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EditorialDid The Brand Extension Help PPV? Reviewing All 21 Events. (Part 2...

Did The Brand Extension Help PPV? Reviewing All 21 Events. (Part 2 Of 2)

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Hi everyone! Hope you’re all enjoying the new site layout. I’m blown away by the new writing tools, so it’s going to take a while to get used to. Hell .. I can even change the font colour! Couldn’t do that before. Anyways .. on to the subject.

The goal of this two-part article is to lightly review each WWE PPV from 2016 (including NXT and other specials) to determine if the brand extension helped the quality of events, and in the first part made it up to Battleground before calling it a night. I have returned to finish the last eleven events and come to a foregone conclusion. You can read the first edition at the link; it seems the intro is missing as I made it under the old list format.

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II (August 24th)

And while the main roster split into two brands, NXT continued its string of compelling events with a return to Brooklyn.

  • Austin Aries and No Way Jose fought in the opening match, and was Jose’s best outing to date. Aries showed his experience and the two put on a solid, well-thought out contest. Aries finished him in the end with the Last Chancery submission. Hideo Itami appeared afterwards and nailed Aries with the GTS.
  • Ember Moon made her on-screen WWE PPV debut with a quick victory over Billie Kay.
  • Roode made his NXT wrestling debut in a match with Andrade Almas. Now donning the tagline “Glorious”, his entrance and theme music matched the gimmick perfectly. So much so, that the NXT crowd sang his theme and supported him against the babyface Almas. At the end of a decent (but not glorious) match, Roode finished him with a Pumphandle Slam.
  • Going by the new name of DIY, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa challenged The Revival for the NXT Tag Team titles. As predicted, it was match of the night, and possible Match Of The Year candidate. The Revival made Gargano tap with an inverted figure-four.
  • Bayley challenged Asuka for the NXT title, knowing she would need to endure everything fired at her. The story was one of Bayley trying to prove she could win, even knowing the incredible force Asuka is. It was also meant as a farewell from NXT as she was bound for the main roster. A really good match again from the girls, but we know Asuka remains undefeated to this day.
  • Remember the guy with the violin during Shinsuke’s entrance? Yes, it was that long ago. As always, Shinsuke and Samoa Joe proved they are main event material with another hard-hitting, unforgiving, strong style match, and something which is unique to them. How good it was depends on who you ask, but I like to think anything involving Nakamura and Joe is great. They are not scared to take a real hit, or give a real hit. They will go further than most to give the fans what they paid to see. They can’t steal the show every night though, as that went to DIY and Revival earlier. Samoa Joe kicked out of the Kinshasa finisher near the end, but he couldn’t take a second one. Shinsuke won the title and remained undefeated, while Joe clutched his jaw (Turned out he was just selling).

NXT can’t do any wrong. It’s awesome when a promotion .. even when you know it’s not the best show they’ve ever delivered .. remains simple and pleasurable to watch.

Thumbs Up!

Summerslam (August 21st)

  • Sheamus went 1-0 over Cesaro on the pre-show in their first match in the Best Of Seven Series.
  • Y2J and Kevin Owens teamed up and defeated SAWFT to open the main show.
  • The women’s match received some praise, but was also criticized for several botches. Surprisingly, Charlotte won the title back, but it was later revealed Sasha needed time off due to injury.
  • The Miz defeated Crews in five minutes to retain the IC title.
  • AJ Styles and John Cena fought in what some will consider Match Of The Year. The story was one of Cena proving he hadn’t lost his place as WWE’s top guy and would find a way to win, while Styles wanted to prove he had Cena’s number and was the “face that runs the place”. The chemistry was undeniable, and proof of why Cena and AJ have been the top guys for different companies. Styles finished Cena with a second springboard elbow. This might be the only great match on the card.
  • The New Day retained the tag team titles against Gallows & Anderson due to Jon Stewart’s interference getting them disqualified.
  • Ambrose retained the WWE World title against Ziggler in a match which didn’t click or deliver as expected.
  • The reveal of the WWE Universal title was met with a mixed reception, but it did not deter from the inaugural title match between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins. Despite Balor getting seriously injured in a fan barrier spot, they finished the match with Balor drilling Rollins with a double foot stomp. It was a really good match, and the fans were pleased with the result.
  • A US title match was scheduled between Roman Reigns and champion Rusev, but due to Rusev ambushing Reigns and the two fighting on the outside, it was ruled a no contest and postponed.
  • The main event was Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar. After 11-minutes of Lesnar hurting Orton, Brock took off his gloves and delivered some stiff strikes and elbows to Randys head. His head was busted open, and medics came to tend to the wound but Brock kept striking. The match ended with a stoppage and TKO victory to Lesnar. The end of Summerslam was labelled dangerous and unnecessary by some. Personally I could see why they did it, they were looking for shock value .. but it didn’t make sense or go anywhere.

