For almost a decade, WWE was split into two brands and then even three brands for a while as the split was in full force. Monday Night Raw was on one side. SmackDown was on another side. For a few years, ECW had even returned to have its own brand. The brand split has been dead since 2010, but rumor now has it that the return of Shane McMahon may bring it back again.
Shane McMahon’s return to WWE on Monday Night Raw brought forth a lot of rumors as to what may or may not happen. It’s already been confirmed that he will face off with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32 in a Hell in a Cell match. That much is known, but more seems to be on the way.
During the opening segment on Raw , that match was set up due to Shane telling Vince McMahon he wanted control of Monday Night Raw . Vince said that if Shane wins his match against The Undertaker, then he will get what he wants, as recapped by WWE .
It was weird during the segment as Vince also said something to the effect of Shane knowing that if someone controls Rawthen they “control all of WWE.” That is kind of a shot at SmackDown, but not really since no-one is assigned to it as their “home brand,” and it’s simply the second show of each week from WWE.
That is…for now.
PW Insider is reporting that there has actually been talk for a few months now that the brand extension could be returning to WWE. It was in place from 2002-2011, and there was even an annual draft where talent could be switched from one show to the other.
In turn, WWE could be doing a bit of a reboot since the company has seen its stock price fall, ratings, drop, and the company be “run into the ground” as Shane McMahon said. Shane-O taking control of Raw could give them a “fresh start” and change things up again.
Oh yeah, there was also this little tidbit found on the Ticketmaster website, which has since been changed, but a screenshot was already saved.
This Ticketmaster listing is pretty interesting after last night. Guessing it’s probably a mistake, but still! pic.twitter.com/kACIJyN0Ht
— Ryan Satin (@ryansatin) February 23, 2016
“ Monday Night Raw vs. WWE” is an interesting title for an event that is taking place after WrestleMania 32 and also is the night right after Extreme Rules . So far, that is the only venue that has had that description, and Ticketmaster has since changed it to just “ Monday Night Raw .”
Ticketmaster wasn’t the only site to have that wording though. AXS also had it listed as such, and as of Tuesday evening, it was still that way.
This may have been able to be seen as a glitch, but two websites have/had it listed as “ Monday Night Rawvs. WWE,” but it’s possible that one just took a cue from the other. If it wasn’t a glitch, then someone messed up and leaked a huge WWE storyline that could come into existence in the near future.
It’s really hard to think that someone updating Ticketmaster or AXS would just accidentally come up with that title on their own, but anything is possible.
With just rumors of the brand split returning to WWE, some are taking it and running with it. Some are even trying to come up with how the rosters should be split already, and none of them really are working or look too appealing.
Nothing is really known as to what results could come about from WrestleMania 32 , but if the brand extension rumors are correct, then it could get interesting. Shane McMahon may take control of one show while The Authority takes control of the other show.
It will be interesting to see how and if NXT plays into the equation at all should a brand split happen in WWE.
There is no real confirmation on WWE doing another brand split, having a draft, and separating Monday Night Raw entirely from SmackDown . The return of Shane McMahon has a lot of rumors flying and anything is possible, but nothing confirmed. Still, seeing “ Monday Night Raw vs. WWE” does make for an interesting scenario.
[Image via WWE]