8 Times WWE Hit The 'Reset' Button

7. The Original Brand Extension

Vince Reset Button
WWE Network

The Monday Night Wars ended not so much with an unconditional surrender, but with WWE's complete liquidisation of their enemy, importing just about every contract beyond a certain set of priced-out generals.

With the whole 'Invasion' hastily botched, the company was left with a roster replete with wrestling refugees but very few places to house them. The solution, then, was to fundamentally alter their entire business model such that Raw and SmackDown would become entirely separate entities, each with their own roll call of wrestlers. Storylines would be restricted to either show, as would championships - which would now necessarily be doubled. It was the most drastic change to the fabric of WWE since, well, ever.

A selection pitting Vince McMahon and Ric Flair was held in March 2002 to determine the rotas of WWE's employees, throwing up the bizarre sight of 'Hollywood' Hogan slumming it amidst the jobbers. Meanwhile, Undisputed Champion Triple H was exempt from the draft, with the original intention to have the title holder float between brands. Ultimately, that didn't happen, and it was of course Hunter himself who was awarded the Raw specific World Heavyweight Championship the following September.

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Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.