Report: WWE Planning On Going Back To Split Rosters
WWE could be coming back to having split rosters on a more consistent basis.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the current plan is for the company to go back to using split rosters on both RAW and SmackDown once October hits. Although both shows technically have split rosters, crossover between both rosters in recent months have been a constant.
The idea, or at least one that is currently being thrown around according to Meltzer, is that the crossover would be reduced unlike what is happening now. As Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were given huge roles on RAW and SmackDown, respectively, WWE is looking to have both shows have their own separate rosters as well as their own storylines run on their respective show as opposed to it being run over both shows.
In regards to the current rosters each show has, it is also being reported that they will remain largely the same except for a few guys who could be switching shows right before SmackDown heading to FOX in October.
The roster split occurred in 2016 with the reintroduction of the WWE Draft, later re-branded as the SuperStar Shakeup. Earlier this year, Vince McMahon introduced the “Wild Card Rule” which allowed a certain number of members of one show’s roster to be on the other show for that week. In the ensuing months, the number of stars switching shows increased and the “Wild Card Rule” term was being mentioned on-air less often.
