WWE could be ending its brand split soon, meaning that all superstars could be used freely on both Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown for the first time since 2016. It’s a direction that the company has been moving in since WrestleMania 38. On that night, Roman Reigns downed Brock Lesnar and unified the WWE Championship and Universal Championship to become the undisputed champion. And on the May 20 edition of SmackDown, The Usos beat RK-Bro to unify the tag-team titles as well.
This has led fans to wonder whether or not WWE is planning on ending its brand split entirely. While bigger stars like Reigns and Lesnar have floated between the red and blue brands, that same flexibility hasn’t been utilized for mid-carders or even upper-level stars who aren’t quite on the same level as someone like Reigns. A recent report indicates that this may be changing, and sooner rather than later.
On the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez stated the following about WWE’s brand split: “I mean they haven’t officially said anything, but the brand extension is essentially done. Half of the Raw crew is going to be on SmackDown Friday. Cody’s going to be there, I think Seth is going to be there. They’re just going to do whatever.“(h/t to Cultaholic.com for the transcription)
Alvarez’s statement that WWE is “just going to do whatever” will probably elicit a chuckle from longtime fans, as they know that Vince McMahon generally does this with his roster and booking anyway. Or at least it’s’ felt like it at times, with Reigns and The Bloodline faction dominating the top storylines on both Monday and Friday nights and other top draws seeing time on both Raw and SmackDown. This would still be a noteworthy departure for performers who aren’t on a Lesnar tier, however, and could significantly shake up the amount of screen time certain wrestlers and divisions are given.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this report is the idea that WWE might not make any sort of official announcement or mark the end of the brand split in any significant or meaningful way. Besides unifying the major men’s titles, at least. Based on Alvarez’s remarks, it sounds like WWE is simply just going to start using Raw superstars on Friday nights too, and SmackDown performers on Mondays. Audiences have been eased into this with Reigns appearing on various Raw segments and RK-Bro crashing SmackDown, but the likes of Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins appearing on the blue brand indicates a real shift for WWE‘s long-term booking.
Sources: Wrestling Observer Live, Cultaholic.com