A difficult event to judge. AJ and Cena was worthy of Summerslam, and Balor/Rollins helped near the end of the show. The show dragged on considerably, and was riddled with controversial finishes. The ending was confusing as well, so I think Summerslam failed to deliver on the hype.

Thumbs Down.

Backlash (September 11th)

Smackdown Live! – The first Smackdown exclusive PPV after the brand split in July. Also, due to Raw getting the Women’s and Tag Team titles, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon introduced the new Smackdown Women’s and Tag Team titles which would be introduced at Backlash.

  • Apollo Crews continued his poor run of form with another loss to Baron Corbin.
  • In a good six-pack elimination challenge, Becky Lynch emerged as the first Smackdown Women’s Champion over Alexa Bliss, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Naomi and Cameron.
  • American Alpha won the right to face Heath Slater & Rhyno in the finals of the Smackdown Tag Team title tournament, but due to Chad Gable picking up an injury they needed to be replaced. The Usos beat The Hype Bros to earn a second chance in the finals.
  • The Miz has improved a lot this year, and his match with Ziggler at Backlash was another indication of that. The added presence of Maryse has helped his character, and Ziggler’s had many encounters with him over the years. When the referee had his back turned, Maryse sprayed something in Zigglers face, and Miz finished him with a Skull Crushing Finale.
  • Bray Wyatt was scheduled to face Randy Orton, but due to Randy having an injury they needed to limit his participation so Wyatt won by forfeit. However, he was given Kane in a No Holds Barred match as a replacement. Thanks to The Viper’s late interference, Kane won the match with a Chokeslam and pin.
  • I don’t think anyone imagined Heath Slater and Rhyno would be the inaugural Smackdown tag team champions, but that’s what happened after a Gore! Gore! Gore!
  • Nothing compares to the main event though, which was a singles match for the WWE World Heavyweight title. AJ Styles challenged Dean Ambrose, and they were on point. As always, AJ brought his opponent up a level and delivered a solid main event despite his heel antics in the end. He saw an opportunity to low-bow Ambrose and hit the Styles Clash to become WWE World Champion for the first time .. thus creating history as the only man to have held the WWE, NWA, IWGP and TNA World titles in their career.

An enjoyable one from the Smackdown brand. While it got a smaller roster, it pulled them together as a unit. They didn’t want to be labeled the “B-show”, so putting the strap on AJ was the right way to go.

Thumbs Up.

Cruiserweight Classic Finale (September 14th)

I am sad to say I never got around to watching the rest of the tournament, but I certainly saw the finals. I read about the tournament and there had been many classics, so I turned up expecting much of the same. I was looking forward to seeing Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins as I knew them from NJPW and TNA. Also rooting for Zack Sabre Jr as he’s representing England.

  • In the first semi-final match Zack Sabre Jr faced Gran Metalik. A contrast in styles, but they made it work really well. After 13-minutes of action, the luchador finished Zack with the Metalik Driver. He got a medal from William Regal for making it to the Finals.
  • Oh man .. this was everything I was looking for in a cruiserweight match. Honestly believe the event peaked with the last few minutes of Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins fight to get to the finals. I was firmly in Kota’s corner, and expected him to go through .. but the former X-Division champ surprised me by making Kota tap to the STF. Amazing.
  • As a fun filler between the semi-finals and the finals, DIY defeated the team of Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar. The weakest match on the card, yet still enjoyable.
  • Triple H appeared to thank everyone for supporting the CWC, and introduced the new Cruiserweight title which would see its first champion after the next match; the fans chanted “Thank you Hunter!”. The Finals was everything you would expect after seeing the semi-finals. Perkins and Metalik got it spot on, and I knew it would work as TJ has a ton of luchador experience. Just like Kota before, TJ found a way to make Metalik tap after a ton of offense on both sides.

