Raw (WWE brand)

RAW is a brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE that was established on March 25, 2002. Brands are divisions of WWE's roster where wrestlers are assigned to perform on a weekly basis when a brand extension is in effect. Wrestlers assigned to Raw primarily appear on the brand's weekly television program, Monday Night Raw, also referred to simply as Raw. It is one of WWE's two main brands, along with SmackDown, collectively referred to as WWE's main roster. The brand was discontinued between August 2011 and July 2016.

RAW
Logo for the brand and the Raw television program as of September 30, 2019
Product typeProfessional wrestling
Sports entertainment
OwnerWWE
Produced byTriple H
Bruce Prichard
CountryUnited States
IntroducedMarch 25, 2002
(first split)
July 19, 2016
(second split)
DiscontinuedAugust 29, 2011
(first split)
Related brandsSmackDown
ECW
NXT
205 Live
NXT UK
TaglineMust be Monday[1]

In addition to Raw's main television program, less-utilized wrestlers also appear on the brand's supplementary show, Main Event. Raw's wrestlers also perform on the branded and co-branded pay-per-view and livestreaming events. During the first brand split (2002–2011), Raw wrestlers also competed on the former supplementary show, Heat, and on ECW under a talent exchange program with the former ECW brand, while during the second brand split (2016–present), the brand's wrestlers have appeared in the interbrand Worlds Collide, Mixed Match Challenge, and annual Tribute to the Troops events. Additionally during the second split, Raw's cruiserweight wrestlers competed on 205 Live when WWE's revived cruiserweight division was exclusive to Raw from 2016 to 2018 before 205 Live became its own brand.

History
Main article: WWE brand extension

First split (2002–2011)
Eric Bischoff was the first Raw General Manager.

In early-to-mid-2002, then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) underwent a process they called the "brand extension".[2] The WWF divided itself into two de facto wrestling promotions with separate rosters, storylines and authority figures.[2] Raw and SmackDown! would host each division, give its name to the division and essentially compete against each other. The split came about as a result of the WWF purchasing their two biggest competitors, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW); and the subsequent doubling of its roster and championships. The brand extension was publicly announced by Linda McMahon during a telecast of Raw on March 25 and became official the next day.

At the time, this excluded the WWE Undisputed Championship and the original WWE Women's Championship as those WWE titles would be defended on both shows. In September 2002, then WWE Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar refused to defend the title on Raw, in effect causing his title to become exclusive to SmackDown. The following week on Raw, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff awarded a newly instated World Heavyweight Championship to Raw's designated number one contender Triple H. Because the WWE Undisputed Championship was now a SmackDown exclusive title, it was no longer referred to as "undisputed". Following this, the original WWE Women's Championship soon became a Raw exclusive title as well. As a result of the brand extension, an annual "draft lottery" was instituted to exchange members of each roster and generally refresh the lineups.

Raw was the home brand for many top WWE stars including Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista, Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Goldberg, Booker T, Chris Jericho, Christian, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Kane, Trish Stratus, Lita and Stacy Keibler.

The 2005 draft was held on the June 6 episode of Raw. The first draft lottery pick was then WWE Champion John Cena, thus moving the WWE Championship to Raw and having two titles on the brand. Eventually, then World Heavyweight Champion Batista was drafted to SmackDown as the last draft pick, leaving only the WWE Championship on Raw. In the 2008 draft lottery, CM Punk got drafted to Raw and then won the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge, who was a SmackDown wrestler. Triple H, who was the WWE Champion at the time, got drafted to SmackDown while Kane, who was the then ECW Champion, got drafted to Raw. After the draft lottery in 2009, the WWE Championship was brought back to Raw when Triple H was drafted from SmackDown while the World Heavyweight Championship was brought back to SmackDown when Edge defeated John Cena to win the title at Backlash.

On the August 29, 2011, episode of Raw, it was announced that performers from Raw and SmackDown were no longer exclusive to their respective brand.[3] Subsequently, championships previously exclusive to one show or the other were available for wrestlers from any show to compete for—this would mark the end of the brand extension as all programming and live events featured the full WWE roster.[4] In a 2013 interview with Advertising Age, Stephanie McMahon explained that WWE's decision to end the brand extension was due to wanting their content to flow across television and online platforms.[5]

Second split (2016–present)

On May 25, 2016, it was announced that WWE would be reintroducing the brand split in July, with distinctive rosters for both Raw and SmackDown.[6] On the July 11 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon named Stephanie McMahon the Commissioner of Raw.[7] The draft took place on the live premiere of SmackDown on July 19, with the General Managers of the respective brands hand-picking the wrestlers for their brands.[8] Raw's Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley created a new championship—the WWE Universal Championship. This championship would be exclusive to the Raw brand, as the WWE World Championship had become exclusive to the SmackDown brand.[9] Clash of Champions was scheduled as the reintroduction of the cruiserweight division and the first Raw-exclusive pay-per-view since January 2007, whereas Elimination Chamber was scheduled as the final Raw-exclusive pay-per-view two years later. Subsequently, this saw all upcoming pay-per-views interbranded after WrestleMania 34.

