WWE Rumors: Backstage update on the future of the brand split and possibility of another draft before SmackDown moves to FOX

What's the story?

As reported earlier by Sportskeeda's Tom Colohue, it looks like WWE are not planning to continue with the Wild Card rule and will stick to the brand split after SmackDown moves to FOX in October.

Dave Meltzer has now stated that WWE is planning to keep the brand split as it is right now even though some tweaks to the rosters can be expected, but the rosters right now will still be the same when the show moves to Fox.

In case you didn't know...

While WWE maintains that the rosters for RAW and SmackDown are separate, the recently introduced Wild Card Rule allows Superstars from one brand to appear and compete for the other brand, which has severely blurred the brand split.

It was speculated that one of the reasons behind the Wild Card rule was FOX demanding more top Superstars appearing on SmackDown. However, Tom Colohue had reported that WWE will be doing away with this rule after SummerSlam and Superstars will stick to their brands going forward.

The heart of the matter

As per the Wrestling Observer Radio (via Lordsofpain), the idea is to present RAW and SmackDown as completely different entities being headed by Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff respectively. Both shows will feature separate rosters, presentation, and storylines.

It was also reported that we may see some Superstars traded between the brands to equalize the star power, but there are no plans for a full draft anytime soon. This comes as great news as more Superstars will get an opportunity to shine on their respective brands.

What's next?

SmackDown will find a new home on FOX in October 2019. Do you think it is a good idea to remove the Wild Card Rule?