3 things WWE did this week to secretly hint the end of brand split (4th and 5th June 2019)

It has hardly been 3 years since WWE brought back the brand split and divided their main roster into two. The blue brand, SmackDown, was moved from Friday to air live on Tuesday nights with fresh faces and fresh feuds. In the first year of the brand split, we witnessed some exciting rivalries on SmackDown Live, with the feuds featuring Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles and John Cena topping the list.

In 2016, WWE announced that WWE Survivor Series will be the only night of the year where RAW and SmackDown Live will collide in head to head competition but Vince McMahon recently introduced the Wild Card rule which has effectively changed the narrative.

Also Read - 5 superstars who joined SmackDown Live in 2016 and have never changed brands since

The same superstars are appearing on both the shows and it seems like 2015-16 all over again. In this article, I present 3 things WWE did to give the fans an indication that the brand split will end soon -

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#3 SIX Wild Cards appear on RAW

Vince McMahon had stated that any 4 superstars of either brand will be invited to the opposite brand under the Wild Card rule every week.

But, on this week's RAW episode, we had Roman Reigns, Lars Sullivan, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Charlotte Flair and Randy Orton - a total 6 Wild Cards on RAW. Also, the entire focus of both RAW and SmackDown Live is on the feud between Roman Reigns and Shane McMahon. Last week, eight SmackDown Live superstars had appeared on RAW.

Also Read - 7 WWE Superstars who joined RAW in 2016 and have never switched brands ever since

Thus, it looks like WWE has completely given up on the brand split and now wants the same bunch of superstars to appear on both weekly episodes.

#2 Two RAW vs SmackDown feuds in the women's division

WWE had broken the 'brands clash only at Survivor Series' tradition last week when they announced a 3-on-1 handicap match between SmackDown Live's Lars Sullivan and the Lucha House Party of RAW. It seemed like a one-off feud but now, WWE has initiated two RAW vs SmackDown feuds on WWE TV. It was inevitable after the Wild Card Rule was introduced.

First, they have ignited a rivalry between the Queen of Tuesday nights Charlotte Flair and the Lady of RAW, Lacey Evans with insufficient build-up.

Also Read - 3 reasons why WWE booking a 'Charlotte Flair vs Lacey Evans' feud is a huge mistake

And, on the episode of SmackDown Live, they crowned RAW's Alexa Bliss as the new #1 contender to the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Charlotte and Carmella also competed in the match to determine Bayley's challenger - if WWE did not want either of them in the title picture, they could have given this spotlight to someone like Ember Moon, Mickie James or even Liv Morgan.

Given the way things have panned out in the last two weeks, I feel we will be witnessing multiple RAW vs SmackDown matches at WWE Stomping Grounds, and this was a big hint about the brand split's end.

#1 RAW superstars as Lumberjacks

This was perhaps the biggest hint that WWE gave this week to its fans about the end of brand split. Even though the 24/7 Championship is eligible to be contested across all platforms of WWE, having RAW superstars show up on their rival brand as Lumberjacks for a 24/7 championship match is overkill; it kills any continuity to the Wild Card Rule. We had the likes of Robert Roode, Titus O' Neil, No Way Jose, Mojo Rawley, EC III and Cedric Alexander from the flagship show appear as Lumberjacks.

Have a look...

In fact, there were fewer SmackDown Live superstars surrounding the ring than their RAW counterparts. More importantly, there is no shortage of SmackDown Live superstars who could have filled in. They have the Colons, Rusev, Shinsuke Nakamura, Buddy Murphy, Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe and others who could have taken up the role of Lumberjacks.

However, WWE decided against it. There is no longer a point to the brand split, and this is only creating confusion. We can expect the brand split to end once SmackDown moves to FOX.