WWE Announces SmackDown Will Air Live, Have Unique Roster from Raw

Beginning July 19, WWE SmackDown will air live every Tuesday night on USA Network for the first time in the show's 17-year history, WWE announced Wednesday. 

According to WWE.com, SmackDown will also have its own unique roster following a Superstar draft also involving Raw.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon commented on the decision: "WWE's flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV. This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around th­e world."

SmackDown is the second-longest running weekly episodic show on television behind Raw, and it airs as a taped product on Thursday nights.

While the live nature of SmackDown may be the biggest news to come from WWE's announcement due to the sudden unpredictability it gives the show, the implementation of a brand split is significant as well.

WWE hasn't utilized a brand split since 2011, but now both Raw and SmackDown are in line to feature different rosters, championships and rivalries.

The company has recently pushed the notion that WWE is entering a "new era" due to the influx of young talent from NXT, and while it isn't yet known how that talent will be split up, much of it could be featured on the blue brand.

Stephanie McMahon and Shane McMahon are sharing power over Raw from a storyline perspective, but the brand split could potentially lead to one of them taking control of SmackDown instead.

WWE boasts an extremely deep roster thanks to the returns of Seth Rollins and John Cena as well as the impending returns of Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton from injury.

Splitting the brands should lead to a more even distribution of television time for the talent, and it could very well make for a better overall product as well.

Raw has been presented as the superior brand for many years, and while it will continue to have a leg up thanks to the extra hour of programming, SmackDown is in line to become more important than ever before and destination viewing for all wrestling fans due to its live nature.

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