WWE: Ending Wild Card Rule opens the door to endless possibilities

The WWE Wild Card Rule was a bad idea from the start and finally focusing on the brand split is the change we’ve all waited to happen.

WWE is amid a time in which it has the most talented roster in the promotion’s long history. Still, WWE Creative has struggled to utilize those independent contractors to the fullest. The Wild Card rule furthered those issues as more time was dedicated to the same faces on both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live. According to Tom Colohue of Sportskeeda, that “rule” is set to expire after SummerSlam and getting rid of that rule couldn’t come at a better time.

The Wild Card Rule was instituted earlier this year as an idea by Vince McMahon to bring popular wrestlers to both brands. This was a move that was meant to have a positive impact on the struggling ratings of both shows, but instead the exact opposite happened.

Ratings continued to drop as names like Kofi Kingston, Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns and especially Shane McMahon were grossly over-exposed. The Wild Card Rule made the decision to split the brands and the Superstar Shakeup completely obsolete.

The rule going away creates an air of opportunity for many men and women on the roster at a time in which the WWE needs to showcase their depth that can overshadow any of their competitors across the industry.

The time between SummerSlam and WrestleMania is an important time not only for the WWE, but for the entire industry. It sets the tone for the next year and helps build up new stars; many of whom come from cult risings due to support from the fan base. The Wild Card Rule was killing any opportunity for this to happen and turning fans off to mainstream WWE content. There are a lot of men and women who were stuck in catering who should flourish under the new direction of Executive Directors Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff.

Competitors such as Robert Roode, EC3, Buddy Murphy, Sarah Logan, Dana Brooke and others may find themselves in a situation in which they get on-air time that has eluded them in the past. In recent months, multiple wrestlers were called up from NXT only to find their introduction to the main roster botched so badly that all momentum was killed. While this is another issue, the Wild Card Rule certainly didn’t help matters in any way.

With a need to fill so much content on a weekly basis, leveraging the whole roster will only benefit everyone involved. Men such as Roode, EC3, Eric Young and others have shown that they can be strong draws when given the opportunity to excel. Liv Morgan is another name that many have their eye on as she’s attempting to break out from her role on the Riott Squad; very similar to the way that Carmella broke out as the third wheel with Enzo and Cass years prior.

Keeping the brands apart also creates a space for competition between the same shows. Internal competition is a healthy practice. Keeping teams led by Bischoff and Heyman separate builds an opening for both brands to look to “one up” each other.

Creative angles, fresh match ups and new faces sets up an enjoyable atmosphere that has the potential to positively impact both ratings and fan interest. With SmackDown Live heading to Fox in the fall one should also expect this brand to be built as more of an equal to Raw, rather than the “B” show.

This is the time in which the WWE needs all three of those things at once, because without them, they are putting their product behind the upcoming challenge that is All Elite Wrestling.

The WWE Wild Card Rule was a bad idea from the very start. Featuring the same faces on two shows, night after night was not what wrestling fans wanted to see. With the rule going away after SummerSlam, the door is now open for a creative take on WWE content with the most talented roster ever created under their banner.

This is what professional wrestling fans sign up for whenever they tune in and here’s to the new opportunities that we will all enjoy once this rule is in the rear-view mirror.