Simply fantastic, I wish WWE wrestling could be presented like this more often. Everyone involved (Triple H, William Regal, Daniel Bryan, Mauro) showed class and appreciation for the cruiserweights. Nothing too silly, just wrestling matches, and no one could complain at the end as we got everything and more from this concept. I regret not seeing the rest of it.

Both Thumbs Up!

Clash Of Champions (September 25th)

Raw – Following Summerslam, Finn Balor was injured and forced to vacate the Universal title. A couple of weeks later, Kevin Owens won the Universal title in a fatal four-way thanks to Triple H. Clash Of Champions was the first Raw exclusive PPV after the brand split.

  • New Day retained against Gallows & Anderson in another average match.
  • TJ Perkins retained the Cruiserweight title against The Brian Kendrick, but it wasn’t on the level of the CWC seen as they only got ten minutes.
  • Some might have liked the Sheamus/Cesaro Best Of Seven series, but I’d already grown tired of it. At 3-3 a piece, it didn’t end here as the match was ruled a no-contest after both refused medical attention. The match was good at least.
  • I was expecting a little more from Sami and Jericho, but the pacing was off. Jericho finished him with a codebreaker, and I was left thinking .. someone really hates Sami.
  • What could have been a classic triple threat between Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Bayley, ended up mediocre and lacking a decent finish. With some help from Dana Brooke, Charlotte continued her good run of form on PPV.
  • Difficult to decipher who’s the good guy in the feud between Reigns and Rusev, as the fans seem firmly with Rusev and Lana. A spear by Reigns got him the pin-fall and his first US title reign. To some that was considered a good thing, to keep him away from the main event scene. We should know by now that it didn’t work.
  • The main event was marred with Jericho and Stephanie McMahon interference which seemed set on keeping Owens as Universal Champion. He finished Seth with a pop-up powerbomb and that was it really. Not much story to get invested in.

Vintage Raw after the brand split .. sucky booking, boring endings, no imagination, severe loss of potential. Not completely bad .. but certainly lacking.

Thumbs Down.

No Mercy (October 9th)

Smackdown Live! It was announced earlier in the day that the triple threat match for the WWE Championship would open the show. 

  • AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose and John Cena opened the show with a main event calibre triple threat. AJ tapped out near the end, but because Ambrose and Cena applied submissions at the same time there could be no clear winner. The match continued and AJ finished Cena off with a chair. Really good match! But some were left questioning why it wasn’t on last.
  • The Usos challenged Slater and Rhyno for the tag titles, and it seemed set they would win, but once again Rhyno showed why he’s a former World Heavyweight champion by giving one of the twins a Gore!
  • Corbin won again .. this time against Swagger.
  • Once again The Miz and Ziggler came really close to stealing the show with a Career vs. title match. They hyped it well too, and the addition of Nicky and Mikey made the threat of Ziggler’s career more credible of happening. A superkick to The Miz saved Ziggler’s career, and once again become Intercontinental Champion.
  • Despite Alexa Bliss being the #1 contender to Becky Lynch’s title, she was given a replacement in Naomi (for an undisclosed reason) and lost in five minutes. I .. just .. don’t .. get it.
  • The main event served two purposes. 1) Give Bray Wyatt a win over Randy Orton and in the main event of a PPV, and 2) bring Luke Harper back. That’s it .. the match was nothing to write home about.

Questionable having Bray and Randy as the main event when they could’ve had the WWE or IC title matches, but overall the show was pretty good. Kinda falls in the Above Average spot, so I have to give it a hesitant ..

Thumbs Up!

Hell In A Cell (October 30th)

Raw – The event featured the first women’s Hell in a Cell match which was the main event and for the Raw Women’s title.

