Splitting up is Hard to do . . . But it's Good For Ratings

Originally I had planned to write an article this month on the federation formerly known as the WWF's name change to World Wrestling Entertainment. But that seemed kind of . . . stupid.

However, this new name in place, the roster split full-on and seemingly permanent, I had a brainstorm.

The McMahon-owned federation has had an advantage over all other wrestling leagues since the 80s, when Vince, Jr. took over and changed the World Wide Wrestling Federation from a local, east coast-based league to a, well, world-wide phenomenon. With the exception of the early 90s and the height of Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling, the WWF has always been the biggest name in the sport of pro-wrestling. It's one of the few that reaches a global audience. With the demise of WCW, WWF became the federation with the largest viable budget for salaries and promotion. It is, to be blunt, a titan.

However, ratings continue to slump, and the writers are running around like decapitated chickens trying to figure out how to bring them back up. Management is keeping a close watch on the WWA, NWA: TNA, XWF and other newcomers for fear of them pulling a Ted Turner. What they don't realize is that they already hold in their hands the ingredients necessary to destroy the competition, and it isn't the greenery.

After the World Wildlife Fund locked its claws in the WWF name and logo, McMahon and Co. engaged Plan B and changed the name to World Wrestling Entertainment. This officially takes the company away from the limitation that it is only a federation, and allows it to more fully incorporate such entities as the recording division Smackdown Records, the clothing line and its MTV-aired reality series Tough Enough, which is already gearing up for a third season.

Also, it has been well-documented that their Thursday night UPN show, Smackdown has the stronger roster and is garnering better ratings than Raw, the Monday show on TNN. The division between the two shows is severe, and the only connection is Undisputed WWE Championship title, the WWE Women's Championship and the staff writers. Even the on-air owners are different.

What I'm suggesting that will secure World Wrestling Entertainment's position as top dog among leagues is double their pull. In other worlds, make Smackdown and Raw two completely different federations! Each should have their own title belt in addition to distinct sub-division titles, writers and storylines, apparel and league name. The Cruiserweight and Tag Team divisions can remain Smackdown, while the Hardcore and Intercontinental titles will remain on Raw. However each will have their own Women's and World Championship titles.

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