After SmackDown moved to Fox in October 2019, Raw lost its status as the main "A" Show.[10]Following WrestleMania 38 it also didn't have a world title and tag team title, although raw superstars were allowed to challenge for them.

Beginning in December 2021, talents from Raw begin to appear on NXT 2.0. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio reported that a Raw-NXT crossover between their talents as a way to help boost NXT 2.0 ratings as both shows air on the USA Network.[11]

Champions

Initially, the WWE Undisputed Championship and the original WWE Women's Championship were available to both brands.[12][13][14] The other championships were exclusive to the brand the champion was a part of.[12][13][15] When the brand extension began, Raw received the Intercontinental Championship and the European Championship when their respective holders were drafted.[16] In September 2002, the WWE Undisputed Championship became the WWE Championship again and was moved to SmackDown, prompting Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff to create the World Heavyweight Championship for Raw.[17] Shortly thereafter, Raw became the exclusive brand for the World Tag Team Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and the original WWE Women's Championship.[18][19]

On July 19, 2016, the brand extension was brought back and for the first time ever the draft was held on SmackDown Live. Raw drafted the WWE Women's Championship, the United States Championship, and the WWE Tag Team Championship.[20] With the WWE Championship being defended exclusively on SmackDown, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley introduced the WWE Universal Championship to be Raw's world title.[21] At Crown Jewel on October 31, 2019, SmackDown wrestler "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt won the WWE Universal Championship, thus taking the title to SmackDown.[22] On the next night's episode of SmackDown, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar quit SmackDown and moved to Raw, bringing the title with him.[23] A new World Heavyweight Championship was created for Raw after Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was drafted to Smackdown in 2023.

Current championships
Raw
Championship Current champion(s) Reign Date won Days
held		 Location Notes Ref.
World Heavyweight Championship Seth "Freakin" Rollins 1 May 27, 2023 152 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Defeated AJ Styles in the tournament final at Night of Champions to become the inaugural champion. [24]
Women's World Championship Rhea Ripley 1 April 1, 2023 208 Inglewood, California Defeated Charlotte Flair on WrestleMania 39 Night 1.
Won the title as the SmackDown Women's Championship and it was renamed as the Women's World Championship on June 12, 2023.		 [25]
Intercontinental Championship Gunther 1 June 10, 2022 503 Baton Rouge, Louisiana Defeated Ricochet on SmackDown.
Won the title as part of the SmackDown brand but was moved to Raw in the 2023 WWE Draft.		 [26]
Raw Tag Team Championship
The Judgment Day
(Finn Bálor and Damian Priest)†		 2 October 16, 2023 10 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Defeated Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso on Raw. [27]
SmackDown Tag Team Championship 2
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
Chelsea Green and Piper Niven† 1 July 17, 2023 101 Atlanta, Georgia Green had originally won the title with Sonya Deville by defeating Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan on Raw; however, after Deville suffered a legitimate knee injury, she was replaced by Niven on the August 14, 2023, episode of Raw. This is considered a continuation of Green's reign that began with Deville, and thus is not counted as a second reign for Green. [28][29]
  • The Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships—while maintaining their separate lineages—are jointly defended across both brands as the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
  • The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is defended across Raw, SmackDown, and NXT.

Previous championships
Championship Time on brand
WWE European Championship March 25, 2002 — July 22, 2002
WWE Hardcore Championship March 26, 2002 — August 26, 2002
ECW Championship June 23, 2008 — June 29, 2008
World Tag Team Championship July 29, 2002 — December 13, 2008
WWE Women's Championship (Original) September 24, 2002 — April 13, 2009
Million Dollar Championship April 5, 2010 — November 15, 2010
World Heavyweight Championship (Original) September 2, 2002 — June 28, 2005
June 30, 2008 — February 15, 2009
April 5, 2009 — April 26, 2009
WWE Divas Championship April 13, 2009 — September 19, 2010
WWE Cruiserweight Championship September 14, 2016 — April 4, 2018
WWE Universal Championship August 21, 2016 — October 31, 2019
WWE 24/7 Championship May 20, 2019 — November 9, 2022[nb 1]
WWE Championship November 4, 2019 — April 28, 2023
Raw Women’s Championship July 19, 2016 — April 28, 2023
WWE United States Championship April 22, 2019 — May 1, 2023