  • Apologies but .. I can only watch so many Rusev/Reigns matches. It was in Hell in a Cell, but it didn’t make me want to see it anymore, and I knew two other matches were scheduled in there as well. Might have been good to some, but to me it was much of the same. Reigns retained with a spear.
  • Gallows and Anderson won in seven minutes over SAWFT, which would’ve been fine had it gone somewhere.
  • A much better outing in the cell was the Universal title match between Owens and Rollins. Of course, Jericho found a way to get involved, but it added to the intensity and didn’t hurt Rollins as much when he lost. Still .. missing something from the feud, but at least it helped the event get on track.
  • One of the worst decisions since the cruiserweights were introduced can be found in this match. Not only did Brian Kendrick winning unravel everything TJ Perkins had built to that point, the fans didn’t care after seeing the Hell in a Cell match. TJ lost the title because Kendrick was playing possum, which tends to be down to a lack of experience .. but the fans know TJ’s been wrestling a long time .. so it just felt bad for the division that they couldn’t keep a fresher face on top for a while.
  • Cesaro and Sheamus managed to work a decent tag match with The New Day, but seen as everyone knew New Day were set to break records .. it didn’t come as much of a shock when they found a way to win.
  • Sasha and Charlotte made history as the first two women to main event a PPV, and doing it in Hell in a Cell. Everyone was expecting Sasha to win as it was in her hometown and she hadn’t held it long. Charlotte surprised everyone by finishing her with Natural Selection. It didn’t seem to sink in right away with the crowd, but once they did they were not too impressed. Once again, Charlotte kept her PPV win streak, and became champion again. A really good match from these two, not the best work I’ve seen from them .. but worthy of the main event for sure.

Just like Summerslam it’s a hard one to judge. Had it’s good points, but even the main event had booking flaws. Just like the previous Raw PPV, elements outside the wrestler’s hands seemed to effect the flow. I guess it’s average? I’m not going to give a rating as I can’t decide one or the other.

NXT TakeOver: Toronto (November 19th)

The crowd was hot for most of this. Expected though as Toronto fans are known for it, and what better way to rile them up with some NXT action?

  • The crowd went nuts over Roode and Dillinger. This has to be Tye’s biggest match of his career, and Roode was generous in making him look good. In the end, Roode hit the jumping DDT to get the pin. Really nice way to start the show .. glorious even.
  • The Dusty Tag Team Classic Finals .. Authors Of pain vs. TM61. The shark cage stipulation was added to keep Paul Ellering away from ringside; but didn’t help much in the long term. Sadly this was a disappointing end to a poor tournament, and the weakest match of the night. Authors Of Pain won .. and Dustin Rhodes didn’t look too happy about it as they were awarded the trophy.
  • WWE named it Match Of The Year for a reason .. it had everything. It’s got to be a great match to beat AJ and John Cena that’s for sure. Again it proves that NXT is a breeding ground for quality wrestling matches, and hopefully we’ll get more of this when they move up to the main roster; but not counting on it. DIY defeated The Revival for the NXT Tag Team titles in spectacular fashion.
  • Mickie James returned to have a match with the undefeated Asuka for the NXT Women’s title. Last time I saw Mickie she was wrestling in the TNA Knockouts Division, and that was a while ago so I was interested to see what her work would be like. And as expected, Mickie did what she does, but Asuka is a young lion and I wasn’t disappointed when James tapped out to the Asuka Lock.
  • Another solid main event contest between Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe. It’s probably going down as one of the hardest-hitting feuds in NXT for sure. What was the most surprising though .. was that Samoa Joe beat the streak! He planted Nakamura with the Muscle Buster and proved that Shinsuke can be beaten. I don’t think many expected that to happen, and Joe became a two-time NXT Champion in the process.

How can anyone fault NXT? It’s just .. so easy to watch. They don’t waste matches, or leave you feeling they didn’t live up to their potential. Simple, compelling, intense, and rewarding.

Both Thumbs Up!

 

Survivor Series (November 20th)

There was a lot of hype behind this event with the brands declaring war on each other. I was looking forward to seeing who would come out on top and possibly see some repercussions.

