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The WWE created the brand extension with the sole purpose of trying to create multiple stars at once.
There was also an attempt to give it the feel of having some form of competition exist since the demise of WCW.
Raw and Smackdown were initially going to be used as promotions with storyline General Managers but the problem was that people knew it was all WWE. In the sense, it was an interesting idea on paper but in reality, it was really not something that can be used to build stars up.

Sure, there are guys in the Main Event that would get TV time but there is a different between wrestlers at the top of the card and below. If anything, the tag team division has really suffered the most because of the split roster because there is no luxury of it being a potential option to help build talent up. There are simply no real tag teams anymore and it has seen a very weak tag team division but in reality there are two divisions.

Championship wise, there were eight titles but now there are nine because of WWE having a second Woman's Title and bringing in the ECW brand with its own title being the ECW Championship.
No performer has to wait as it is extremely easy to be a top star. The more World Titles out there, the more likely it is to see wrestlers get to the top without having that road that used to exist.

It is understandable on why it was done but it should have been done better looking back on it. An attempt would be having the ECW brand just branch off and be its own promotion being like a minor league promotion for talent with a TV deal in place so people can watch right now.

Sure, it would mean fewer crossovers, but at the same time would be used in the way it needs to be used, develop talent. Sure, it would be the use of having a couple championships extra like a TV and Tag but it would be worth it if you can form tag teams. Have Vince McMahon be the financial backer of it and have someone actually own it. That may be the only way for the ECW brand to really be looked at differently.

It does come down to point of view on that and while there is a case for it to be considered successful, it isn't completely in the way that it was intended to be. Anymore, watching Raw lately it does seem to have some interaction with Smackdown and almost fazing it out of the picture.

In reality, all it did was simply make it too easy for talent to get to the top and just the impact has not worked out. In the sense, it really wasn't the big success that it was intending to be. That is why it may be considered to a degree somewhat of a bad thing.

Learn more about this author, Bruce Bostwick.
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