WWE: Breaking Down the Roster at the End of the Brand Extension

The WWE roster was stacked through the late 90s, with talented stars and compelling characters filling the card from top to bottom.

Then Vince McMahon bought WCW and the roster was bursting at the seams with marketable stars.

After running the Invasion angle and incorporating ECW, Vince made a bold move in splitting his roster into two distinct brands: Raw and Smackdown. The WWE Champion would move across shows, and the U.S. and IC Titles were brand-exclusive.

Without WCW around to drive competition, Vince was set on forming competition between his own creative teams to see who could produce the best show. For the first few years, it worked. Evolution ran Raw, and while we did get some groan-inducing championship feuds between HHH and the likes of Kevin Nash and Scott Steiner, it was a focused show that developed some major stars in Batista and Orton.

Lesnar and Angle along with the vaunted Smackdown Six were the lifeblood of Thursday nights, giving a distinctly different flavor that was wrestling-based with an emphasis on tag teams and long matches.

Of course, those were the glory days of the brand extension. The last few years have been much more muddied. Characters appear on the opposing program frequently, especially top stars, who are the last ones who should be crossing over.

Many have declared the brand split dead, and I can’t really argue.

Vince said that he wanted two shows because it would give fans a reason to tune in for both shows. You have to realize that when it first began, The Rock was on Smackdown and The Undertaker (in his prime) was on Raw. Kurt Angle was on Smackdown and Rob Van Dam was on Raw.

You didn’t see them cross over, so if you wanted to see your favorites, you had to tune in for both shows. In today’s WWE, you don’t have that luxury.

All of the stars I just named are either no longer with the company or rarely appear. Let me run through the Top 10 picks in that draft. Rock, Taker, Angle, n.W.o (Nash, Hall, X-Pac), Benoit, Kane, Hogan, RVD, Billy & Chuck and Booker T.

Of those 13 performers, only nine are actively competing in a WWE ring. Booker is on commentary, Kane has a light schedule and the Rock and Taker are special attractions.

The company’s roster doesn’t have the same depth as it did before, so ending the extension is due.

While improving the overall product, it will bring its fair share of obstacles. I’ve broken down the full-roster analysis into stratified divisions to see who will benefit, who will suffer and how the change will impact the overall quality of the show.

The Main-Event Scene

Proven main-event draws, champions and title contenders are lacking in today’s WWE. This is primarily because the company has leaned so heavily on John Cena for the last six years that they’ve failed to develop any counterpoint, face or heel.

So with that, any conversation of the main event begins with John Cena.

The company’s biggest draw will, in my opinion, benefit from a shift to a single roster. There is always the fear of him being overexposed by appearing on four hours of television a week instead of two, but allowing him to drop down the card a bit, away from the title and enter into storyline-driven, personality conflict feuds that don’t involve the belt will be refreshing. For far too long has Cena held the belt or been challenging for the belt.

A distraction from the WWE Title for even six months would allow the company to build a new main draw.

In this strata is the only other proven main event draw: Randy Orton. He is the only other person who could challenge Cena pop-for-pop in any arena across the country. He has a track record as a main-eventer, pulling out strong matches and drawing a huge crowd reaction. His versatility in playing a face or heel is also important here.

If Cena were to ever turn heel, it's because Vince feels comfortable in Orton being the kid-friendly baby-face. That doesn’t mean wearing Fruity Pebble colored shirts or smiling when he cuts a promo. Kids love RKO because of his signature moveset and demeanor.

Ultimately, a single brand would require the company to drop to a single, unified WWE championship. As you can see, two belts and two true proven main-event draws is a waste. It devalues the belt.

The sport’s top prize can be rejuvenated by unifying the belt and creating better competition.

Sub-Main Event

Now this isn’t the “Upper Midcard.” I wanted to make these divisions as specific as possible so that a real pyramid develops, as it should on a roster. There should be only a select few at the very top and a growing pool toward the bottom.

There are a handful of guys who fall into this Sub-Main Event category. They are identified by their experience working the main event, their runs as a brand’s top champion, and their lack of long-term, proven drawing power.

This isn’t necessarily an indictment of their talent, but evidence of their inexperience as the company’s top draw. Honestly, in a single roster format, they may never have previously held the championship.

First, and the one most will fight me on, is CM Punk. Yes, he’s won the belt a couple of times, drawn a huge PPV number at Money in the Bank and is the show’s most compelling character at the moment, but he has yet been given the ball to run for an extended period of time.

Unlike Orton and Cena, if Punk weren’t booked strong for a few months, it would require a few months to rebuild his credibility as a top contender. However, he is the closest thing to breaking into the main-event level. I expect him to do so during the next six months and this program with HHH is what will make him a made man.

Then we have the guy who won the main event of Wrestlemania this year. Remember that? It was The Miz. I didn’t mind the finish to the show at the time, but a few months away, there is no justifying the way The Miz was made to look like a fool in the biggest match of his career.

