3 reasons why WWE should end the brand split after WrestleMania 35, and 3 reasons they should not
SmackDown Live and Monday Night Raw are two separate entities at the moment, but should they remain that way?
Back in 2002, WWE was encountering a unique problem.
After years of the wrestling business being red hot due to the Monday Night War--which WWE won by purchasing their rival, WCW--the fan's interest seemed to be waning. Despite being the only major promotion in the USA, WWE had failed to keep many WCW fans on board when many of that promotion's major stars failed to show up in WWE.
Also, the mere fact that there was less competition led to WWE being complacent. In order to address these issues, WWE split itself into two separate brands, Smackdown and Raw.
The brand split existed for nine years, when it was dissolved in 2011. However, the brand split was re-visited in 2016, and the Universal and WWE Championships were created as each division's top belt.
Three years later, there have been rumblings that the WWE might be moving toward ending the brand split once again. Of course, there are always such rumblings, and they aren't to be taken as gospel.
But the speculation does raise an interesting question; Should the brand split be continued after WrestleMania 35's fallout and the pending debut of SmackDown live on Fox Network?
Here are three reasons why it should continue, and three why it should not.
WWE should keep the brand split #1: Fewer stars lost in the shuffle
The WWE Roster is stacked from top to bottom with excellent wrestlers both just starting their careers and already established legends.
With names like Randy Orton, Rey Misterio, and Brock Lesnar all occupying spots on the roster, it can be difficult for other less tenured stars to make their mark.
The brand split has helped alleviate this situation somewhat, as it has allowed for more championships to be chased, and more space on the individual cards to allow wrestlers to perform. It has led to the elevation of stars like Ali and Kofi Kingston, who might not have otherwise gotten main event exposure.
Ending the brand split would create new headaches for WWE as they try to find a spot for everyone on one big roster, a daunting task indeed.