WWE news 2016: Brand split could have big implications in industry

Martin Martinez Thursday, July 07, 2016

The WWE SmackDown logo | WWE official site

July 19 will be a big date in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as it will hold its 2016 draft. This will see the re-emergence of "SmackDown" as an entirely separate show and will give itself distance from "Raw."

This brand split has led to numerous rumors and speculations as "SmackDown" will definitely try to get back on its feet and be considered as an equal to the more established "Raw" brand.

In addition, Heavy reported that "SmackDown" will be aired live on Tuesdays, and given that the coming draft will be on "SmackDown" the company is definitely giving the show some importance.

With that, there are some speculations going around about the possible results of the brand split.

One is that there would be two separate world titles to be given away.

At the moment, Dean Ambrose is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, but given the fact that "SmackDown" and "Raw" will have their own rosters and will be completely separate from each other, then having a title on each show will make sense.

Another big rumor surrounding the brand split is that John Cena may be sent to "SmackDown" to become the big face of the show.

While Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns may be the popular fighters at the moment, there is little doubt that Cena still has a lot of fans.

And in an attempt to help establish "SmackDown," having Cena drafted is a possible move. As reported by Forbes, Cena, and possibly Ambrose, may be headed out of Raw.

Finally, one of the biggest rumors circulating is that with the brand split, the space for new superstars opens up. And with this, many believe that wrestlers from other organizations may be making their way to the WWE soon.

Names such as Kurt Angle are thrown into the mix, and this is entirely plausible given that Angle has had a successful stint with the company and remains to be one of the most popular names in the business.

Whatever happens, the anticipation for the draft should be at an all-time high so fans can expect more fireworks to come soon.