He’s still a few matches away from reestablishing himself as a title contender, and his ability to draw massive heat on the mic makes him a quicker build, but nobody is tuning in to see The Miz. I thought about having him lower than this, but the WWE’s commitment to his character and his willingness to work tirelessly off camera and in promotional appearances make me confident he’ll remain here or move higher.

Alberto Del Rio, your current WWE Champion, has all-time great written all over him. The man is absolute gold in the ring from a technical standpoint and the ability to tell a story during a match through facial expressions and body language.

His accent is very thick and I still don’t think he has enough range on the mic to be a moneymaking promo guy, but that will come. The most critical step to him making the next step is broadening his character. He needs to be more than evil foreigner/Mexican JBL. I don’t have too many worries about that happening, though.

These three would benefit from a single roster because it would give them higher quality competition to prove themselves against. If you think about what got Orton, Cena and Batista over, it was working with the likes of HHH, Flair, Taker and Angle.

Right now, stars of that caliber don’t exist en masse, and being split into two shows makes it even more difficult. The opportunity to work with better stars will make them credible in the eyes of fans.

The Upper Midcard

On split rosters, these guys are main-eventers, but when pushed into a single roster, they fall into a place that is more comfortable at the moment. It’s a mixed bag of up-and-comers and career midcarders.

This is the crossroads of the roster where the midcard championship, preferably a unified IC/US Title, is fought over. These are also some of your best workrate guys who are competing for a chance to make it into the main event. This is where The Rock and Triple H were when they had their classic SummerSlam IC Title Ladder Match. Coincidentally, it’s where HBK and Razor Ramon were for their IC Title unification Ladder match at Wrestlemania X.

These are the proving grounds where young stars move up the card and veterans help establish them with the crowd.

I’ll begin with a veteran. Christian is a career upper-midcarder who has experienced the best year of his career. He has put on great matches with Orton and provided a viable contender to the belt on Smackdown, but on a single roster, he doesn’t quite make the cut to be a main event draw.

He may compete on TV main events and the occasional multi-man PPV title match, but he’d do wonders for the midcard championship (we’ll call it the IC Title, because WWE will not end it’s history) with an extended run as champion. This isn’t an insult to Christian, because this position is one of the most important on the card. It’s what creates the stars for the future and his expertise is invaluable in doing so.

Since turning face, Sheamus has been getting much bigger reactions than I expected. His character connects with the crowd as a rugged, no-nonsense ass-kicker and I can’t complain. He almost made it into the Sub Main Event strata, but he wouldn’t have had those title reigns on a single roster and since his face turn, he needs to be reestablished.

He has the potential to be a future main-eventer, but not yet. He can have some great power matches that would work well at this level.

Rey Mysterio is another veteran who is most comfortable in this spot. He’s permanently over with the crowd and sells massive amounts of merchandise to kids. I don’t know if he pushes the needle for TV ratings or PPV buyrates, but he can establish the young kids at this point of his career. He made Del Rio. And he put over our next guy.

Cody Rhodes is probably the surest thing as a future main-eventer the company has at this level. His development as a character and an in-ring performer during the last two years has been astounding. His recent clean victories over Zeke prove that WWE believes in him, because I was shocked at how quickly Zeke fell considering his size and Vince’s love for bodybuilders.

Cody will be a star in this industry and a long reign as IC Champion—including title defenses against the likes of Mysterio, Sheamus and Christian—would make him legit.

This one is a stretch for me, because I don’t see his current push as a long-term solution to the dearth of main-event heels, but Mark Henry falls into this level because of his ability to get people over. I’ll put Big Show here as well, because both are consistent threats to anyone on the roster at any time. Heck, let’s add Kane, while we’re at it.

While being safe go-tos for a one-month monster vs. champion storylines, they are most effective in putting over young superstars that the company wants to push with the crowd.

The Midcard

There are some names that will appear in this list that you will claim should be much higher, but as I said, I’m keeping these divisions select. For too long, some of these names have competed much higher on the card than they should.

Each has a significant flaw that keeps them from moving up. All above this level are complete performers, with the ability to work a good match and cut a promo while possessing the marketable look the WWE values.

It’s a shame he’s here, and it will be a greater shame if he ends up leaving the company because of his girlfriend, but John Morrison is a midcarder. If WWE had shown any commitment to tag teams the last few years, Morrison would have been this era’s version of Billy Gunn.

He is a great tag team wrestler with exciting offense and an understanding for how to work that style of a match. However, he can’t cut a promo, he doesn’t have a real character and he botches far too many moves to be a reliable further up the card at this point in time. He has as much potential as anyone on the roster, but right now, on a single roster, this is where he belongs.

Daniel Bryan is also a midcarder. His flaws are obvious. He doesn’t have a good look. He is undersized. He can’t (or at least hasn’t) cut a promo that sells tickets. However, he is the best in-ring worker on the roster and that pushes him up this far, where others who have so many shortcomings wouldn’t.

