WWE: How To Improve the Show

This has been a hot topic lately; How to Improve WWE. Many suggestions have popped up, the primary one being re-introduce the Attitude Era.

If anyone is looking forward to that being one of my slides, or you think that will feature and this will be a smarky article you refuse to read. you will be disappointed and delighted, respectively. So here goes:

Re-Evaluate The Draft

The WWE Draft used to be one of the most exciting nights of the year. Who would leave RAW for Smackdown? Who would be "promoted" the other way? Now? It's just....there.

Sure there might be one or two shocks, but in general the draft is meaningless now. Part of it, in my opinion, is having draft picks "earned" through matches. Nine times out of ten, you can predict the winning brand in said match.

What should be done:

Re-instate the tumbler and GM's system for draft picks. Some of my favourite moments of drafts were Paul Heyman's reactions to draft picks (See Triple H to Smackdown).

If WWE insists on keeping the "earn a pick" system, stop having non-draft related matches on Draft Night. (See Hart Dynasty vs ShowMiz this year & Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Batista vs Legacy last year).

Move the Draft Night back to June. This is my one of my biggest gripes. In post WrestleMania season, the rivalries are supposed to simmer out. This is why June was perfect for the draft. Rivalries had finished up, and a change of scenery was good.

Now with the draft in the immediate weeks, we end up with a plethora of cross-brand matches, which brings me to my next point...   

Redefine The Brand Split

There was a time when brands meant something. It died around 2006. If someone from RAW showed up on Smackdown or the other way round, it was considered damn near turf war being declared (See Survivor Series 2005). The wrestlers were loyal to their brand, and would have given anything to defend it.

Random trades have also had a huge effect on this. Trades should only happen in extreme circumstances, such as one superstar (kayfabe) hates the GM, and wants out. But it's not just brand loyalty. I believe PPV quality has gone down since the introduction of inter-promotional PPVs monthly.

What needs to be done:

Stop having random trades (Edge for Punk this year, the big trade "orchestrated by Trump" last year).

Re-introduce Brand Exclusive PPVs. (I'll come back to the number of PPV's later)

Ensure the fans have the Us vs Them feeling at each show (Commentators and Wrestlers talking trash about the other brand).

Reactivate brand exclusive divisions. This means Divas on RAW or Smackdown only, and Cruiserweights on the other show. This gives each brand a niche market of fans.

De-unify belts. Obviously now the Tag Division is in a bad way, but if more teams are hired, the belts could be split.

Scrap NXT, Re-Introduce ECW

I realise I said the would be no Attitude Era sightings, but hear me out. I'm sure NXT will be scrapped following this season. It has served an insurmountable purpose of introducing Nexus.

ECW (and I'm talking 2006 here) was exciting, and fresh for WWE loyalists. I loved it, and I'm sure many others on this forum did too. I'm sure many are asking how ECW would work in the era of PG.

What I propose is have ECW as a programme aimed specifically at the mature audience. If that means airing about fifty disclaimers throughout the programme, so be it.

What needs to be done:

Get rid of NXT, instead use Superstars (the show) as an opportunity to introduce new stars.

Reinstate the ECW brand as its own entity.

Hire Paul Heyman, using the new ECW as an incentive for him to rejoin WWE.

Let Heyman find the talent required for the brand.

As opposed to ECW having PPVs, air a three-hour special every couple of months. 

Reduce The Number Of PPVs

The number should be 12. I feel the calendar should be as follows:

January: Royal Rumble (Inter-promotional)

February: No Way Out (Smackdown)

March: Bad Blood (RAW) 

April: WrestleMania (IP)

May: Backlash (SD)

June: Judgment Day (RAW)

July: The Great American Bash (SD)

August: SummerSlam (IP)

September: Unforgiven (RAW)

October: No Mercy (SD)

November: Survivor Series (IP)

December: Armageddon (RAW)

This gives an even spread between Pay Per Views for rivalries to be built up. Removing the gimmicks also allows for said gimmick matches to appear on other PPVs to give them a selling point.

Other Small Changes

Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

LONG POND, PA - JUNE 06: WWE champion and co-grand marshal John Cena (L) and Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota, talk in Victory Lane prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 at Pocono Raceway on June 6, 2010 i

Commentary:

Following RAW this Monday, I think Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and *SPOILER* jim ross *SPOILER* would be the perfect three-man announce team for RAW.

As far as my revived ECW goes, Joey Styles and a rehired Taz worked well in the past, and would work well again.

For Smackdown Matt Striker and Josh Matthews would work well, in my opinion. Josh has good chemistry with Cole on NXT, so imagine him dealing with a better heel in Matt Striker.

General Managers:

Have them out in the open. This Anonymous GM was a bad idea from the start, as it robs the show of proper Wrestler/GM interactions.

That's It

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

LAS VEGAS - SEPTEMBER 18: WWE wrestler Triple H attends the official weigh-in for boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand Garden Arena September 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The two will fight at the MGM on September 19. (

Hope you enjoyed the read. Don't forget to leave comments/criticisms.