WWE has introduced a new "brand-to-brand invitation" ruling that allows Superstars to appear on different shows, but how does it work?
Shortly after WWE saw off the last of its competition in 2001, Vince McMahon came up with a plan to create new competition. Its own competition that would take place within the confines of WWE. That was done via a roster split. WWE's Superstars were shared out between Raw and SmackDown.
With the addition of wrestlers from WCW and ECW, splitting the roster in this way made a lot of sense. There just wasn't enough room on one show for all of that talent anymore. There have been various versions of a draft and roster split since then. However, every time the rating dips or there is any sign of trouble, McMahon panics and starts to mix them again.
That is starting to show again right now. Although this time, considering the circumstances, the chairman can probably be forgiven. What can't be forgiven is the convoluted way in which WWE is trying to have Superstars appear on different shows. This time around, it has labeled the appearances as "brand-to-brand invitations" and we're going to attempt to explain the rules behind this new phrase.
Each Superstar is allowed to appear on a brand they are not officially assigned to as many as four times per year. That does not include NXT which presumably means NXT Superstars can appear on Raw and SmackDown as many times as they like and vice versa. That sounds simple enough but if you think about it for even a few seconds, a number of problems start to arise.
For example, when did the year begin? January 1st? The night after WrestleMania? The day the ruling was announced? Or is it unique to each wrestler and their year begins when they cash in their first appearance? There's a lot of ambiguity in terms of Superstars who have already started to use their appearances. Does AJ Styles inclusion in SmackDown's Intercontinental Title tournament count as one appearance, or one for each match he competes in? Also, do the times Charlotte Flair appeared on SmackDown before the rule was official count? WWE has left itself a lot of wiggle room, and that is definitely not an accident.