5 Reasons WWE should end the brand split, and 5 they should not
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are that of the writer's and do not necessarily reflect Sportskeeda's stand on the same.
The first time WWE toyed with the idea of two brands, they had just bought out WCW.
As a final, deliberate and ultimately unbeatable move, Vince McMahon bought out his greatest rival. After three years of losing in the rating battle with Ted Turner's promotion, WWE finally managed to turn things around for themselves by taking more risks than their rivals.
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WWE pushed younger talents, like Edge, and men that WCW didn't consider championship material, like Mick Foley, were given title reigns. Also, since WCW had to keep strictly PG, the WWE pushed the envelope on violence and sexual themes, which scored well with the top wrestling audience demographic of the day, males eighteen to thirty-four.
After buying out WCW, the WWE originally toyed with the idea of keeping it around as a secondary brand. Their thinking was to continue the Monday Night War, but with one company running both shows.
The plans were derailed for several reasons, one of which was Shawn Stasiak. The son of Stan the Man Stasiak had a bad habit of mouthing off to the press, and he revealed the secret ending of the Invasion PPV during an interview. Another reason was that Vince believed WCW was a failed brand, and couldn't be made successful again.
WWE instead decided that their two weekly broadcasts, SmackDown and Raw, would become their own unique brands. Initially, the Undisputed champion would appear on both shows, while Raw and SmackDown would have their own versions of mid-card and tag team belts.
The split was eventually deemed to be a failure, since it meant certain big stars like John Cena could only appear on one show or the other. It ended in 2011...only to start back up in 2016.
Now, two years later, rumours abound that the WWE are thinking of ending the brand split for the second time. Here are five reasons why they should, and five why they should not.
Should keep split brands: Crowded roster
This one is fairly obvious; Currently, WWE has a huge roster of stars. Right now there are over two dozen former world champions in various roles on both brands. If the brand split were to end, talented men like Finn Balor would be pushed even further down the card.
And if the split ends, there will be less time for every member of the roster to shine.