  • I remember missing the Women’s match due to being late. Apparently it was pretty good, not bad .. but good enough for the women. Charlotte and Bayley were the survivors on the Raw team, and Charlotte beat her down afterwards to prove a point.
  • Another good match involving The Miz, this time against Sami Zayn and keeping the IC title on Smackdown.
  • The tag team Survivor Series match was much better. On the Smackdown team we had Slater/Rhyno, Hype Bros, American Alpha, The Usos and Breezango. On the Raw team we had SAWFT, Gallows/Anderson, Shining Stars, Cesaro/Sheamus and The New Day. Breezango went out after forty seconds, and the tag team champions New Day joined shortly after in a shocker. Hype Bros and Shining Stars went a few mins later. Near the 11-minute mark, Gallows and Anderson eliminated American Alpha, which didn’t go down well. Gallows and Anderson were taken out with a Gore, and Slater/Rhino out seconds after. The Usos took care of SAWFT, which left it down to them versus Cesaro and Sheamus. Cesaro won the match for Raw with a Sharpshooter.
  • Kalisto challenged Kendrick for the Cruiserweight title being on Smackdown, meaning had he won the cruiserweights would transfer to Smackdown. Unluckily for him, Baron Corbin interfered and gave us another reason to care less about the division.
  • Another classic Survivor Series match between Team Raw and Team Smackdown in the main bout for brand supremacy. Went on a while too .. almost an hour! I distinctly remember this for when Shane jumped off the top rope and got speared hard into the mat by Roman .. and Randy Orton had to break character to tell his family he’d be OK. In the end, the team of Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt stood tall and got Smackdown their much-needed victory.
  • Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg. It’s one of those you loved or hated. Personally.. as a fan of five-star wrestling matches like those we see in NXT .. I loved this! I mean .. it was totally unexpected and in a good way; unlike at Summerslam with Brock/Randy. Yes .. people will question a 50-year-old man beating a 39-year-old man who defeated The Undertaker (and others easily), but I didn’t mind that. Some will say it was a “waste of Taker’s streak”, while I don’t think it was. Goldberg had to be reintroduced to the audience, and in the story Brock’s character underestimated his opponent and left the door wide open. That’s why it was good .. it wasn’t like Brock took him 100% seriously. Either way, I loved it and the world talked about it the next day. No doubt Goldberg vs. Brock III will be money for Wrestlemania.

They put effort into this unlike Summerslam. Having the brand split meant that many wrestlers got to work with those they hadn’t worked with in a while, and it was refreshing to see new (or old) pairings.

Only problem was it didn’t really lead anywhere, and the brands didn’t get any repercussions for their actions. Either way it was an enjoyable show, and one that shows the potential when they have a full roster to pick from.

Thumbs Up!

TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (December 4th)

Smackdown Live! The card featured variations of TLC, and the TLC match itself as the main event for the WWE World title.

  • With Randy Orton now part of The Wyatt Family, they were up for the challenge of taking the tag team titles. Luke Harper played the part of the jealous third wheel rather well, not trusting Randy and wanting Bray’s attention. After six-minutes, Harper took a Gore to save Wyatt and Randy hit Rhyno with the RKO to win the tag team titles for The Wyatt Family.
  • Nikki Bella vs. Cameron again, only this time in a No DQ match. I have to say .. it’s not too bad watching them with weapons. Certainly beats a typical 1-2 star singles match anyways. Nikki beat Carmella after drowning her with a fire extinguisher.
  • Once again The Miz and Ziggler delivered the goods. Not as great as some of their earlier encounters; but acceptable. Miz walked away with the IC title after low blowing Ziggler twice and climbing the ladder to retrieve. I guess that streak vs. career match don’t matter anymore?
  • Tables match for the Smackdown Women’s title, with Alexa Bliss finally getting her shot against Becky Lynch. I was totally behind Alexa but didn’t expect this to happen .. she managed to powerbomb Becky through a table and become Women’s Champion. I was expecting Becky to hold on to it for a while longer before dropping it to Alexa.
  • A lot of the main event centered around the use of James Ellsworth, a jobber who Dean Ambrose used to get inside the head of the champion. He said some pretty mean things about Ellsworth earlier in the night, which planted the seeds for something sinister later. Again Ambrose and AJ worked a decent match, and Dean always does better when weapons are involved. In the end, it was Ellsworth who was his downfall, as he turned on his friend and helped AJ retain. It was already a pretty great match, but some felt the ending spoiled it a bit. I saw it coming .. so I’m sure others did too. Still fun to watch though!

Once again Smackdown proved it could deliver a solid show with a limited roster. They made good use of the gimmicks and didn’t give us too many ladder-type matches. Also, one not-so surprising title change with The Wyatts, and another more-so surprising one in Alexa. AJ still on top will have pleased many fans.

Thumbs Up!

Roadblock: End of the Line (December 18th)

Raw – And Raw closes the year with a second Roadblock PPV with four titles on the line.

