WWE Confirms Brand Split And Draft, Announces SmackDown Will Be Going Live In July

WWE has just made a huge announcement. Not only will SmackDown be going live on July 19th, but it will also be moving to Tuesday nights on the USA Network. The company has also announced that a brand split is coming and a draft will be happening. They posted the following on WWE.com:

This bold move will have major ramifications for all of WWE and exemplify the New Era, as both Raw and SmackDown will each feature their own unique rosters and rivalries following an imminent Superstar draft.

“WWE’s flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV,” WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon said. “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around th­e world.”

The WWE brand split started in 2002 and a draft was held annually to determine which Superstars would go to each brand before the brand split ended in 2011. During the era of the brand split Raw and SmackDown each had their own World Championship, but the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship were unified at TLC in 2013 and WWE has only had one World Title since then.

It’s been rumored that WWE has been considered another brand split and with Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon both running Raw it seems to make more sense than ever before. It remains to be seen who will be in charge of each show, but WWE posted the following video message which features Shane McMahon and Stephanie arguing over who should be in charge of SmackDown.

Do you like the idea of the brand split returning? Who do you want to see on Raw and SmackDown? Sound off in the comments below.