10 Questions About WWE Brand Split
9. What Happens To Part-Time Performers?
One major difference between the upcoming WWE Draft and the first WWE Draft from 2002 is that there are a decent number of part-time workers that WWE now utilizes. Fifteen years ago, every performer was full-time, working most house shows. The only superstars that weren't on the road were those on the injury list.
In 2016, WWE has diversified the types of contracts they work with and that now includes utilizing select talent on a part-time basis. This is usually reserved for major headliners like Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, but we've also seen upper mid-card talent like Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho receive similar treatment.
Make no mistake that RAW is and will remain WWE's premier flagship program. Because of this, most of the legends and part-timers will be on the RAW brand. As the company's most lucrative and highly rated programme, one would naturally expect the part-time stars to make their occasional appearances on Raw. However...
There may come a time when, to spike a SmackDown rating, WWE will switch it up, but it's likely to be only temporary.