10 Best Split-Brand Pay-Per-Views In WWE History

On Sunday, WWE presents Backlash, the first split-brand pay-per-view of the new brand extension. That show, which will exclusively feature Smackdown talent, is to be headlined by WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose defending his title against AJ Styles.

Backlash may be notable for many reasons, but it's not the first time WWE has run a brand-exclusive PPV event. From 2003 to 2007, the company's so-called "B-show" PPVs were split across Raw/Smackdown lines, meaning that only WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble could feature the entire WWE roster.

Without the risk of overexposing talent as quickly, WWE was able to expand the PPV calendar, featuring a record high 16 shows in 2006.

Eventually, the business model proved to be untenable. Fans didn't want to purchase expensive shows with only three weeks' break, and cards didn't sell as well as they would have with all of the roster's stars. Thought the brand split lasted until 2011, the split PPVs ended four years earlier.

This time, PPV isn't an issue - fans subscribe to the WWE Network for a flat fee, so there's no risk of over-saturating the market or demanding too much money. In 2017, WWE will run 19 PPVs a year, shattering the old record.

Still, to make sure the endeavour is a success, it would behoove the company to look back at some of the best single-brand PPVs of the split era. Building strong midcard programs and promoting hot matches are essential, as these 10 best split-brand PPVs in WWE history prove.

In the summer of 2004, Chris Benoit was the World Heavyweight Champion, but it was still Triple H who headlined Raw brand PPVs. At Vengeance, though, Triple H got a title shot, so it was back to the top of the card for the champ.

The match between the two men wasn't their best one-on-one bout (and the interference-based finish left a lot to be desired), but it was still a solid main event during a time when JBL was ruining the top of the card on Smackdown.

Perhaps more notable, though, was the Intercontinental Title match between Randy Orton and Edge. Orton - who would capture the World Heavyweight Title from Benoit one month later at SummerSlam - may have come up short, but both guys showed why they would soon become two of the stars around whom the company would be built.

Those bouts, plus a strong number one contendership match for the Women's Title in the form of Victoria versus Molly Holly, make this show a modest winner from a several-month span when WWE was consistently failing to deliver on PPV.