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Roman Reigns shocked the world when he announced that he would be showing up on WWE RAW this week. Only, he would have two more Superstars from SmackDown Live show up alongside him, namely the WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and the former Champion, Daniel Bryan.
But then the boss Vince McMahon would announce a brand new rule that he dubbed 'The Wild Card Rule.' This essentially means that three WWE superstars from RAW can show up on SmackDown Live at any time and vice versa.
But why was this rule introduced so soon after the Superstar Shake-Up? Let me try and make sense of it all in this very article.
Let me know your thoughts and views in the comments below.
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#5 No kayfabe reason for a brand split anymore
Last year, Kurt Angle and Baron Corbin were in charge of RAW whereas Shane McMahon and Paige were in charge of SmackDown Live. It made sense that there was a sense of rivalry between the two camps, to prove which the better show was. They would compete once a year at Survivor Series to showcase which brand was more dominant.
But now the McMahons have taken over both brands and there is no kayfabe reason why the two brands should be at war, at all. In fact if anything, this move makes sense from a storyline perspective especially if you consider the fact that the McMahons will want both their brands to do well. They will want to make their top stars appear on both WWE brands.
I wonder if this is a sign that in time the brand split will also come to an end, considering the fact that the rosters are stretched far too thin. Would you be okay with that?
#4 Desperate move in light of seriously declining viewership
WWE is facing strong competition from the NBA Playoffs at this time. The viewership for this past week's episode of RAW recorded a massive low, where RAW dipped under the 2 million mark. SmackDown Live recorded a very poor number too.
It is no surprise that the numbers have declined since WrestleMania, but the amount that the numbers have fallen has been shocking. There are reports that suggest that WWE is in panic mode and they really wanted to shake things up by bringing in three top stars from SmackDown Live to RAW. The Wild Card rule may not save the declining viewership from coming to a stop, but it could certainly make things interesting over the long run.
There is no guarantee with regard to what will work and what will not when it comes to the WWE Universe. WWE's taking a chance.
#3 To reassure FOX that they've made the right investment
It is impossible to say which brand came out on top following the most recent brand split. But one thing is for sure, RAW, despite the fact that it's an hour longer, always gets the better viewership on a weekly basis.
We know that FOX wanted Ronda Rousey in their ranks and they were quite adamant about this as well, a few months ago. Well, Ronda Rousey is injured at the moment and rumors are rife that she will take a hiatus to start a family, which means that she will not be a part of SmackDown on FOX for at least a while.
So this essentially means that FOX may look at RAW and complain that they have the better roster. But this will not be the case if the Wild Card Rule is in play.
Anyone can potentially go anywhere.
#2 To book dream matches and keep the WWE Universe happy before Double or Nothing
So many promotions have come and challenged the monopoly of WWE but nobody has been able to upstage the industry leader. But the excitement about All Elite Wrestling has been palpable as so many sports entertainment fans have wanted an alternative to what they believe has become a very stale product. Their inaugural event - Double or Nothing will take place sometime later this very month.
The card is packed with a variety of dream matches ranging from Jericho vs. Omega to The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers. This is why WWE may want to book dream matches of their own to keep the audience invested. They do not want fans to move to All Elite Wrestling.
This week we saw WrestleMania rematches being booked. Going ahead, we could even see inter-brand dream matches potentially take place.
#1 The WWE SmackDown Live event this week was canceled
As reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider, a SmackDown Live Event that was scheduled to take place in Corbin, Kentucky was postponed and that was the reason why everything that happened this week actually took place.
This was the central reason why three of SmackDown Live's top stars showed up on RAW in the first place.
This may seem like a very small reason, but this was the initial spark that brought about the inception of the Wild Card Rule. It's a shame that the men and women in Corbin who were excited about the show will have to wait a while before they can catch all of their favorite WWE Superstars live.
But from their dismay could have been born a new WWE rule that will become a mainstay of WWE television in the coming weeks. Are you a fan of the Wild Card rule?
