10 Rules WWE Must Follow For A New Brand Extension

Ever since Shane McMahon returned to WWE TV on Raw and announced that he wanted control of the show, rumors have been swirling that the company is considering reinstituting a brand extension. PWInsider's Mike Johnson is reporting that there have been internal talks in that direction for weeks, and while an event originally scheduled as "Monday Night Raw vs. WWE" on Ticketmaster has since been corrected, speculation is still running rampant. The original brand extension, which ran from 2002 to 2011, was a success in some ways and a failure in others. At its best, the split gave each show a different feel and allowed undercard talent to rise to higher positions on each brand. At its worst, though, it treated Smackdown! as little more than a feeder system for Raw and lowered the importance of championships by introducing so many of them. Even though WWE's roster is much smaller than it was the last time the company attempted to divide it, there's no reason why a new extension can't work. Talent like Tyler Breeze and Neville prove that there are more interesting workers than there are spots for them, and giving the show its own roster would give Smackdown! a much-needed purpose. It has to be done right, though, or it will flop terribly. With that in mind, here are 10 rules WWE would need to follow in order to introduce a successful brand extension.