WWE News: Big Update On Possible WWE Brand Split
With Shane McMahon’s return to WWE, there has been a lot of speculation regarding what will happen after WrestleMania 32, which is set to go down in early April. The plan is for Shane to face The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell at the event. If he wins, he will control WWE RAW. If The Undertaker wins, Vince McMahon will get whatever is supposed to be inside Shane’s lock-box. It is uncertain what could be in there, but it clearly is something worth its weight in gold if Vince wants it back so bad.
The big deal with this match is that it seems to favor Undertaker too much for him to actually win the match. It seems like an easy, clean win for The Deadman. That would be if he was facing anyone else, but this is Shane McMahon we’re talking about here. He’s like a gnat that won’t go away. Plus, as a McMahon, he always has a plan. That said, it does look like Shane will get the win at WrestleMania as of this writing.
Due to his win, his control of RAW has led some to speculate what would happen with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon and their control of the product. This has led to a thought that WWE may once again split the rosters. According to PWInsider, WWE has discussed the brand split. It is uncertain how close they are to making the brand split a reality once more. However, the fact that it is being discussed is a big deal.
WWE NXT will not be involved in the split outside of supplying talent. That means whenever WWE does the Draft, we won’t have NXT playing the old ECW role. The reason for this is because NXT has and will most likely always remain the developmental show. While it should not be called such, it is the place where talent is just getting started.
WWE is planning to do more with NXT in the coming years, but they are not planning to push it beyond WWE SmackDown or RAW. However, the plan is to tour similar to them. That means you should not expect NXT to take over for SmackDown, as the brand of SmackDown is not something WWE wants to push away. Plus, with USA Network now wanting the show, WWE has a bigger shot to make brand mean something again.
As for the roster split, the rumored idea is that we could see this happen by the summer. As of now, WWE’s summer angle will have something to do with the McMahon Family. If Shane stays beyond WrestleMania, which is rumored to be the case, then this would make sense.
As of now, Shane is playing coy when asked about his role in WWE beyond the showman side. He also said he is playing things as they come, so the way things go up until WrestleMania will determine if he will want to stay. The fans will surely pop for him. WWE will be headed into Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and finally Brooklyn. All four are huge “mark” towns that are bound to pop hard for Shane O’Mac. Shane is expected to be back by the Chicago show, and he’ll surely be praised there.
With his stay, the brand split becomes a reality. This also gives a golden opportunity to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. WWE can now allow the two of them to have ultimate freedom creatively with SmackDown while Shane and Vince control RAW. This would give the two of them a marquee show to prove to Vince that they know the product well and know what fans want without giving them the full reigns over all of the WWE.
The split is also good for the entire roster, as it gives everyone a bigger opportunity with less competition to deal with on a daily basis. The brand split has allowed the rise of the likes of John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and many more. Without it, some of those stars would have a tough time standing out over the other top stars of the day like many are suffering through now. A brand split is simply “best for business,” and WWE is smart to consider bringing it back.
[Image via WWE]
