10 Ways WWE Has Changed Since Raw 1000

10. The Brand Extension Has Returned

Look back to Raw 1000 and you'll see exactly zero mention of any divide between WWE's major shows. There was no 'Us vs. Them' falseness plaguing the product only when it suited, and the brand split of 2002 had slowly faded away in pursuit of ratings. That's why Monday nights became Raw 'Supershows', combining every asset WWE had.

The proof was in what happened mere days after Raw 1000 on SmackDown. There, The Miz retained the IC Title he had won from Christian on Raw and names like Daniel Bryan, Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio worked for the second time in the TV week. WWE were moving away from the brand split in 2012.

That's not the same now. Since 2016, Raw and SmackDown have been tweaked to reflect a 'new era'. Though true that WWE don't always stick to their own rules with this divide (they ruined it almost instantly with Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar), there is a definitive roster for Raw and one for SmackDown. That wasn't the case six years ago.