From the WWE rumour mill: Is the Brand Split coming to an end?
What's the story?
WWE's approach to pay-per-views may be changing very shortly in the future.
According to the Wrestlevotes Twitter account, from the 6th of May, Backlash pay-per-view, all of WWE's pay-per-view events going forward will be dual-branded and feature stars from both the brands of Raw and SmackDown Live.
In case you didn't know...
In 2016, after the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, WWE decided to bring back the brand split and separate the roster into exclusive stars of SmackDown Live and Monday Night Raw. Since then, other than the major pay-per-views, such as Summerslam, Wrestlemania, Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble, the two brands have had brand-exclusive pay-per-views. The pay-per-views took place regularly, sometimes as many as two in a month.
There were complains from fans that the intense schedule that WWE provided made for too much wrestling content, and repetitive matches.
The heart of the matter
According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, the Brand Exclusive pay-per-views are going to come to an end on the 6th of May on Backlash.
If this is true, then there will be no more Brand Exclusive pay-per-views after Wrestlemania, and SmackDown Live's Fastlane pay-per-view might be the last Brand Exclusive pay-per-view for the foreseeable future. According to the tweet, their sources told them that the lack of ticket sales due to repetitive matches is teh major cause behind decision.
This tweet saw controversy arise, with fans asking if this meant that the Brand Split was ending. The WrestleVotes Twitter account was quick to clarify that this was not happening. They said that the brands would continue to have separate exclusive rosters on television, and house shows would remain the same, but the pay-per-views would feature matches from both the brands.
What's next?
The number of pay-per-views had already been lowered as compared to the previous year. This change is set to take place on the 6th of May, on the Backlash pay-per-view.
If this happens, Fastlane and the Elimination Chamber are to be the last Brand Exclusive pay-per-views in WWE.
Author's take
The lightening of content may help WWE in the long run as this will see only their best feuds portrayed on their pay-per-views, and the slightly less exposure would help increase interest in the content as well.
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