we will only see one woman’s match each PPV? Probably… Which means there is another title that will rarely get defended on the big stage! At least with single brand PPV’s we got to see most the titles defended regularly. Also when they got rid of the brand only PPV’s it got rid of the special PPV that was “The Big Four” namely WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble. Seriously, these four PPV’s were a lot more exciting and I looked forward to them a lot more before they got rid of the single brand PPV’s. Now it seems like every PPV is one of the big four. So why did they get rid of the single brand PPV’s? I can only guess it was the drop in buy rates, but I don’t believe this is the fault of the single brand PPV’s, because if you look the buy rates now they have not increased since they got rid of the single brand PPV’s, and the fact that WrestleMania’s buy rates dropped a little in the last year might support some of my options earlier. What I believe was a huge mistake by the WWE and was the killer blow to the single brand PPV’s, was deciding to have the ECW December to Dismember PPV and deciding to make the main event an Elimination Chamber, a match with your six top guys in it when your ECW roster isn’t big enough to fill the rest of the PPV with interesting matches. (And even the 6 guys in the chamber, did they really think people wanted to watch Test?) If I was the booker I would have done away with that idea and had a card full of hardcore matches and the main event would have been 1v1. (And maybe listened to Paul Heymans idea on how to make the chamber match more exciting) Another mistake the WWE made was to start having more and more PPV. As soon as they announced single brand PPV’s they added two more for that year alone! I remember towards the end of 2006 it seemed like there was a PPV every two weeks! 12 a year is enough WWE! Stop trying to get more money out of my wallet! So I believe we have probably seen the end of single brand PPV’s and that saddens me. Because all they really needed to do was stop adding PPV’s (I believe 12 was enough) and instead of having an ECW PPV by it self, share it with another brand, for example, one PPV could be an SmackDown/ECW ppv then in the next few months have an Raw/ECW PPV. This of cause wouldn’t happen to every PPV or else every PPV would have ECW in them, I just mean every 2nd one, have a turn each kind of thing. Views: 1,110 
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COMMENTS |
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Comment # 1
Nice work, im gonna tune in next time..
and p.s
1st!
Posted by bob on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Comment # 2
i totally agree since the change there are more pay per views that use lees of the talent from the shows and lots more PAY per views that aint worth paying for, i mean serously if you wanted to have a double brand match make it a rivery worth paying for other, other wise your going to lose money and fans, wwe cant let that happen now with tna still biting at there heels.
Posted by crazy dude on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Comment # 3
Brand only PPV??
I remember watching only a few of them. And the undercard was shocking. Who wants to see Billy Gunn and Hardcore Holly team upagainst Kenso Sukui and Renee Depree? No one afterall none of them can wrestle. Or Scott Stiener vs Test? Boring.
They were two matches they had on the SD brand PPV. That was only 3 years ago.
If you where to look at an undercard to day what would you get Charlie Haas vs Val Venis in a 'My career is going to crap, hows yours going'? Or Snitsky vs Super Crazy in a 'My gimmick is worse than yours' match. All four wreslter past their prime....oppps sorry Snitsky never had or will ever have a prime.
I agree with one thing, story lines at least made more sense over 8 weeks than 2.
Although i am not a fan of single brand PPVs, i did enjoy your article.
Posted by Chef on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Comment # 4
Good Job Mate!
i agree with you 100% only main eventers are on ppv's. look at attitude era time, even lower midcarder had ppv match
Posted by HBK The Showstopper on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Comment # 5
Why keep the brands separated go back to the WWF way everyone is on every show...except ECW, cause that show is for "newbs"
Posted by Massacre on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Comment # 6
I agree with ALMOST everything, but I think that ECW is still getting a bum deal. Might as well show OVW or FCW tapings in it's place! Push these incedible athletes more! Also, the 12 a year is a good idea, but I say 13. Why 13? 1) When you take away the "big 4" you have 9 which is three ppv's for each brand sepretly. And if they think rating s are low now, wait till the move to MyNetworkTV happens and NOONE can find the channel. :-<
Maybe I shoulkd be an articolist, lol.
Posted by Jay McBang on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Comment # 7
Nice article. I'd take it one step further though, and keep rosters SEPERATE. Why have a brand split if you're going to mix and match guys how ever you wish anyway? Kind of defeats the purpose of the brand extension, no?
