Ever since rival promotions WCW and ECW folded in 2001, WWE has not had much competition. Okay, they have TNA Wrestling, but the company is nowhere near the threat WCW once was to WWE (at least not at this time).

So, WWE combated this lack of diversity in the industry by creating the brand split in 2002.

The split created two different brands in Raw and Smackdown. Think of it as the American and National Leagues in baseball. Both similar, but vary at times. Some people love the AL, some love the NL. Same with Raw and Smackdown. Some prefer the bigger stars and greater set of occurrences on Raw, while others favor Smackdown's more in-ring approach.

Entertainment and wrestling do go hand in hand. Hell, it's sports entertainment! However, there comes a time when a product starts to feel a tad bit stale, dry, and everything else in between.

That is the case with the Raw brand (featured on Monday nights for you non-wrestling fans). As wrestling fans know, Raw is WWE's flagship program, also known as the number one show on cable and longest running episodic periodic television show, along with God's gift to green earth according to commentator Michael Cole (he reminds us about 50 times a week).

That means the Raw brand is not only featured prominently more often than not compared to Smackdown and ECW (WWE's “third brand” since 2006 for you newbies), but gets first dibs on all the big stars. I mean look at the roster. You've got Triple H, John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, and Big Show. That's a lot of star power. Yet, after awhile, fans get tired of seeing the same old stuff.

Yes, WWE has slowly integrated Matt Hardy, The Miz, and United States Champion MVP into the upper-midcard and main event mix. The problem is that Raw is in need of change in a drastic way. The brand needs something that will give them a stiff kick in the manhood and catch fans by surprise in conjunction with making them compelled to watch.

Perhaps, the loss of Shawn Michaels to a much-needed hiatus is the reason I feel like I'm watching the same feuds over and over. Wait, no, I AM watching the same feuds over and over!

Now let us compare Raw, which has had Randy Orton, Batista, Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Big Show, and Ted Dibiase in the main event in some combination of the six aforementioned to Smackdown. Sure, Smackdown has Jeff Hardy and Edge feuding with each other yet again.

The difference is that they, along with most of the Smackdown roster, are making the product compelling as heck with their work in the ring. Look at the blue brand's roster. There are quite a few wrestlers that can work a match in Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, John Morrison, and more.

There are also a number of performers that are showcased as main event threats even with or without the Big God Belt in Edge, Chris Jericho, Umaga, CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, and Rey Mysterio. Since this past draft, Smackdown has mopped the floor with Raw in the ring, giving fans near-pay-per-view quality matches and simple, but effective storylines, that are relatively easy to follow.

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