Smackdown Moves to Tuesday Nights, Announces Brand Split: What It Holds for the WWE’s Future

In a huge blockbuster announcement, the WWE announced they will be moving its flagship B-show from Thursday nights to Tuesday nights in live format starting on July 19th. Not only that, it also announced they will be bringing back the brand split, and each show (RAW and Smackdown) will have its own exclusive roster, which will be settled in draft format similar to that of when the original brand split happened in 2002.

WWE fans remember the original brand extension that ran for 10 years (2002-2012). Most fans near the end of it agreed that the extension has ran its course and there was simply not enough star power to carry the two brands. With the success of NXT, recent signings and developing main event superstars, there is more than enough talent on the roster to bring it back. It’s certainly the right move and will allow current talent who are lost in the shuffle on the main roster (I.E. Tyler Breeze, Apollo Crews, Alberto Del Rio) to get a chance to showcase themselves on a larger scale.

Still, there are questions that remain which will hopefully get answered in the upcoming months. Will RAW be back to 2 hours? Will they keep Main Event and WWE Superstars as B-shows like they did with Heat and Velocity in the past? Will there be two World Champions, one for each brand? That same question can apply for the tag team and women’s division. I felt RAW should’ve been cut to two hours a long time ago, where as too much filler was taking over the show for the most part. I personally think having B-shows air exclusively on the WWE Network would be cool and harmless. Those shows are mainly used to get the live taping crowds ready and amped up for the main show, so it is useful. I personally hope they don’t have a champion for each brand and keep the titles as is. Have each champion defend on each brand, all except the IC/US titles. Have those brand exclusive, as it will help develop the mid card roster those brands a lot better as it did during the original brand extension.

All in all, this great news for the company and most fans will agree this is the right call and is a step in the right direction. Hopefully we can get a Bo Dallas, world championship run and all will be right in the wrestling world!