WWE: New details about the upcoming brand division
We mentioned yesterday in SÚPER LUCHAS that the informative bomb of the year (so far) in WWE continues to generate new information that updates, complements or denies what has been known in the last 48 hours. Nothing can be asserted for sure at the moment, except the two basic news from which the rest have emerged, as they are the only ones now confirmed by the company itself: the imminent separation of brands and the live broadcast of SmackDown starting on July 19 on USA Network.
Dave Meltzer becomes these days the most prolific source of news to try to give us an idea of what this new movement will bring. In yesterday's episode of Wrestling Observer Live, the New York journalist shared with fans new details about the brand division, according to backstage comments and sources he trusts. The most relevant information released yesterday was that Raw and SmackDown will be clearly differentiated and independent shows, with the exception of two appointments per season.
According to Meltzer, WWE plans to establish two major episodes of Raw each year that will include the entire roster of the company. One of these episodes will take place the day after WWE SummerSlam and the other will be set for the day after WrestleMania. Could these "Super Raws" be used as the setting for an annual draft, or will they only serve as a showcase after the most important events of the year? It is predictable that the uniqueness of these appointments will increase ratings, ensuring a large audience at least twice a season.
Shawn Michaels says goodbye to fans in the Monday Night Raw held the day after WrestleMania XXVI / WWE ©
More about the topic. Each PPV will be mixed, that is, it will unite both brands, counting on the commentators from each corresponding show and also in terms of the lineups. Therefore, it does not seem that WWE will make a drastic turn in its policy regarding its flagship programming (the pay-per-view events).
Under the previous separation, which lasted from 2002 to 2011, and despite having many joint PPVs, we could also see many exclusive ones for each brand. Let's remember New Year's Revolution (from 2005 to 2007), exclusive to Raw. Or Judgment Day (from 2003 to 2006), specific to SmackDown. This time, it seems that Vince McMahon does not want to show such a strong confidence, at least for now, in either of the two factions.