The Pros and Cons of Co-Branded PPVs in 2018

This past weekend, WWE confirmed the rumor that the company will be returning to co-branded pay-per-view events after WrestleMania 34, meaning that Superstars from both Raw and SmackDown Live will be featured on each PPV event going forward.

The reactions to the announcement have been mixed, with some fans excited to see a return to co-branded PPVs, while others are not on board with the idea.

We’ve made a list of pros and cons; judge for yourself as to whether or not you think the move to co-branded PPV events is a smart one.

The Pros: 

• Only one PPV event per month. A PPV every other week is a bit much, and this schedule is not as taxing on the fans.
• The ability to pull talent from both Raw and SmackDown Live should improve the quality of the shows, as only the hottest feuds and most-over Superstars should make the PPV cards.
• Ticket sales should increase, as demand should be higher, leading to more money for the company and the performers.
• Feuds that do not make the PPV could end on Raw or SmackDown Live, potentially improving the quality of the weekly television product.
• More title matches on weekly TV. If the WWE Championship is being defended on PPV, the Universal Championship might be defended on Raw in an attempt to free up space on the card and not overwhelm fans with title matches.

The Cons: 

• Rumors are circulating that every show will be five hours long, and that is just too much wrestling for one night. Over-saturation is one of WWE’s biggest problems right now and, if this rumor is true, that problem will only be worse moving forward.
• A great deal of talent will be left off the shows. With the brand split (and two PPV events per month) a much higher percentage of talent has been getting the opportunity to perform on PPV each month. Even with the rumored extra hour, there will not be enough time to feature as much talent on PPV moving forward.
• Feuds that don’t involve a championship may have a hard time getting a spot on the PPV card. WWE has a lot of championship titles right now and it will be very difficult to feature all of the titles (and their respective divisions) on each PPV event.
• We could see a multitude of multi-man matches in an attempt to feature more talent on the card, which could get tiresome over time (e.g., 6-person tag matches on weekly TV).

How do you feel about the return of co-branded pay-per-view events? Send us your thoughts on Twitter, @TheRumbleRamble.