WWE FINALLY Rebooting Raw/SmackDown Roster Split?
Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff likely to remain separate brand bosses.
WWE will attempt to earnestly separate Raw and SmackDown Live yet again this October, according to Dave Meltzer's most recent Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Many have speculated on the ramifications of recent arrivals Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as Executive Directors of the red and blue brands respectively, with Meltzer suggesting that their roles will be to help re-separate the increasingly blurred lines between the two shows.
He said; "The plan right now is to go back to split rosters in October. There may be some minor crossover, but at least the idea is that it won’t be like it is now. Part of it is that Raw under Heyman and Smackdown under Bischoff will be made legit separate brands with completely different storylines as opposed to storylines played out over both shows like it is now."
The implementation of the Wild Card Rule this year had done much to dilute the split, but the constant speculation around the added importance of SmackDown Live when it moves to Fox later this year has given rise to the belief that it will become as big a priority as the Vince McMahon-favoured A-Show, even if the wrestlers themselves won't experience much change early on.
Meltzer continued, noting that; "Nothing is decided but the belief is that the current rosters will largely stay in place. There may be a few minor changes right before the move of guys switching brands, but there is thought there will only be a few and the current rosters will be largely what Raw and Smackdown will each have".
More on this, most likely, as SmackDown's October 4th launch date approaches.