AEW: New Reports Contradict Whether or Not Dynamite and Collision Will Have a "Hard" Brand Split (Update)
Now that AEW Collision has been officially announced and will premiere next month, a big question remains — will there be a brand split between the new show and AEW Dynamite? With AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation getting canceled and AEW Rampage getting pushed to the background (reportedly similar to WWF Sunday Night Heat), the Wednesday and Saturday night shows will be positioned as the top AEW brands. Rumors of wrestlers being attached to one of the two shows have been spreading for months, but just how strict that brand split will be seems to change depending on who you ask.
Sean Ross Sapp dropped a report regarding the heavily-rumored split on Fightful Select on Wednesday morning. He wrote that it was believed as recently as last week that the plan was for a "soft" roster split to keep certain separate from each other to avoid backstage drama. He then added, "However, instead, we're told that talent are expecting a hard brand split, with the exception of many AEW Champions. We've been told that there will be additional exceptions here and there. We have not learned how exactly the split will be determined, if there will be a draft, or how that will work out. However, the working plan as of this week is a firm brand split, with some rare exceptions."
But PWInsider's Mike Johnson then dropped his own report hours later that seemed to contradict Sapp's. He wrote that there won't be a "hard" brand split.
"We are also told that going forward there is no 'brand split' as much as some talents will be exclusive to the Saturday show and others will be on one or the other (or perhaps both), something that will be dictated by storylines," Johnson wrote.
Update: Sapp has since responded to Johnson's report — "...We're told that AEW talent were told on May 17 [today] that concerns regarding which show they'll be on. We're told specifically as of today, 'all recognized champions in AEW or any other major wrestling organization' are exempt from the splits."
How do you think AEW should handle Dynamite and Collision? Should the champions still get to jump between shows if there's a split? Tell us your thoughts in the comments and stay tuned for more news on Collision during tonight's AEW Dynamite.
AEW Dynamite Card (May 17, 2023)
- Chris Jericho vs. Roderick Strong (Falls Count Anywhere)
- Jay White vs. Ricky Starks
- The Outcasts (Saraya, Toni Storm & Ruby Soho) vs. The Originals (Dr. Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, Hikaru Shida)
- Rush vs. "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry
- Sammy Guevara vs. TBA
- Don Callis Promo