When Shane McMahon showed up on WWE RAW two-weeks ago and said that he wants control of the show, fans immediately began to think that the company was going to do another brand-split after WrestleMania 32 . At this point, who even knows if that’s the plan, and no one is really sure if Shane O’Mac will actually defeat Undertaker at AT&T Stadium.
WWE first attempted a brand-split in mid-2002, and at the time, it created a lot of competition within the company. In fact, SmackDown , which was considered WWE’s B-show at the time, was doing better in the ratings than RAW , which WWE chairman Vince McMahon didn’t like. So, while WWE wanted to create competition within the company, they didn’t want SmackDown to do better than RAW , which is strange because both of the shows are owned by WWE, so why would it matter if one is doing better than the other?
The brand-split officially came to an end in 2011, but it was already beginning to come to an end well-before then. After the split ended, WWE, for whatever reason, still kept two World Titles for two more years.
What will happen at @WrestleMania when @ShaneMcMahon steps inside #HellInACell with The #Undertaker ? #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/LUCx31dQ7x
— WWE WrestleMania (@WrestleMania) March 4, 2016
If WWE is planning on doing a brand-split, then Shane McMahon will end up beating Undertaker at WrestleMania 32 , and he would run RAW , while Triple H and Stephanie McMahon would presumably be the ones running SmackDown .
WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens is very much in-favor of a brand-split, saying that it would “shake things up a bit.”
On Thursday, Owens did an interview with Mundo Deportivo and Planeta Wrestling , and he said that a brand-split would create a lot of chaos within WWE, which is something that he wants to see happen.
“Yeah, I think so. I think shake things up a bit and make for some very interesting situations and interesting match-ups that would create a different feel. That is not to say that eventually if the brand-split were to happen, a couple of years down the line, mixing the rosters back up together would be interesting as well. I like when things get shaken up, I like when unexpected things happen. I feel like a brand split would be a bit of a chaotic situation, but I like chaos. I find chaos interesting and exciting.”
If WWE were to do another brand-split, then they’d almost certainly have to call several NXT stars up to the main-roster due to their lack of depth. So guys like Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, and Samoa Joe would likely all benefit from a WWE brand-split.
WWE does want to make SmackDown an A-level show, and they’ve been doing a good job with that as of late. The addition of Mauro Ranallo to the announce team has injected a lot of life into the show, as Mauro has done a great job at making every match and situation seem important, which is what the announcer’s job is.
Also, Mauro’s presence has rejuvenated Jerry “The King” Lawler, who for a long time was just going through the motions as a color-commentator. But now, it seems like “The King” cares about what’s going on again, and he’s also gone back to being a heel commentator, which is something that he’s great at.
So the SmackDown show already has a different feel to it, and if WWE did end up doing a brand-split, then it would have more of a different feel to it.
Will WWE do a brand-split? Well, as of right now, the answer is most likely no. But, if Shane McMahon does end up beating Undertaker next month, then the answer could be yes. Or, it could just be that Shane ends up controlling both shows.
(Featured image via WWE )
