WWE Rumor Mill: Reason why WWE may end the brand split and combine both rosters
What’s the story?
In what may come as a big disappointment to a majority of the fans, speculation from the Wrestling Observer Radio states that WWE may end up combining the Raw and SmackDown rosters in 2019. The reason behind the potential move was also discussed in the latest edition of WOR.
In case you didn’t know…
WWE brought back the brand split in May 2016 and reinvigorated a stale product by giving SmackDown a stacked roster, a live TV slot, and a host of exclusive championships. Over the course of time, WWE worked effectively well on restoring the brand extension and kept the rosters fresh by having Superstar Shake-ups, which was essentially a modern version of the traditional draft.
All in all, the resurgence of the brand split has been received favourably well by the fans and has been a successful venture for the WWE on the long run. A superstar like AJ Styles -- who was once upon a time never expected to come to WWE -- has scripted the biggest success story in years with two solid WWE Championship reigns to his name.
Exclusive PPVs and championships reserved for each brand have shifted the spotlight onto stars that truly deserve it, and thankfully, many have risen to the occasion. The competition amongst brands has also sometimes led to solid matches and engaging programming on the whole. While the writing may still feel recycled at times, the product isn’t as bad as it used to be prior to the split.
Thus, it would indeed be a letdown if WWE merges both rosters in the forthcoming year. But what may force WWE to take the drastic step?
The heart of the matter
It was reported earlier this year in May that WWE and Fox signed a five-year deal worth $1.025 billion to feature SmackDown Live from October 2019 onwards. It seems there are concerns that Fox may pull out of the long-term deal on the basis of current ratings and if that does happen, WWE’s top brass may get into panic mode and pull the plug on the brand extension.
SmackDown will be on a primetime network next year from October next year and the chances of it tanking could push WWE to combine the rosters yet again. However, the nature of the contract between WWE and Fox is still unknown and additionally, it’s being said that it would be highly unlikely that Fox would withdraw itself from such a lucrative deal.
The worst case scenario would be that SmackDown will be moved to FS1 if it isn’t able to compete with the other primetime shows on Fridays, which is a promising sign as the brand in blue is presumed to get in solid numbers on FS1.
What’s next?
All of this is just speculation from the folks over at Wrestling Observer at the moment. Nonetheless, it would be interesting to see how the WWE management would react when their backs are against the wall; that is if SmackDown Live fails to live up its contractual expectations.
For now, WWE ought to put forth a great product to increase ratings in these testing times.
Do you think WWE should combine both its rosters? Let us know in the comments right below.