Messiah wrote:I would be shocked if this doesn’t lead to SmackDown being treated as the flagship show.
It depends on what happens to Raw. Whether or not Raw changes networks, it's likely to bring in at least the same amount of television rights fees (estimated about $2m). This solidifies Smackdown as a priority, but I'm doubtful that it makes it
the priority going forward.
I'm hopeful that the deal will lead to the end of the brand split. I imagine that with that kind of money, Fox will want to see as many stars on Smackdown as possible. Which, in my opinion, would be great for the product. A larger roster means a wider variety of match-ups, stronger divisions, championships that mean more to fans, and substantially less filler.
That's really the only positive I'm taking from this though. WWE hasn't been producing a compelling product lately, and it's still making more money than ever because of the current television landscape. If they're making this kind of money from their television from 2019 on then they can do whatever bullshit they like for the foreseeable future and still be more profitable than ever, even if fans leave in droves.