Personnel
Main article: List of WWE personnel § Raw

Pay-per-view and WWE Network events

First brand split events
Date Event Venue Location Main event
May 4, 2002InsurrextionWembley ArenaLondon, EnglandTriple H vs. The Undertaker
June 7, 2003InsurrextionTelewest ArenaNewcastle, EnglandTriple H (c) vs. Kevin Nash in a Street Fight match for the World Heavyweight Championship
June 15, 2003Bad BloodCompaq CenterHouston, TexasTriple H (c) vs. Kevin Nash in a Hell in a Cell match for the World Heavyweight Championship with Mick Foley as special guest referee
September 21, 2003UnforgivenGiant CenterHershey, PennsylvaniaTriple H (c) vs. Goldberg in a Title vs. Career match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Had Triple H been disqualified or counted out, he would lose the title
December 14, 2003ArmageddonTD Waterhouse CenterOrlando, FloridaGoldberg (c) vs. Kane vs. Triple H in a Triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship
April 18, 2004BacklashRexall PlaceEdmonton, Alberta, CanadaChris Benoit (c) vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels in a Triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship
June 13, 2004Bad BloodNationwide ArenaColumbus, OhioTriple H vs. Shawn Michaels in a Hell in a Cell match
July 11, 2004VengeanceHartford Civic CenterHartford, ConnecticutChris Benoit (c) vs. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship
September 12, 2004UnforgivenRose Garden ArenaPortland, OregonRandy Orton (c) vs. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship
October 19, 2004Taboo TuesdayBradley CenterMilwaukee, WisconsinRandy Orton vs. Ric Flair in a Steel Cage match
January 9, 2005New Year's RevolutionColiseo de Puerto RicoSan Juan, Puerto RicoBatista vs. Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Triple H in an Elimination Chamber match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship with Shawn Michaels as special guest referee
May 1, 2005BacklashVerizon Wireless ArenaManchester, New HampshireBatista (c) vs. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship
June 26, 2005VengeanceThomas & Mack CenterParadise, NevadaBatista (c) vs. Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match for the World Heavyweight Championship
September 18, 2005UnforgivenFord CenterOklahoma City, OklahomaJohn Cena (c) vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship
November 1, 2005Taboo TuesdayiPayOne CenterSan Diego, CaliforniaJohn Cena (c) vs. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels in a Triple threat match for the WWE Championship
January 8, 2006New Year's RevolutionPepsi ArenaAlbany, New YorkJohn Cena (c) vs. Edge for the WWE Championship
This was Edge's Money in the Bank cash-in match
April 30, 2006BacklashRupp ArenaLexington, KentuckyJohn Cena (c) vs. Edge vs. Triple H in a Triple threat match for the WWE Championship
June 25, 2006VengeanceCharlotte Bobcats ArenaCharlotte, North CarolinaD-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) vs. The Spirit Squad (Johnny, Kenny, Mikey, Mitch and Nicky) in a 2-on-5 handicap match
September 17, 2006UnforgivenAir Canada CentreToronto, Ontario, CanadaEdge (c) vs. John Cena in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWE Championship
November 5, 2006Cyber SundayU.S. Bank ArenaCincinnati, OhioKing Booker (c) vs. Big Show vs. John Cena in a Triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship
January 7, 2007New Year's RevolutionKemper ArenaKansas City, MissouriJohn Cena (c) vs. Umaga for the WWE Championship

Second brand split events
Date Event Venue Location Main event
September 25, 2016 Clash of Champions Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, Indiana Kevin Owens (c) vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship
October 30, 2016 Hell in a Cell TD Garden Boston, Massachusetts Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte Flair in a Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship
December 18, 2016 Roadblock: End of the Line PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Kevin Owens (c) vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship
March 5, 2017 Fastlane Bradley Center Milwaukee, Wisconsin Kevin Owens (c) vs. Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship
April 30, 2017 Payback SAP Center San Jose, California Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns
June 4, 2017 Extreme Rules Royal Farms Arena Baltimore, Maryland Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Bálor vs. Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe vs. Seth Rollins in an Extreme Rules match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Universal Championship
July 9, 2017 Great Balls of Fire American Airlines Center Dallas, Texas Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Universal Championship
September 24, 2017 No Mercy Staples Center Los Angeles, California Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship
October 22, 2017 TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Target Center Minneapolis, Minnesota Dean Ambrose, Kurt Angle and Seth Rollins vs. Braun Strowman, Cesaro, Kane, Sheamus and The Miz in a 3-on-5 handicap Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match
February 25, 2018 Elimination Chamber T-Mobile Arena Paradise, Nevada Braun Strowman vs. Elias vs. Finn Bálor vs. John Cena vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. The Miz in an Elimination Chamber match for a WWE Universal Championship match at WrestleMania 34

Notes
    1. The championship was shared amongst all of WWE's brands, until it was retired on November 9, 2022.

    References
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    24. Powell, Jason (May 27, 2023). "WWE Night of Champions results: Powell's live review of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Bianca Belair vs. Asuka for the Raw Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
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