10 Predictions For WWE's Brand Split 2016
The last brand split ended in failure, but will this year's be a success?
It’s hard to think of a more contentious issue among WWE fans than the brand split. Running from March 2002 all the way through to mid-2011, it was initially devised to give both Raw and Smackdown their own unique identity and attract a different type of audience to each show.
While it succeeded for a while during, the split slowly became more and more redundant as one-by-one, Smackdown’s top performers were transferred to Raw.
In 2016, WWE’s ratings are dangerously close to touching historical lows, and Smackdown’s unfortunate “B-show” image still lingers. The WWE has to do something to freshen things up and revitalise their product, and, love it or hate it, they’ve chosen to bring the brand split back.
Whether or not they’ll learn from past mistakes to ensure the splits long-term success remains to be seen, but here are 10 predictions for the WWE’s next big move.
10. Shane & Stephanie McMahon Will Each Run A Brand
WWE have been guilty of overexposing the McMahon family by having them gobble up far too much airtime over the years, but there’s been a noticeable shift since WrestleMania.
It no longer feels like WWE’s authority figures are actively dragging the show down, mainly down to The Authority disappearing from our screens, but also because they’re clearly building towards a long-term Stephanie vs. Shane showdown.
A Stephanie-headed team of Raw superstars heading into a traditional five-on-five Survivor Series match against Shane’s Smackdown just makes sense. These two are too different and too bullish to co-exist as co-GMs for much longer, and let’s face it, they’re McMahons and so they were born to trade passive-aggressive barbs on national television.
McMahon family feuds are nothing new, but this one has potential.