According to a source that has broken WWE news in the past, the promotion might be ditching single-brand pay-per-views in the very near future.
We’re pretty far into the second big WWE brand split, one that sees Raw and Smackdown with their own rosters. The shows also have their own pay-per-view shows, except for several times a year. It’s a logical move when demand for your product warrants it.
But what if it doesn’t? Then it might make sense to do away with single-brand PPVs, and one particular wrestling Twitter feed that has broken WWE stories before is convinced that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
WrestleVotes cites a source that claims Raw and Smackdown-only PPV cards are going away in just a few months.
Starting with the Backlash PPV May 6th, all PPVs going forward will be dual branded. No more RAW or Smackdown exclusive shows. Source states repetitive matchups to fill the card along with so-so ticket sales lead to the decision.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) February 13, 2018
The weekly TV shows will not be effected.
A subsequent tweet clarified the obvious question: The brand split isn’t going away, just the individual single-brand PPVs.
On one hand, this is a completely logical step. We’ve often wondered how some of these shows were selling, because the impression is that there is definitely fat to be trimmed on the WWE’s schedule.
More from WWE
- WWE Money in the Bank 2023 live results and highlights
- WWE Money in the Bank future locations, 2024, 2025 and beyond
- How to watch WWE Money in the Bank 2023: Full streaming guide
- WWE Money in the Bank 2023 start time, match card, live stream, and how to watch
- What time is WWE Money in the Bank 2023?
The downside is that it makes the so-called Big Four shows — which were poised to become a Big Five this year since Money in the Bank is slated to feature both brands — a little less special. They were rare opportunities to see the talent from both brands collide, and now that will potentially be happening every month.
Other questions come to mind too. Will titles swap shows more often since they can be defended against literally anyone at any PPV? Might WWE execs consider going back to just one PPV card a month since there’s no reason to ever double up if every big event with be dual-branded?
Since this falls squarely into the realm of rumor and speculation for now, all we can do is say our answer is “hopefully” to both questions. Keep a careful eye out over the weeks to come, because if the Raw-only Backlash in May becomes a dual-brand show, we’ll know this is definitely the direction WWE is heading.