10 WWE Stars Who Only Won Gold Because Of The Brand Split
Who has the split to thank for a title reign or two?
The WWE brand split is exciting for a whole host of reasons. The splitting of the roster into two makes for fresh matches, and for situations arising that we may not have thought likely if everyone was clumped together on one show. The glass ceiling also gets lowered slightly, and performers who may have been held down find themselves elevated to title-winning positions.
This scenario is in a perfect world of course, and such a universe simply doesn't exist, not even in fiction. The brand split ended up leading to two extremely diluted rosters, and WWE's fairly hostile behaviour towards the independent scene meant the company relied on those coming through developmental, who were very rarely ready for the big stage.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the lists of title winners in World Wrestling Entertainment throughout the 2000s. Sure, names like John Cena, Chris Jericho, and CM Punk pop up regularly, but there are also some individuals who found themselves in certain positions at certain times simply because of how thin the rosters were.
It isn't right to belittle the achievements of anyone, especially in the terrifyingly cut-throat world that is professional wrestling. Even so, decent arguments can be made that the following 10 individuals would not have won championship gold when they did if the rosters were united at the time.
God bless the brand split.
10. Ezekiel Jackson
Ezekiel Jackson had something of a knack for being the final champion. He was the final 'WWECW' Champion, and would go on to become the final WWE Intercontinental Champion of the brand split era. The truth is that a whole host of individuals won secondary championships thanks to the stretched roster across the two brands, so I shall try to keep the list to just one IC and US Champion respectively.
The Personification of Domination got something of a push in the dying days of the brand split back in 2011, breaking out from his fellow members of The Corre with freakish displays of strength that included suplexing Big Show and making The Great Khali submit in a torture rack. He would go on to defeat former stable-leader Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship at Capitol Punishment 2011.
The brand split was tailor-made for men like Ezekiel Jackson to break through and win gold, so it is no stretch to say that without it he was never going to reach the heights he did.