Does WWE’s PPV Reduction Signal the End of the Brand Extension?

WWE is cutting the number of monthly pay-per-views but does the move mean the brand extension is coming to an end?

WWE’s recent pay-per-view schedule revision has likely caught many fans off guard. That’s because the company has held firm on the brand extension concept since July of 2016. There’s been no reason for anyone to believe that things would change now.

But while some are shaking their heads in disbelief, others have surely anticipated this move for quite some time. WWE put forth a great effort but now it could be that everything is about to change. Is the end near for WWE’s brand extension?

Logistically speaking, a change in course now would be a nightmare. Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live both feature four championships each. If the brand extension dissolves, it’s logical to assume that at least three of the eight will dissolve as well.

If that happens then WWE is right back where it was before in terms of the top guys. There are only so many Superstars on that level, which means the likelihood of anyone else breaking through to realize world title glory is slim.

Photo by WWE.com

Jinder Mahal may not have been the second coming of The Rock, but at least his ascension was something new and different. Finn Balor was a world-renowned talent, but would he have won the WWE Championship on his first try as he did with the Universal Championship?

More titles mean more opportunities. For years, fans complained that John Cena and Randy Orton dominated the main event scene and no one else really had a chance to move up. But the latest brand extension changed all of that. Will a reversal undo all of the work that’s been done?

AJ Styles is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He was regarded as the best pro wrestler in the world long before his WWE debut in Jan. 2016. But if only the WWE Championship existed in the company and Styles was surrounded by homegrown talents, would he be a two-time WWE champion?

How many times has WWE rewarded guys not created within its own universe? Featuring in semi-main events and the occasional main event is one thing. But wearing the most important championship in the industry is something else altogether.

WWE.com

What about the female Superstars of WWE? The brand extension gave them more opportunity at the top, just as it did for the men. Taking a step back now could possibly hinder the women’s division and prevent any future growth.

Tag team wrestling has undergone a renaissance as well. Several teams have given maximum effort to get each program’s titles over. WWE has a poor track record of spotlighting tag team wrestling. A change in direction could reverse any forward momentum of the tag team division.

It’s the in-ring work that matters and fans know it. Simply creating titles does not mean those titles will be valuable. But in the fans’ eyes, it also doesn’t matter if a talent is doing well; it matters if he or she is working toward the top. That’s why fans are losing patience with Balor’s booking and that’s why they would lose patience if there were less titles to earn.

A choice of titles is important. But an abundance of gold on monthly events could do more damage in the long run. Would that many titles on display in one night be white noise for fans? Or would that even matter, as long as the matches themselves are on point?

Credit: WWE.com

The main roster is rife with talent and that talent deserves the opportunity to rise up. That fact was surely not lost on WWE. The brand extension’s reintroduction was the right thing for the company to do at the time. But the new pay-per-view schedule suggests something else could be on the way.

The internal competition between Raw and SmackDown Live has been a focus since the initial split. The war between both programs has raged on, with neither side giving an inch. Are fans to now believe that both sides can coexist in the same locker room at the same time, 12 times out of the year?

If tensions between both brands continue to build each month, then eventually the situation will boil over. Raw vs. SmackDown could be the inevitable destination and that may not be a good thing. If fans see stars from both brands mix it up every month, then the novelty of the brand extension would quickly disappear. Perhaps it already has.

WWE must hook the fans and this is the key to the new schedule actually working. If the WWE faithful sees it as merely a way to make the monthly events more exciting, then the move will be a success. But if it’s a means to an end because the company is losing faith in the brand extension, it will fall apart fast.

Next: WWE SmackDown's Top 10 List A Swing And A Miss?

Too much of a good thing is often not good. In that regard, the new PPV schedule is definitely the right move. Maybe WWE has the right idea. Or maybe it will all unravel sooner rather than later.