  • Cesaro and Sheamus finally did what many teams couldn’t, and beat The New Day for the tag team titles. And it wasn’t a bad match either! Good way to start the show.
  • Many will question the 10-minute time limit draw between Zayn and Strowman, but the way I saw it was them trying to get more fans to care about Zayn, while also giving Strowman more experiences in a singles environment without taking too much from his dominant nature. Being unable to beat Zayn in that time will fuel him for the coming months. Sami continues to elicit frustration for sympathy.
  • Rollns and Jericho is always going to be a good match. Luckily that’s what we got, and even with some Owens interference .. Rollins picked up the win with a pedigree.
  • Austin Aries out for commentary, which can only mean one thing. A triple threat match for the Cruiserweight title was given six-minutes to deliver something, which isn’t enough time really. Swann, Perkins and Kendrick did what they could before Swann ended it with a superkick. Neville came out afterwards and destroyed the cruiserweights, which was arguably the best thing to happen to the division since the cruiserweight classic.
  • Charlotte and Sasha Banks stole the show once more in a 30-minute Iron Woman (why call it Ironman?) match. The stipulation was that it would be their last encounter for the title. At the end of regular time, Sasha was 2-1 up but stuck in the Figure eight, she tried to fight out of it but had to tap out with seconds to spare. It went to sudden death, and by this point Banks struggled to stand and sold the fear of losing to Charlotte again. Banks was forced to tap again after having no other choice due to all the punishment she’d received. Probably the best match they’ve ever worked together.
  • Reigns vs. Owens had little interest for it and the crowd obliged with my sentiments. No one wanted to see Reigns win the title and hold both Universal and US. Jericho had said for weeks that he was no longer Owens friend, and it played a big part in the outcome. Jericho came out near the end to tease a babyface turn, but instead hit Reigns with a codebreaker and got Owens disqualified. Jericho handed the title to Owens and the friends reunited. Just passable as a Raw main event .. but not a PPV one.

Just like Hell In a Cell it’s hard to rate. There’s good in the tag match, Neville, Jericho/Rollins, and some greatness from Charlotte and Sasha, but the main event followed the same formula as previous Raw PPV and wasn’t much of a big deal. Hoping it leads to an epic feud between Owens and Jericho which helps fans take KO more seriously as champion .. because at the moment he’s nowhere near AJ Styles. Overall though, this was one of Raw’s better outings and I can’t deny that. Some fans hated the show .. but I think it was one of the better ones when you consider the past.

Thumbs Up!

Conclusion

And now we get to summarize both articles in one place! Kinda like .. a review of my own reviews. Here’s a little visual thing I made which highlights the up-and-down nature of the rating system I used on the 21 events. I’ll put NXT shows in italics, Raw exclusives in red, Smackdown exclusives in blue, and other PPV can be regular black. Marked them in a different way for mobile users.

Up! > Down > Down > Both Up! > Down > Down > Up! > Up! > Up! > Up! > Brand Split! > Up! > Down > Up! (S) > Both Up! (CWC) > Down (R) > Up! (S) > Unrated (R) > Both Up! > Up! > Up! (S) > Up! (R)

What does this tell us? What it tells me is that the year started well with the Rumble, but fell flat for a few months up til Extreme Rules in May. Money In The Bank and Battleground showed WWE was beginning to understand how to present the roster before splitting it in two. All the while, shows like NXT and the cruiserweights continued to go down really well with wrestling fans. Much of the NXT and cruiserweight talent found themselves filling the gaps on Raw and Smackdown which was a huge positive for them; and for us as we may not have seen them otherwise.

Smackdown has been consistently good on PPV since the brand split, and much of this can be credited to the writing team and talent. Raw has struggled, and the women have used that opportunity to show the world what they can do. Even with its good points and larger roster, Raw is overexposed with three hours a week, and adding another three for PPV makes it feel like another episode of Raw. WWE finally got it right with a big show at Survivor Series, making good use of many talents from both brands. Roadblock ended the year for Raw on a higher note, but still not living up to what it could be.

Did anything else make the difference this year? Smackdown got stars like John Cena, Randy Orton and AJ Styles, while Raw got Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens. Had Finn Balor not picked up an injury, PPVs may have gone down better. I don’t think he would’ve saved it on his own though, as Raw seems to go from good .. to dull .. to confusing on a regular basis, and I don’t think that’s the talents fault. It’s the first year of the brand extension since it was brought back, and in time WWE might figure out how to balance things better and make better use of its younger talent and the cruiserweight division.

It’s been a long time coming, so thanks for your patience. A year with too many PPVs for my liking, so I hope WWE learns that more does not necessarily mean better. We need time to get invested in the feuds and storylines so the events can be more memorable and entice viewers to come back for more. They should be better than the average Raw or Smackdown, and they can only do that by looking at shows like NXT where they keep it simple and not waste talent.

Thanks for reading! And Happy New Year!

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