WWE Rumors: Latest Buzz on Raw, SmackDown Brand Split, John Cena, Brock Lesnar

WWE's most controversial and debatable decision in years emerged this week with the decision to split Raw and SmackDown into two completely separate entities again—and as expected, the rumor mill has gone into overdrive about what will happen next.

There is an incredulous amount of questions to be answered, including which stars will head to which show, what will happen with the company's championships and so much more. Here's the latest roundup and wrap on what lies ahead for the company ahead of the July split.

Who Will Run Both Shows?

Throwing things forward to the immediate aftermath of the brand split and the expected draft that will follow, it's interesting to note that one report online this week points out the fact a different McMahon will be in charge of Raw and SmackDown.

LordsofPain's Marc Middleton writes that it is understood that Stephanie is on track to be given the task of running Raw, which obviously means Shane will have the sizable task of steering SmackDown forward in its new era of broadcasting live.

Perhaps more interestingly, although it is admitted that Triple H and Vince McMahon will still have the dominating say in Creative, there could be a plus point for the lead writers on each show:

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It's also believed that while Vince McMahon and Triple H will continue running creative, current RAW and SmackDown head writers Ed Koskey and Ryan Ward will end up with more power since the creative writing teams will have more control and won't have to constantly work together on ideas.

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If that turns out to be true, then it will be intriguing viewing to see how both shows evolve in their own right.

Will Some Titles Be on Both Shows?

The prospect of a brand split also opens up the possibility of some championships now staying exclusive to a single show, of course.

However, it looks likely that some championships could get the privilege of being defended on both brands, particularly if the latest report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t LordsofPain) is anything to go by.

The Observer details that the WWE Women's Championship could remain exclusive to one brand, but there is a "tentative plan" to open it up to both shows.

Is that a good thing? The roster depth in the female division in WWE perhaps isn't quite strong enough yet to have two titles between just a handful of elite talent, so this may well turn out to be a smart move in the long run.

Also, the report notes that, as expected, both the United States Championship and the Intercontinental Championship are on track to be split and become brand-exclusive midcard titles, which makes sense.

What About the Company's Top Stars?

Finally, the same report also begins to scratch the surface about where the brand split will take a whole host of WWE's major talent.

Again via the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t LordsofPain), there is talk of Roman Reigns becoming the main name on Raw, with John Cena heading over to SmackDown to become the top talent there.

That makes sense, but what's more interesting is how WWE handle the return of some part-time talent, most notably Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar will not be given free rein to go where he wants, when he wants, with the report suggesting that he too will become a Raw star.

Above all, though, it's stressed that nothing is certain yet when it comes to the brand split. With so many key decisions to be made in such a short space of time, the decisions could be changed right at the last minute.