Posted by Major Liberty on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Comment # 8
They should go back to one roster and 4 PPV's a year like it used to be. The "Big 4" were the only ones they had until Vince started competing with Ted Turner and decided to have a monthly "In Your House" ppv. Rivalries were a lot better before all that crap started. And do away with ECW......its worthless. At least WCW DID compete with WWE for a while......drop ECW, bring back WCW in its place put Bischoff in chargeand you have better crap than ECW is or ever was.
Posted by Daddy on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Comment # 9
You talked about how you like long feuds and don't like tri-branded PPV. Well now they can focus on having longer feuds. Exp: Look at the U.S. Title and IC title. They used the U.S. title at The Bash, all in while they could have focused Kofi(IC Champ) in a feud this whole time. Making the IC title match at the next PPV better. You didn't like HHH vs. Edge title cause there was no time. Maybe with the system they have, every major title won't be used and can allow for longer feuds while they build up another. They don't neccessarily have to use both major titles and both tag team and both women's title at every PPV. They can spread it out.
Posted by YankeeGrimReaper on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Comment # 10
Well one thing is right since the WWE stop making IC,US,CW and TT We don't see alot of high fly moves or technical matchs like the days od benoit with the us title, i mean tag team matchs sometimes are more exiting then main events from ecw.
Posted by BoxFabio on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 11
The HHH-Edge thing wasn't meant to be a very long feud anyway. Edge, after losing the World title was "entitled" a rematch, and since his title went to RAW he got a shot at HHH. Undertaker is back and will be finishing his feud with Edge, so it wouldn't have made sense for HHH-Edge to be a long feud or really a feud at all. Just like how HHH likely won't have a long feud with his Summerslam opponent(I won't say who it is to spare the spoiler crybabies), because once Undertaker is done with Edge his next feud will be HHH.
Oh and I like what Daddy said......4 ppv's a year is much better. It gave you something to look forward to for 2 or 3 months instead of 2 or 3 weeks.
Posted by Master of Puppets on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 12
i think that single branded ppv's only work if you have a strong undercard, i have to admit that i really enjoyed the matt hardy vs gregory helms ppv matches.
the problem i think, was that wwe had little or no faith in most of their undercard to be crowd pullers at the time when they tri-branded all the ppv's,
now we are getting new, more exciting talent with the likes of kofi kingston and evan bourne, if they keep getting guys like these in then there should be a case to have single branded ppv's that would have solid matches all the way thru. ive just watched tna's victory road and thought the best matches were the two x-cup ones. they have a strong undercard and crap main eventers (aj styles and joe aside)
join the two and you have a perfect mix, strong undercard and strong main events.
Posted by dan green on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 13
great article, im with you in a 100%
Posted by manuel taker on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 14
Single brand PPV's would help with the current problem the WWE has of an inexperienced vs near retirement locker room. Single brand PPV = more of the inexperienced wreslters getting in on the action, against each other or for title oportunities, plus the more experienced, older wrestlers can bring in the even greater matches for the big titles.
If you think wrestling is based purely on main event matches then you need to sit back and realise that the names that fill main event slots had to train hard and build up the ranks. Single brand PPV's allowed feuds that could give inexperienced wrestlers air time. The only other alternative would be to have PPV's for the lower carded wrestlers and if any show promise give them a push. However if you look at the success of shows like velocity...
Another boost that is given (last one I promise) is that when we get to a multi branded PPV, it is actualy exciting when theres a cross brand match and all hell breaks out between the fighters from different rosters. Now its just dull
Posted by manogre on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 15
Yeah I forgot to talk about how the brands interact to much these days as a few of you have said. Remember a couple of years ago when it was SD vs Raw at SS? That was exciting because it hardly ever happened, now it happens every week!
Also at the time of writing this the HIAC match hadn't been announced. I understand Edge needed to be on the card at the Bash but its still a waste for HHH to be in a short feud like he was, could of started building towards SummerSlam
Posted by Sammy D on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 16
Yeah, the article and posts so far have been 99% right on the money, but the lion's share of cash raked in from PPVs is from more casual veiwers who think snitsky is god's gift to wrestling, and that Braden Walker is that one chubby guys real name.
