10 Post-Brand Split Wins For WWE SmackDown

10. Beating RAW In The Ratings

Thanks to a build-up of momentum and fan excitement for SmackDown’s bizarrely named Wildcard Finals, the Blue Brand managed to beat RAW in the ratings war on one solitary night in December 2016.

That might not sound like too impressive a feat, but as anyone who has played General Manager Mode on the old SmackDown vs. Raw games can attest, RAW’s ratings are a tough nut to crack.

RAW has so much more history and cachet than its sister brand, and after years of being seen as ‘the other brand’, ‘the place to watch repeats of RAW’, or ‘the brand of ill-conceived tag team matches’, it was always going to be a tall order for SmackDown to pull ahead in the ratings - but hat’s exactly what Daniel Bryan and co. did on December 27th, thanks to a show boasting the return of John Cena, as well as three title matches, including a scintillating Triple Threat contest between AJ Styles, Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler.

Things may have returned to normal the following week, but the fact that SmackDown has the potential to become a RAW-beater in the years to come is particularly impressive - especially when you consider the doom and gloom that was forecast for the blue brand following the initial draft.