10 Mistakes WWE Is Repeating With The Current Brand Split

5. Two World Champions

Authority Figures Raw And Smackdown
WWE.com

The idea behind the addition of multiple championships is that each show would be on somewhat equal footing. RAW has the "extra" Cruiserweight title because it carries an "extra" hour of television time, but one of the biggest moves WWE made regarding the brand split was creating 2 world championships.

For as long as the company had been in business, from the WWWF to WWF and now WWE, there's only ever been one world champion. That was, until 2002.

In 2002, Brock Lesnar was the Undisputed WWE Champion but was made exclusive to SmackDown shortly after SummerSlam. This created a void at the top of the RAW roster and WWE decided to bring back the WCW Championship belt, calling it the "World Championship".

Fast forward to 2013 and the titles were merged, creating the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Another 3 years later, WWE would once again make SmackDown the exclusive home for the WWE Champion and leave RAW without a major championship.

The only difference between the brand split today vs. the brand split from '02 is the name of RAW's championship. WWE commissioned the "Universal Championship" for RAW's top prize in August 2016, and with it a brand new lineage of a pro-wrestling world title.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.