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WWE to revive 'Raw vs. Smackdown' brand wars again? [RUMORS]

By Brian McNeill | Update Date: May 28, 2016 06:00 AM EDT

The WWE is pulling out all the stops and the now includes splitting the RAW and Smackdown brand into two separate entities. It marks the revival of the ploy pulled by the WWE back in 2002 which had both shows having their own roster of wrestling stars.

The WWE brand split is reportedly taking place on July 19 where Shane and Stephanie McMahon will likely be assigned to manage both entities on their own.

At present, both Shane and Stephanie are trying to work together though it seems imminent that the working relationship between the two will come to a stop at some point. Stephanie is likely to continue managing WWE RAW while Shane may be given the inevitable task of kicking WWE Smackdown’s falling fortunes.

With the ratings decline, it will be interesting if this old WWE ploy will still work. Right now there is no telling which stars will make up RAW or Smackdown though that may all be decided through another sub-ploy which is through the WWE draft.

Vince McMahon and Triple H will continue to lead the creative team which may have their work cut out for them. Aside from the assignment of stars, there are other questions in mind as well like the major WWE titles and the possible revival of WWE PPVs.

With two shows, such could also spark the return of WWE PPVs in the past. The WWE has since whittled down the pay-per-views, retaining only the big ones.

If so, that could mean that each brand will also have their own major titles such as the WWE heavyweight titles and Women’s titles. Could it also signal the return of other defunct titles like the Cruiserweight, Hardcore or even the European belt? How about the tag team titles?

Obviously the plan will require a lot of work and fans are expected to start jawing on where the stars will eventually wind up on.

Per reports from the Observer, John Cena will likely headline SmackDown while Roman Reigns will continue to be the top dog for WWE Raw. Brock Lesnar’s fate is still a mystery though the case holds true with over a dozen of other stars that include Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles and Bray Wyatt.

The move somehow justifies the aggressive recruitment that the WWE has done in recent months, plucking out key stars particularly from the New Japan Pro Wrestling Circuit (NJPW).

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