Five Problems The WWE's Wild Card Rule Creates

During last weeks episode of Monday night RAW Vince McMahon introduced the wildcard angle which allowed three superstars from Smackdown LIVE to also appear on RAW and the following night fans witness names from Monday nights make an appearance on the blue brand. The decision hasn’t gone down well with fans at all and with this yet another worrying sign it appears the WWE may have caused more harm than good once again.

RIP To the Recent Brand Split

The key issue the “Wild card” angle and everything we witnessed last week in the WWE creates is the feeling of the end of the brand split. Now, this is something fans have been discussing for a while with the company showing several signs that the most recent brand split hasn’t worked out the way planned, and it is in fact dying. The whole point of splitting the roster has completely faded away with the introduction of the Wild Card rule. We no longer have a set up that enables certain superstars to standout and have their moment, we don’t have the feeling of RAW and Smackdown LIVE going head to head and at this point there truly is no feeling of any form of brand split.

Damaging Momentum of Several Superstars

What was so great about re-introducing the brand split was the amount of exposer certain talent was sure to receive. This gave more names the chance to stand out, have the greater chance of receiving a push, and finally have the opportunity to take hold of more air time, the Wild Card rule has created several problems as we will discuss today arguably the strongest is removing this fantastic advantage of the brand split idea. With top talents such as Roman Reigns, Lars Sullivan and AJ Styles appearing on both shows it means talent such as Rusev, Shinsuke Nakamura, Ricochet and more are in danger of coming across less important, receiving less air time, and having the spotlight taken by a talent the WWE believes should appear on both shows.

Removing the Consistency of Storylines/Rivalries

Yet another major issue the Wild Card rule creates is the lack of consistency in storylines. While the WWE was able to use Elias’ involvement during the McIntyre/ Reigns encounter last week on RAW there was a confusing situation set up by fans. The decision to book Reigns vs McIntyre failed to draw the attention of fans as well as fit in with the show and make sense. What we will see over time from multiple storyline’s if this angle is to continue is the importance of these storyline’s decrease. If we are seeing the likes of AJ Styles on Monday in a heated feud with Seth Rollins building to a huge championship bout and then the following night on Smackdown LIVE see the phenomenal one away from this story and working a random tag team match, something is taken away and it will reach a point in which we see the same faces every week and there truly is no such thing as a brand split.

Lack of Original Content

Now, it could be argued that the Wild Card rule does, in fact, open the doors for more original content to take place with matchups we haven’t seen booked, take the Kofi Kingston, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn triple threat we saw last Tuesday as a prime example, however, in the long what we actually get is the complete opposite. The whole point of the brand split meant that the two brands went head to head and competed against one another as a result fans could very easily spot the differences between the two shows. While there was a huge focus on dramatic storyline’s, segments and bigger characters on RAW the blue brand provided fans with more wrestling and a generally stronger show. The Wild Card rule has changed things massively when it comes to this advantage. What we get is the same names on both shows (at times), similar angles and setups, and two shows that feel rather similar.

The Lack of Faith

There have been multiple rumours and new angles suggesting that one of the main reasons the WWE have introduced the wild card rule is to in ways please and make a deal with FOX and USA Network who apparently have requested the brand split ends in order to increase ratings. While this could very much be true and does indeed make sense the idea of introducing the Wild Card rule to savour ratings doesn’t sit well with me and in my opinion highlights a far greater problem. The WWE has one of the most stacked and varied rosters of all time, the names are there and it's not those names who have caused a decrease in ratings but instead the booking. It doesn’t matter if the company book the likes of Roman Reigns and AJ Styles on both shows if the general content is weak. This is an angle that could work for a couple of weeks but in the long run, will see little positive effects only highlighting the lack of faith the company have in its talent and the lazy creative work.

The Wild Card rule does, in fact, have its positives. I can understand why the WWE would look to this angle however, what this has created is a confusing situation that fans have not gotten on board with. You can throw the must-see matches at your audience as much as you like but the general content and feedback have been weak with last weeks RAW branded as one of the worse in recent memory. This, of course, is a new angle and so we do as fans have to wait and see if it works but as we have touched on today there most certainly is a lack of optimism.

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