Topic summary
Brand split
Extracted from the Wikipedia article WWE brand extension.
The brand extension, also referred to as the brand split, is the separation of the American professional wrestling promotionWWE's roster of wrestlers (and, at various times, creative staff) into distinct divisions, or "brands". The promotion's wrestlers are assigned to a brand via the annual WWE Draft and exclusively perform on that brand's weekly television show, with some exceptions; wrestlers not assigned to a brand are regarded as "free agents". Throughout its history, WWE has utilized the brand extension twice. The first brand split occurred from 2002 to 2011, while the ongoing second began in 2016.