10 Reasons WWE Need To End The Brand Split (Again)
3. Clear Hierarchy Between RAW And SmackDown
On the 900th episode of SmackDown in 2016, the Undertaker closed out the show addressing the roster. That made sense, as during the original brand split, 'Taker was more or less synonymous with the team blue. However, during the buildup to the Royal Rumble and his 'Mania feud with Roman Reigns, he appeared exclusively on RAW. Now I get that 'Taker's a part-timer and Roman's a RAW guy, but doesn't it just feel off to have someone who was so closely linked to SmackDown being trotted out on RAW? Wouldn't SmackDown have benefitted from the ratings boost of the Undertaker?
Well, that's not what matters, apparently. Because RAW is still the A show, and thus, that's where we get all the big angles, and that's where all the marquee matches are gonna come from. Hell, even though Shinsuke Nakamura won the Royal Rumble, you know it's gonna be below Reigns/Lesnar and whatever Ronda Rousey's match is.
The brand split has done nothing to erase the idea of a hierarchy between RAW and SmackDown, and it's time WWE stop pretending otherwise.