Twilling's Blog Twilling's Blog: Is WWE responsible for both Raw and Smackdown? If so, why is one show so good and the other so bad? By Rich Twilling May 26, 2009 - 12:13 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Dot Net is now on Twitter. Sign up for regular updates at Prowrestlingnet (no, the dot is not included in the name). Get brief news with quick links to major stories by visiting Twitter.com/prowrestlingnet. Tuesday, MAY 26 – 12:13 PM (CT) -Although it is my own fault, I am exhausted today. Two nights ago, I was only able to score about two hours of sleep. Instead of making up for it last night, I willingly stayed up very late again. Part of the reason for that was something very positive, and the other part was overwhelmingly negative. Of course, the negative portion of my night can be solely attributed to WWE Raw. I remember when ECW on SciFi debuted and the few weeks that followed. Besides pretty much everyone being up in arms over the new ECW being nothing like the old ECW, the general theme was, "it is just another WWE show." The brand extension has produced three distinct shows, but they were all basically the same. Fast forward to now and via accident, WWE does have three distinct brands, but this is not what they were going for. I wonder how (and if) the same company that produces Raw does so for Smackdown and ECW. Smackdown is a great show, ECW is a good show, and Raw, well, sucks. I do not recall a time (recently) where the show was this horrible. You can insert your own joke here. WWE fans want to go Oedipus Rex on themselves. Stevie Wonder is glad he is blind so he doesn't have to watch this crap. Having Kane pull out your eyeball (like he does in See No Evil) so you don't have to watch is a pleasant thought. I could go on and on. Leading up to and after the WWE Draft, Raw was supposed to be the loaded show. Immediately after the draft, I looked over at the new Smackdown roster and felt it was the loaded show. I was right. Edge, Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, and John Morrison are tearing it up on Friday night. On Raw, a babyface Vince McMahon is bullying a Stan Kroenke impersonator. Been on vacation and do not know who Kroenke is? Don't feel bad; nobody gives a shit who he is. Raw is not without its strong points. However, once you eliminated the words "The" and "Miz," you are pretty much left with, "Randy Orton is okay too, I guess." After the Denver Debacle, Raw (and more specifically, Vince and WWE) was all over the mainstream media. Last night's show was an opportunity to right the ship. However, it is impossible to right the ship when the Captain is drunk and refuses to read a map. One of the biggest complaints about Raw is the fact that John Cena is oversaturated. Well, don't look now, but Triple H will be back soon. On top of that, WWE will probably say, "This show has been terrible since H went out; let's make him the top guy again." For the record, I am a Triple H fan. I respect his passion and hard work. I think he is a perennial main event guy, but there are ways to make someone interesting without alienating the fan base. Look at Edge. He has been in the title picture forever on Smackdown and nobody complains about him needing to go away. Mr. Kennedy returned last night. He was great on the mic and for the first time in two years, he interested me, and this is coming from someone who was looking forward to him ascending to main event status. I hope his return and MVP's pinfall in last night's main event are a sign of things to come. You have to crawl before you walk. In Raw's case, accidentally falling forward would be a welcome change of direction. -By the way, from the "better late than never" file, just wanted to wish Sorena a happy belated birthday! HELP SUPPORT DOT NET! 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