Yeah, for those of us who seriously follow each episode and get tangled up in knowing who each wrestler really is, and what their trying to do backstage the shallow story lines and anti climactic ppv matches coming in waves gets annoying as hell, but casual veiwers buy it anyway so they can wear their sparkly new Cena and HHH shirts and not feel like dumbasses.
Besides, if the wwe is making itself more child friendly, its probably safe to say they're tryin to appeal to their casual fanbases more any way, so story lines just arent top priority anyhoo.
Posted by Mr. Groove on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 17
I'm gonna have to agree. I remember watching WWF as a kid and there not being a PPV Promo every week. However one statement in your article stood out to me. Where you told WWE to Stop trying to take money out of my pocket. While I like to keep money in my wallet as well, I must ask. Did you forget that they were a business.
Posted by The White Ranger on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 18
The "Big Four" as you call it, always has been and never go away. I like the fact they finally brought back the survivor matches back to SS. Truthfully if you really sit back and think about it...
The ratings started dropping off when they split the roster.
Think about it, by the time of the roster split, WWE had no competition anymore. After buying out WCW and ECW the really didn't care bout TV ratings just putting on good shows at the time.
Way before ECW came back on, Smackdown was losing ratings every week. The story lines where no good, they had no talent or gimmicks. They only had the hurricane and rey jr. , then hurricane left to raw. So then WWE starts picking up wrestlers that no one new, although Jamie Noble had a good gimmick at first. But to make it short, Smackdown then was nothing but under card wrestlers from WCW.
I like it the way it was before the split, longer fueds b/c of two shows, not everyone wrestled every week but your feuds and main eventers, but all the undercards where different.
Well today I still don't watch Smackdown for the same reason, that's why HHH is there..If I was Vince I would either get rid of ECW and bring back WCW (With ALL!!! Original Belts, Sorry Raw would get a new belt or Unify the titles again and have the champ wrestle ONLY! on Raw or Smackdown, Bring back all of ECW belts "yes Vince we miss them awesome ECW TV Title Matches they all are classic some almost better than ECW Title matches." Most important since a lot of wrestlers are coming from Europe, un-unify the IC and Euro Title.
Sorry for the rant that's my feelings, good article though, well thought out and planned looking forward to more.
Posted by BRG on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 19
I don't agree that SD was just lower cards from WCW. If you look you would see The Rock, Kurt Angle and Hogan were all on SD to start with.
And there is no way that I would want the brand split to end! That wasn't the point of this article at all. I support the brand split, means we get to see more talent!
Posted by Sammy_D on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 20
Really what I thought WWE should have done from the beginning(when they bought WCW and ECW) was to split into 2 brands......WWE and WCW. Now since RAW has the old WCW World Title, make Raw the WCW brand and Smackdown the WWE brand. Give each brand 2 of the "big 4" PPV's plus 2 of the others, and rotate it each year. That leaves 8 PPV's to be more spread out allowing feuds to build on the shows better. Split WWE into 2(TWO!) companies so WWE and WCW could really compete, send the young guys out of Ohio to one brand and the other brand gets guys from Florida. Then after a few years, bring ECW back on Tue. nights with it's own 4 PPV's a year and it's own "minor league" system. All 3 still owned by WWE but technically 3 diff. companies, and the LOOK of real competition between them. In reality the McMahons would be making MORE money from our pockets if they'd done it that way, and it would be more entertaining. Good for us and them.....
Posted by Master of Puppets on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 21
Yeah I like the idea of the "companies" competing Master, really these days there are far to many inter brand matches! And 4 PPV's each would work really well as long as ECW got a bigger roster and a 2 hour tv slot!
Posted by Sammy D on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 22
Yeah Sammy, I really thought that was the way they'd do it back then and I wish they would have. They could still have one big interbrand PPV.....Wrestlemania or maybe Royal Rumble. RAW(WCW) could put on a Saturday Night Main Event every 3 or 4 months, Smackdown(WWE) could do maybe a Wed. night show of some kind or maybe turn Sun. night Heat into a SNME caliber network show every few months, and ECW could do something like a "Hardcore Thursday" primetime network show now and then. The Corporation competing within itself would be MUCH cooler. And the writers would have more reason to try to "outdo" the other 2 shows each week.....it would be awesome.
