8 Times WWE Ignored The Second Brand Extension

When WWE brought back the Brand Split in the summer of 2016 after a five year absence, it was under the impression that Raw and SmackDown Live would be ruthless rivals with Stephanie and Shane McMahon at the helm of each show. Now, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that the "brands" aren't actually feuding, but the company has gone out of its way to pit the programs against each other similar to during the initial extension a decade and a half ago.

However, WWE only seems to pretend the Brand Split matters when it is convenient for them, especially around Survivor Series season. Look no further than this past Monday night when the SmackDown crew invaded Raw; it was a cool visual, sure, but it would have meant so much more had they not spent the last year trading talent and doing more to build tension rather than playing buddy-buddy.

Can one really care about a show centered around "brand supremacy" when there isn't anything at stake? Where was this hostility months ago? Who should fans cheer for in all of this?

No, the second Brand Split is not yet at the point where it is beyond repair, but WWE isn't doing it any favors by continuing to render those rules irrelevant with the many questionable moves they have made as of late. If these eight instances are any indication, it may only be a matter of time before the concept is eventually abandoned once again.

There was plenty of invading going on between brands the week before Survivor Series 2016, but that made sense from a storyline standpoint because Raw and SmackDown Live were scheduled to face off in matches to determine brand supremacy that Sunday at the pay-per-view. They also felt like big deals because several of those men and women hadn't appeared on the opposite show in ages.

However, it doesn't exactly send the best message about WWE taking their second Brand Split seriously when Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar show up on the other brand literally two weeks removed from the 2016 draft. Granted, their SummerSlam match was confirmed before the Brand Extension went into effect, but it didn't get the roster split off to the strongest start.

It should be noted that this was merely a minor offense considering they didn't have much of a choice in building up this inter-promotional bout, but it was way too soon to be breaking the Brand Split rules. WWE could have avoided this mess by either putting both combatants on the same show or not booking it for the 'Biggest Party of the Summer' in the first place.