7 Signs WWE’s Brand Split Is Coming To An End

5. Corey Graves Replaced JBL

Corey Graves
WWE

Corey Graves was given the same 'blink and you'll miss it' treatment for his addition to the SmackDown announce crew. JBL has stepped away from the commentary table, and Graves was introduced as his straight replacement on this week's show. Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton greeted Corey like an old pal, even though he was previously competition.

Look at what has happened here. When the brand split first happened, both Saxton and Graves sat alongside Michael Cole on Raw. Now, two thirds of that trio also sit behind the desk on SmackDown, and Corey will even be pulling double duty to boot. That doesn't suggest the shows are competitive.

Sure, WWE had to make a snap decision post-JBL and Graves is a solid announcer (perhaps the best in the company right now), but a little more care for the integrity of the split might have been nice. Again, if non-wrestlers can just waltz on over to the opposite show, then what's stopping wrestlers from playing by the same rules?

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.