10 Ways The Brand Split Has Changed WWE (One Year On)

4. Opportunities For New Stars

While Shane McMahon’s constant trumpeting of SmackDown as ‘the land of opportunity’ often feels disingenuous, it’s impossible to deny that the brand split has helped shoot a number of wrestlers towards the top of the card.

Braun Strowman was the Wyatt Family’s least interesting member a year ago, but he’s now the most exciting character on Raw. Jinder Mahal has gone from enhancement talent to WWE Champion in the space of a couple of months. AJ Styles became SmackDown’s ace shortly after the brand split kicked in, and The Miz was producing the best work of his career up until his switch in the Superstar Shake-Up.

These opportunities probably wouldn’t have existed if not for the split. Its advent has crowned several new champions and minted a handful of new main eventers, and for every wrestler lost in the shuffle over the past 12 months, another has surged to the top.

WWE’s problems in creating genuine era-defining stars remains, but they should be proud of the way they’ve handled guys like Braun and AJ. These performers have thrived in the spotlight, and while they may have reached their current level regardless, the increased focus has definitely helped.