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Tomorrow night marks the beginning of a new WWE PPV called Bragging Rights, and the theme of the show, not very coincidentally, can be succinctly described by the title of their new Smackdown vs. Raw video game that hit store shelves this week. Even the graphics for this pay-per-view explicitly utilize character clips from the game.

Before getting to the feud I believe is the most compelling this time around, just a quick note on the Bragging Rights concept: It has potential in the sense that the brand split can, in theory, motivate people to drop some money on a show featuring people from opposing brands facing off against one another. If this is one of the few times WWE decides to allow athletes from different brands to clash, it could be really special.

The downside is that there isn't much at stake here. As the PPV's name suggests, the only thing really up for grabs tomorrow night is the opportunity to tout one brand's dominance over the other. And that, of course, will result in perhaps one or two weeks of gloating from one side, while the other politely accepts their one-night defeat and maybe throws in a weak excuse to explain why they could not overcome the odds on "that particular night."

What is lacking are real stakes that fans can get behind and look forward to. Of course, the WWE Title being contested in an Iron Man Match is a pretty big deal with a lot of anticipation and a lot at stake. Not only is the match rare for WWE to host and not only is Randy Orton's WWE Title on the line, but if Cena loses the bout, he will be exiled from the Raw brand.

That headlining match is a good example of what WWE should have considered for the remaining card. What is the real motivation for the other matches? For the winner to get to say that their brand is superior? Perhaps it would have been a more motivating concept if the stakes were raised dramatically. What if titles were up for grabs and each brand had to worry about losing a championship? What if matches had their own unique stipulations determined by the wrestlers who were competing, similar to how Randy Orton decided what would happen if Cena lost? What if the winning brand from each match was able to draft the loser or another superstar of their choosing? What if something more than just a feeble "haha, we are better" resulted from the outcomes of matches. And why do two of the three main events (the two world title matches) have nothing to do with Smackdown vs. Raw in any way? I think the PPV has a lot of merit, but WWE could have gotten more creative in strategy and promotion.

All that said, which feud for WWE's upcoming PPV may people be most looking forward to? I think it's John Morrison vs. The Miz. The dynamics of this combination are intriguing in and of themselves. Here we have two guys from opposing brands, both of whom have plenty of charisma and skill. Each holds a relatively equivalent singles championship: it's the United States Title against the Intercontinental Title. And beyond all of that, both of them have an extensive history together as former partners in a very successful tag team that won a Slammy Award! (Oh, and I guess also tag team championships).

The story is interesting, although I'm not sure how well WWE has told it. Viewers will have to just remember some of the backstory. Both Miz and Morrison were a solid tag team. They eventually split as Miz moved over to the Raw brand, and each of them began a new journey as singles competitors. Along the way, Miz's character was propped up by some small skirmishes with top WWE babyface John Cena, while Morrison managed to slowly climb the proverbial ladder of success on Smackdown, transforming into a babyface along the way.

Now, as competing champions, both Miz and Morrison will enter the ring again, this time on opposite sides. The build-up to tomorrow's PPV was going pretty well, especially that Dirt Sheet segment on Smackdown last week where not-so-subtle insults were mutually thrown as they attempted to co-host what had been their former WWE.com hit show. But to say that they really hit it home in the final week of hype before the PPV would be a massive exaggeration. Just last night on Smackdown, Morrison, after defeating Mike Knox, got on the mic and reworded the topic of bickering he had with the Miz regarding Shawn Michaels's old tag team and claiming now that he (Morrison) is not like either Michaels or Marty Jannetty; he is just himself.

That message is fine, but maybe he should have said it last week during the Dirt Sheet segment. It felt almost like he came up with a good argument too late and decided to change his answer this week. Also, a brief post-match address in the ring didn't really hit the hype home. It felt kind of like the build-up fizzled this week after intensifying nicely on TV earlier in the feud. However, could Miz be right when he says that this match could surprisingly steal the show if given the chance, even against some very stacked main events? The ingredients are there, so you can't completely rule it out.


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