September 20 Raw Ratings Could Reportedly Change WWE Brand Split Rules

A larger television rating that usual for the September 20 episode of Monday Night Raw could lead to WWE making a change to their own rules around the brand split.

Since 2016, WWE have operated a split roster across Raw and SmackDown, a rule that was reinforced in 2019 after the blue brand agreed a partnership deal with television company FOX.

WWE's next draft, and subsequent shake-up of the standing rosters, is planned to begin on the Friday 1 October SmackDown but according to WrestleVotes, the rules of the brand split could be set to change.

The September 20 episode of Raw featured SmackDown's Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who is the company's biggest full-time performer. The report indicates that, if Reigns' advertised involvement on the red brand leads to a bigger rating than is normal for Raw, then WWE will consider showcasing the company's biggest stars across both brands.

WWE experimented with allowing performers to jump between the two brands in 2019 with what they called the 'Wildcard Rule', which gradually grew to permitting a number of Raw or SmackDown wrestlers to appear on the opposite brand that week. 

The rule was largely negatively received by the audience, and it was scrapped during the brand extension and draft reformat in 2019.