What if more WWE Superstars did double duty?

WWE essentially runs five separate brands, between the Raw and SmackDown main roster shows, the NXT and NXT UK developmental products, and the in between space that 205 Live covers. Oney Lorcan has recently pulled double duty working NXT and 205 Live and the wild card rule has seen a number of top main roster talents span the red and blue brands in the same week.

A part of the value of separate brands is allowing a wider array of talents to be featured, besides giving stars the opportunity to rest by only working one televised show per week. If the current trends continue, though, there’s the possibility of more Superstars pulling double duty more often.

So what if WWE did have more talents span multiple shows? This article takes a look at what that possibility might mean for WWE and the stars who might be involved in such a transition.

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#5. NXT grows deeper

Adam Cole could get some fresh challengers if more Superstars pull double duty.

NXT presents the WWE brand most conducive to talent crossovers. Unlike 205 Live, it doesn’t rest its brand on a weight class. Moreover, it’s a brand that explicitly appeals to hardcore, traditional fans and thus doesn’t have the same level of concern about appealing to the mainstream, nor as wide of a casual audience as Raw or SmackDown. Someone can reinvent himself or herself, as well as lose matches in NXT without necessarily suffering as a main roster persona.

On top of all of that, so many of today’s main roster talents have roots in NXT. As stars like Tyler Breeze and Fandango have demonstrated recently, there’s a natural avenue for an underused main roster talent to go back to developmental and pick up where they left off. With all of these considerations in mind, NXT is uniquely situated to grow deeper with a rotating cast of guests from any of the brands.

#4. A rotating cast for 205 Live

205 Live could be a beneficiary of more talent crossing brands.

While WWE seemed to originally develop 205 Live as a niche brand that would represent a different style of wrestling from Raw or SmackDown, as time has gone on, the waters have grown muddier. Is 205 Live a part of the main roster? Stars like Ali, Buddy Murphy, and Cedric Alexander have crossed over from it to the red or blue brand. Meanwhile, talents like Mike Kanellis and Kalisto have also transitioned from being more featured on other brands, to the Cruiserweight division.

If WWE were to opt to have more talents work double duty, we could expect even more fluidity for 205 Live. That move might be in the best interests of everyone involved. One of the strengths of 205 Live has been a steady stream of incoming talent, and having stars move over from other brands could further solidify the show’s unpredictability and ability to offer fresh matches.

#3. Champion vs. champion matches

More champion vs. champion matches could be on the horizon if more stars pull double duty.

Having stars work across brands invites another proposition: champion vs. champion matches with stars representing different brands. This wouldn’t be an entirely new idea for WWE.

The WrestleMania main event itself had the SmackDown and Raw Women’s Championships on the line and the night after saw Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston go head to head as Universal and WWE Champions, respectively. Nonetheless, there could be some intrigue the NXT Champion and Intercontinental Champion going head to head, or NXT UK Champion squaring off with the Cruiserweight Champ.

Champions pulling double duty probably makes more sense than any other Superstars anyway, given that they, at least on paper, represent the best that each brand has to offer. Whether titles are on the line, or its pure exhibition, the champion vs. champion matches that might follow from more Superstars pulling double duty could have a lot of potential.

#2. Short term call-ups for tag teams

More tag teams--makeshift and otherwise could enrich the main roster tag ranks with stars pulling double duty.

WWE has a checkered history in terms of how it uses and pushes tag teams. There is presently a reasonably deep roster of teams, including The Revival, The Usos, The Viking Raiders, Anderson and Gallows, Lucha House Party, Hawkins and Ryder, New Day, Heavy Machinery, and The Authors of Pain.

Nonetheless, the brand split hasn’t done either brand’s division many favors. The result is tag titles of questionable value and only a select few teams at a time considered legitimate threats to capture them.

If more Superstars were to work double duty, it would open up possibilities around bigger stars from especially the developmental brands getting temporary call ups along the lines of how Aleister Black and Ricochet first advanced the main roster as an offbeat tag team pair.

Short term runs for makeshift teams like that, as well as more traditional tag teams could help diversify the tag team pool and offer fresh matchups while WWE remains patient about bigger pushes, turns, and title changes.

#1. Top stars everywhere

Top talents like Roman Reigns could see their schedules get even busier, pulling double duty on a regular basis.

One of the dynamics that is already clear from the wild card rule is that, while the brand split may technically remain in effect for the core cast of each show, it’s top tier stars WWE will use big names more liberally across brands to draw viewership.

Roman Reigns in particular has worked a lot of consecutive Monday and Tuesday nights, and we could see a similar dynamic for someone like Johnny Gargano on NXT and 205 Live, or Velveteen Dream straddling the main roster line by making only selected appearances on Raw or SmackDown while remaining an NXT mainstay.

It’s debatable whether this is a sustainable strategy. After all, a key benefit of the brand split is bolstering longevity. A star like Seth Rollins can work TV just once a week when there’s not a PPV going on and both remain special for not being over exposed, and protect his body from extra wear and tear. Top stars pulling double duty on a regular basis could negate these effects.