Since the origin of WWE SmackDown, it was treated as a separate brand. RAW consisted of several wrestlers who didn’t compete in SmackDown and the SmackDown roster didn’t wrestle at RAWs.
There were even pay-per-views exclusive to one brand only (like RAW’s Cyber Sunday). The brand division culminated in 2012, with the start of RAW Supershow, where wrestlers from both RAW and SmackDown competed.
Fans will inevitably react favourably to a brand split. With the increase in the size of the roster, a brand split is becoming a necessity for the WWE. There is lot of speculation that the WWE may be doing a split after WrestleMania 32.
Adding to the rumours, the marketing department of the WWE has recently produced some new graphics for RAW and SmackDown, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports.
The RAW graphic features John Cena, Bray Wyatt, Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio, Nikki Bella and Charlotte featured as the top stars of RAW. The SmackDown graphics and promo contain The New Day, Dolph Ziggler, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Paige as the top superstars.
These rumours provoke the idea that the Shane McMahon angle might actually endure after WrestleMania 32 and that it isn’t a stop-gap option for John Cena’s injury.
