It's a tale of two siblings, vying for brand supremacy. In the red corner, standing 5'9", weighing in at 145 pounds, representing Raw, we have the evil princess herself, Stephanie McMahon-Levesque.
In the blue corner, standing 6'2", weighing in at at 235 pounds, carrying the weight of the Blue Brand’s uphill journey on his shoulders...Shane "The Skydiver" McMahon.
I can only imagine what it must've been like to grow up in the Vincent Kennedy McMahon household. Competition was likely a common theme between Shane and baby sister Stephanie. Once the pair became old enough, we slowly began seeing them more and more on WWE programming.
Eventually, Shane-O-Mac and The Billion Dollar Princess became just as well known as top-tier talent. To their respective credit, both received a serious dose of on-the-job training.
As time progressed, so to did their careers in professional wrestling.
Being a McMahon, it gave them a head-start that practically no one will ever be able to enjoy and everything they've done, everything they've accomplished has led them right up to where we are today, with a head-to-head ratings battle looming.
If history is the key indicator in this newly revived sibling war, Steph has the clear advantage. She's being given the keys to the flagship brand. Raw is and could very well always remain the go-to brand for all fans.
From the casual fan who only watches on random occasions, all the way up to the die-hard WWE fanatic who would auction off their first born before they'd miss a single episode, they all have that undeniable, inadvertent loyalty to Monday Night Raw.
Monday nights have become synonymous with wrestling, the same way that very same night is important for football fans. Simply put, a vast majority of WWE fans get their fix on Monday nights. Regardless if it's Stephanie in charge, or Peter Pan running the show, millions of eyes will be on Monday Night Raw.
So, with all of this talk about how mighty the Monday Night ship is, where does this leave Shane and his Blue boys?
Is the pie big enough for both brands to share equal success? Well, that's a simple question, which has a complicated answer.
The short response is yes. Sure, Shane could pull off a huge upset and topple the Monday Night juggernaut. It would be an impressive feat, but it could certainly be done. It's been a while since Smackdown legitimately competed with Raw in overall ratings, but it has been done.
However, unless several key items are addressed, Shane is fighting a tremendous uphill battle.
At the end of the day, the real struggle goes on within the walls of WWE's creative team. They're the ones who have to contend with the challenge of making sure that at the end of the day, both siblings come out looking like rockstars.
Stephanie and Shane McMahon are both outstanding performers.
Each of the two possesses individual strengths and qualities that the other may fall short in. While Steph is the better overall storyteller of the two, Shane has that proverbial "it factor" which is what keeps him so popular among the fan base.
Just as his sister has the ability to instantly ability to make the whole world loathe her sight, Shane is capable of igniting that very same audience and creating a buzz like no other.
In a perfect world, Raw gets trimmed back to two hours and Smackdown remains the same, as far as the time format. While I'm sure some of the younger fans will not agree with that notion, it's simply the best move at this point.
The last thing we need is a show full of backstage interviews and 20 minute in-ring promos. Raw is a more exciting and meaningful experience, when it's a two hour live show.
Another secret to Smackdown’s potential success, could be something to do with identity.
Once upon a time, Raw and Smackdown didn't share the same entrance stage set-up, they didn't have the same jumbotron and they just didn't have the same vibe as Raw.
Today, both shows mirror one another.
The only thing that changes between shows, is the color of the ring apron. Remember the days of the jumbo fist protruding from the backdrop? Remember how incredible that looked?
It had its own identity and just those simple, subtle changes can make for a much more aesthetically appealing program, which results in more eyes on the show, which results in the ratings Shane McMahon needs in order to make his brand a legit competitor in this most unique rivalry.
Well, who comes out on top? When the history books are re-written, how will this story play out from the 2016 draft and brand-split?
Will it be Stephanie McMahon as the reigning queen of the sibling feud? Or, will Shane bring Smackdown from the ashes and return the show to its Attitude Era-type of relevance?
Honestly, I don't see this ending with one brand basking in its own reflected glory. I see this ending with a ton of superstars getting to showcase their talents in ways once impossible, due to an overloaded roster and lack of opportunities.
This is an exciting time in which more than one person can be a winner and more than one brand can make significant strides to better the overall product.
In the end, it is possible that either Raw or Smackdown will be declared as the winner of some sort of ratings feud. However, the other real possibility is that in the end, the WWE Universe will be the true victors.
There is that chance that an entire company rethinks the way they do business and becomes a more complete brand as a whole. It's not about Raw vs. Smackdown. It's about WWE vs. The past and learning a thing or two from some of the ill-advised decisions that decreased the value of the entire product.
If that indeed does happen, everyone, including BOTH Stephanie and Shane will be true winners in the end.
