WWE Reportedly Going Back To Split Rosters For RAW And SmackDown

The current plan is for WWE to go back to split rosters for RAW and SmackDown once the blue brand premieres on Fox on Friday, October 2, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

It was noted that there may be some minor crossover between the rosters, but the idea is that things won't be like they are right now.

The current brand split started in July of 2016, when SmackDown started airing live on Tuesday nights. The brand extension got muddled with the implementation of the Wild Card Rule in May, which was to add star power to combat declining ratings.

We've noted how WWE hired RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman and SmackDown Executive Director Eric Bischoff with the idea that the two brands would be completely separate. The idea is that there will be completely different storylines instead of storylines that play out over both shows like they do now.

While no roster changes are official as of now, it's believed that the current RAW and SmackDown rosters will remain the same, at least for the most part. The Observer noted that there may be a few minor roster changes right before things settle in, but it's believed that there won't be many roster moves and that the current rosters will be largely what RAW and SmackDown will have.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

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