Posted by Master of Puppets on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 23
Befor i start i will make a comment to the columnist and Comment 3, I love test the best wreslter ever, and a Scott Steiner VS test match would of been awesome.kk remember on the singel brand PPVs ther brands would have little cross brand fued it really was good. They should change back too single brand PPVs. it would be the rebirth of tag teams.Lets say smackdown had a single brand now this is how a good one would look like.
1st match Shelton VS DH Smith for title
2nd Match Kennedy and Jeff Hardy Vs MVP and Edge
3rd match Henry Vs Big show
4th match Kozlov VS Festus
5th match Mc cool VS Victoria
6th Match Hawkins and Ryder Vs Wang Yang and Moore
7th Match HHH vs Carlito Vs Umaga
Posted by Destiny Dice on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 24
Master I think you're going a little to far with planning a second show for each of them. But I would do as you say and divide the PPV's up amoung the 3 and make WM the only tri brand PPV with Raw getting the Royal Rumble and maybe having a few of the other brands wrestlers enter that but the rumble only.. Not actually appearing on Raw unless they won.
Also Dice, I actually don;t have anything against Test, infact I think his elbow of the cell onto the chair was the only part in the match I got excited at, I'm just saying he's not much of a draw!
Posted by Sammy_D on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 25
WWE RULES ECW EXTREME RULES MATCH IS 1 OF THE BEST INVENTIONS IN THE INTIRE WWE
Posted by DR LOVE on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 26
Comment 8....the 1980's called and their sick and tired of you
Posted by Kev on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 27
I'd much prefer to see the younger, raw talent given a chance at a PPV, as you would if there were Brand PPVs, but you can see what the WWE is doing. They know who's likely to give them a match that'll make people buy a DVD, or buy a ticket.
This way, if they have Batista in a title match (one of two BIG matches of the night in a Brand PPV), and he's no good, they've got another 4 matches with their top superstars to make them money. The majority of fans don't buy in order to watch the lower card, even if the matches are better. If they did, the format wouldn't have changed.
Posted by General on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 28
Sammy, not too far planning a second show for them I don't think! I was lookin at it as where it could be now, IF they'd done that back then. I think if they'd done everything rightthe WWE and WCW shows at least could do a second show every now and then by now. Besides, it wouldn't be weekly......pretty much just a PPV type(almost) show on net. TV 3 or 4 times a year.
Posted by Master on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 29
Comment 26.....your mom called and I'm your new Daddy. Now shut up.
Posted by Daddy on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 30
Comment 29 lol by the way the comment 26 nearly the whole WG is sick of u
Posted by Crazy on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Comment # 31
You know I miss all the big rivalries of the "Good Ol Days" and the fact that the big title matches were on the one of the 4 PPVs. Granted WWE has expanded and added so much more talent than they had back then but seriously, every time you turn around a PPV for some big title is coming up.
What ever happened to Royal Rumble for the contender spot for the Title and actual Tag Teams (Demolition, British Bulldogs, Legion of Doom, etc) not just Wrestler X and Y teaming up against Wrestler A and B because they were put together for some cheap grudge gimmick that lasted maybe 2 months until "shockingly" Wrestler X betrays Y in the match.
The contests between Hogan and Andre the Giant, Hogan vs. Ulitmate Warrior, Hogan vs Macho Man, Sgt. Slaughter and Iron Sheik, Jake the Snake vs Ted DiBiase, hell even Stone Cold vs McMahon and many more... Seriously those had staying power and glued you to the TV every week just to see your man rise to triumph over the enemy or cry because he was beaten in an actually entertaining drawn out match that lasted 2 commercial breaks.
Maybe I'm just too old. But thats what I miss.
Posted by Xristos on Friday, July 25, 2008
Comment # 32
they just have to delete ECW and deraft these ECW superstars to sd or raw and then make seperate ppv... of you do that everything is much more exiting
Posted by mardy fantasy on Friday, July 25, 2008
Comment # 33
Well, Well Sammy. Where have u been? After the end of Pro Wrestling League, No one has met me but U. Do u remember me? I was the new member of BFG & also ur future tag Team Partner. We did A training session in Locker room. Pm Me In game name is 'lostwarrior'
Posted by LostWarrior13 on Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Comment # 34
good job with this article!!!
Posted by horia_the daredevil_ on Wednesday, July 30, 2008
