What's wrong with Bragging Rights

Let me just preface this by saying that in this era of concept PPVs, I actually think Bragging Rights is one of the more unique and clever ideas. Granted, I like the brand split and I enjoy it when they do things that differentiate the brands, so I suppose that plays into this. But there are two issues that really work against making this PPV a success.

The first is the timing. This event is highlighted by a multi-person match, fought elimination style. Just one month before Survivor Series, the second longest Pay-Per-View in the company’s existence, best known for featuring such a battle. Not helping matters is that, just two months ago, SummerSlam featured a very similar main event (with many of the same competitors, no less). To tell you the truth, I think Bragging Rights would be better served shortly after WrestleMania, preferably the night before the WWE Draft.

Which brings me to the next issue: This event is immediately watered down by the fact that they really aren’t fighting over anything. Honestly, are you invested in this match knowing that they’re fighting over a big trophy? Here are just a few ideas of what they could fight over:

1) If it were held the night before the WWE Draft, perhaps this match could determine a “draft advantage.” The General Manager of the winning brand gets to hand pick somebody from the opposing brand. Or, the GM of the winning brand gets to reneg on one of their losing draft picks (this could lead to an interesting scenario where the GM prevents a trade, only to lose a bigger trade later in the night).
2) Somebody from the winning brand gets the coveted #30 spot in the Royal Rumble. Taking it one step further, they can also penalize the losing brand by forcing one of their Superstars into the #1 slot.
3) A bit tougher to plan ahead for, but the winning brand gets the main event, final match slot at WrestleMania.

Sure, those are only three ideas, and none of them are earth shattering (although I really do like the idea of moving the event immediately before the Draft, with the reward being an advantage for the winning brand), but in my opinion this show has the capabilities of being something unique and special. It’s not often that you get to see the concept of the brand extension take center stage, and it’s fun seeing enemies and those feuding with each other being forced to stand together for the “greater good.”

I don’t really have any predictions, but there are a few things I’m hoping for. I think Smackdown should get the win, despite the fact that they’ve been completely dominant throughout the build. Raw doesn’t need the protection, so allowing Smackdown to get the upper hand so completely helps them more than it could ever hurt Raw. Plus, it’ll show that the two brands aren’t just going to swap victories every year. Ideally, I’d like to see Edge and Rey Mysterio as the last men standing, although I wouldn’t be surprised if Edge is the sole survivor. If Raw wins, I could see Miz, Sheamus, and MAYBE Morrison surviving.

Oh, and I hope the Superstars show some brand pride in their attire. Edge and Kofi Kingston both utilize red in their uniforms, but since they’re on Team Smackdown, I hope they switch it to a blue alternative.

And will the show feature last year’s half-blue, half-red ring ropes, now that Raw uses white ropes???