10 Times WWE Immediately Broke Its Own Rules

7. Merging The Brand Split AGAIN In 2019

Becky Lynch
WWE.com

After the disasters that were WWE's various, retconned attempts at a Superstar Shake-Up, and the resulting, drastically unpopular Wild Card Rule, the company under orders from Fox and the USA Network once more attempted to separate the mammoth roster.

The idea was to furnish both RAW and SmackDown with unique selling points so as to not over-expose the talent in the form of a more sports-oriented "Draft," which was overseen in part by a robot, but never mind.

WWE undermined the idea almost immediately.

"Oh Vince, can't you go five seconds without humiliating yourself?"

*Vince's braces unclip instantly, and his trousers fall to the ground*

"How long was that?

Heavy Machinery, part of the pool to be drafted on Monday Night RAW, were instead drafted three days earlier on SmackDown. A mere admin headache, perhaps, but WWE wilfully destroyed the integrity of the Draft soon enough - for absolutely no reason. SmackDown's Sami Zayn quickly appeared on RAW as Mojo Rawley's new manager, citing his license as an excuse. This development lasted all of a night. Brock Lesnar meanwhile jumped to RAW by himself because, in storylines, he can do as he wishes. The Singh Brothers bounce around from NXT to RAW and vice versa. Chelsea Green debuted on RAW, and then re-debuted on NXT with no explanation.

What's happening with 205 Live is anybody's guess. Ariya Daivari is exclusive to a brand that elsewhere is another hour of NXT, only nobody cares - including WWE.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!