WWE: New McMahon Era Will Likely Lead to Brand Split

There will eventually be tension between Shane and Stephanie McMahon, which might plant the seeds of an eventual WWE brand split.

When Kevin Owens came out during the opening segment of WWE Raw on Monday night to interrupt Shane and Stephanie McMahon’s friendly sibling discussion, there was some sarcasm coming from Mr. Owens that is probably felt by many of us watching the storyline where both McMahons are running the show.

Sure, it seems like a nice little change of pace with Stephanie McMahon being very nice to her brother – especially with her salvaging the old picture of Shane and Vince McMahon from several years ago that was stomped on during a pre-WrestleMania segment. But how long is this going to last? Have the oddsmakers in Las Vegas set the over/under?

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There have to be ulterior motives when it comes to what the Billion Dollar Princess might be thinking in the back of her mind. In fact, it’s likely that in the months leading up to SummerSlam, we could start to sense some resentment between the two as the natural sibling rivalry will start to form as it probably did hundreds of times during their childhood.

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When the two start to lose the ability to work together as the co-managers of Monday Night Raw, what would be the best way to solve the tension and provide what is best for business? This might be the best time to have a brand split in the WWE and the seeds may have already been planted when it comes to having the two siblings bring back the Raw vs SmackDown rivalry to WWE’s current product.

There was some success in the WWE when there was a brand split that started in 2002 as a result of WWE acquiring the talents from World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling; an influx of talent that provided the depth to support more than one touring roster. While the brand split ended in 2011, there have been some improvements to the roster thanks to the evolution of NXT and WWE bringing in new types of superstars.

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There are a number of benefits to having the WWE brand split because then the company can reduce the risk of injuries that have taken so many top talents out of action; this would be done through having the Raw and SmackDown rosters alternate house show nights on the schedule. The NXT talent pool can also be subject to an annual draft similar to what is done with other professional sports leagues.

But all of this depends on what happens when it comes to how Stephanie McMahon is able to continue this professional relationship with her brother Shane McMahon. Eventually, there is going to be some dissension between the two and it’s highly likely that the Chairman is going to get involved in some way.

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Another wild card that could affect the McMahon partnership is if and when we see the return of Triple H. Sooner or later, he’s going to want to reclaim his spot as the leader of the Authority and he want his wife to rule the WWE kingdom with him. Because of the potential sibling rivalry and what some might consider the “Triple H effect,” it’s only a matter of time before we have to put brother and sister to opposite shows to break up the potential tension.