7 Things That Must Happen For A WWE Brand Split To Work
3. No Switching Shows Without Reason
The entire purpose of the Brand Split is to keep the Superstars of Raw and SmackDown as separate as possible. Once they start interacting with each other every other week, the Brand Extension will meet its demise the same way it did the first time around.
From 2002 to 2005, there were very few occasions (outside of cross-promotional pay-per-views) where Raw and SmackDown stars crossed paths. That must be the case once again.
The Draft is among WWE's most exciting and unpredictable events of the year, so when it's brought back, it should be a fun night. But back when the Brand Split was still in effect, Superstars would either get drafted to Raw or SmackDown only to return to their previous show not long after. Again, it begs the question of why a draft is held in the first place if wrestlers are going to sign with whomever they please for no rhyme or reason.
It would be fine for the general managers to make trades every once in a while, but Superstars switching shows will ruin the Brand Split before it even begins. When the wrestlers do eventually clash, it will feel like a major happening, and pay-per-views such as Survivor Series and possibly a returning Bragging Rights would be more meaningful as a result.