Bryan has massive potential if the creative staff commits to covering his flaws and accentuating his positive assets. He could easily be in the upper midcard within a year.

Dolph Ziggler has a great character and his connection with Vickie Guerrero has really elevated him. Can’t say I ever expected Nicky from the Spirit Squad to reach this level, but he has proven himself as a good, borderline great worker with a strong look. He hasn’t shown the charisma on the mic, though, to move higher up the card. With more time, he’s one of those late bloomers the company could really capitalize on if they let him keep doing what he does.

Wade Barrett had a rocket strapped to his back this time last year, and fortunately, that early fire has lessened. Barrett wasn’t ready as a worker to be a main-eventer. He didn’t have the connection with the crowd and his character wasn’t at all developed. He has great potential and I could see him moving up in the next year.

It shocks me to be able to say R-Truth is this high right now. His heel turn has changed the course of his career so significantly that he may actually someday be memorable as more than the break dancing cultural stereotype. I don’t think he’ll ever be a main-eventer, or even a sub-main-eventer, but he is a valuable piece of the puzzle right now.

Lastly, Sin Cara, or Hunico, or whoever is under the mask. The gimmick has legs because of the mystique around the character, the mask and the marketing machine the WWE has put behind him. Whether or not the character reaches the levels of Rey Mysterio are questionable, but as a high-workrate midcard act, Sin Cara has a place on the roster.

Lower Midcard

These are your curtain jerkers on PPV. At the same time, they are one of the most important pieces of the puzzle because they fill out the roster without making their part of the show feel like filler.

If these guys do their job, then we don’t have “bathroom break” matches on PPV or segments on television that significantly drop the rating. Some of the most memorable characters from the Attitude Era were lower midcarders: Val Venis, The Godfather, Crash and Hardcore Holly among others.

They can really spice up the show.

Hang me if you will IWC, but Evan Bourne is a lower midcarder. He will never be a draw as a singles wrestler because his bland character and inability to cut a promo will force him to rely on workrate to get over. In the right position, he could open a PPV, run a fast-paced seven-to-eight-minute match and electrify the crowd, setting the stage for a great show. Bourne-type wrestlers are essential to a successful show.

Kofi Kingston has floundered of late and hopefully his inclusion into the tag team ranks changes that course. I don’t see Air Boom as a long term solution, but Kingston has the tools to be higher up the card if booked properly. For now, though, this is where he sits on a single roster.

Jack Swagger is a former Heavyweight Champion. Go figure. He’s another guy with immense talent, but right now, fits here.

Alex Riley hasn’t done anything to justify a higher position. He beat up The Miz a few times in a couple of brawls, but that ship has sailed. He can cut a good enough promo, but his matches are as basic as it gets. He’s a completely replaceable piece who, if given a character, could be a successful low-card wrestler.

He could really do well with a heel turn and a return to his “Varsity Villain” character in FCW where he wore a HS Football varsity jacket and sold arrogant as well as anyone.

 

Jobbers

The rest I can’t justify placing any higher on the card. This includes comedy acts like Santino and Zack Ryder, and monsters like The Great Khali and Zeke. Justin Gabriel could break out of this if they decide to book him as so.

Tag Teams

This is the division that could flourish under a single roster. Having to fill two main events and two midcard singles titles left the company squandering for a viable tag team division. Since the belts have already been unified, that piece is already in place for a resurgence of tag teams.

As I said, Bourne and Kofi are a nice way to restart the division and establish the importance of workrate in the matches. By forming tag teams, jobbers and lower-midcard guys can more easily find a place on the card and a way to connect with the crowd. Here are a few tag teams I’d put together.

Gabriel & Bourne: While Kofi and Bourne are partners at the moment, these two fit better. Their styles work, their looks fit and since neither has an established character or gimmick, it would allow the creative staff to really build from the ground up and create something new.

Ryder & Morrison: At this point of his career, Ryder is either a comedy jobber as a singles competitor or he can be a serious threat as a tag team performer. The running gag through Z! True Long Island Story is that Ryder’s dad loves Morrison, so the two joining forces makes sense. Ryder can cut a promo and Morrison can hit his high spots.

McIntyre & Barrett: While Gabriel & Bourne are your high-flyers and Ryder & Morrison are a good balance, adding a pair of brawlers from the UK with Barrett as the mouthpiece could establish a powerful heel tag team to run the division.

The Rotundo Brothers: Husky Harris and Bo Rotundo have received strong reviews for their work in FCW. Let Husky go back to his real name, Windham Rotundo, and you have yourself a strong tandem of young, powerful second generation stars.

This column has gone on much longer than anticipated, so thank you to anyone who made it to the end. Overall, I think the company would improve by ending the brand extension and focusing on booking one roster consistently, with a renewed emphasis on the Intercontinental Championship, a dedicated tag team division and development of upper midcard and sub-main-event wrestlers into legitimate main-event draws.