WWE did not tell their talents about the changes being made to the PPV schedule prior to the announcement.
Since the initial brand split in 2016, RAW & SmackDown have had their own separate PPVs each month. As of yesterday, that is no longer the case, as the company announced that there will no longer be separate PPV events for SmackDown and RAW. PPVs will now revert back to being once per month and the shows will feature storylines/matches from both main roster brands.
WWE 'Fastlane', which is a SmackDown Live exclusive PPV on March 11th, will be the last PPV that will feature one brand only. It is also to be noted that the 'Payback' event, which was scheduled for May 27th has been removed from the PPV list altogether. WWE sent out the following regarding the changes that will be set in motion after WrestleMania 34:
"After WrestleMania, you'll get the best of both brands – Raw and SmackDown LIVE – every month, on every pay-per-view. Catch every event streaming live on the award-winning WWE Network."
WrestleMania 34 - April 8, 2018
WWE Backlash - May 6, 2018
WWE Money in the Bank - June 17, 2018
WWE Extreme Rules - July 15, 2018
SummerSlam - Aug. 19, 2018
WWE Hell in a Cell - Sept. 16, 2018
WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs - Oct. 21, 2018
Survivor Series - Nov. 18, 2018
WWE Clash of Champions - Dec. 16, 2018
Fightful.com's Sean Ross Sapp noted on the 13th that WWE talent had not been made aware of the coming changes.
If WWE has kept their talent out of the mix regarding the situation at hand, then that may have caught some of the stars who are not in a prominent positions on WWE TV off guard. Having storylines from RAW & SmackDown featured on one PPV may not work in favor of certain talents, because the spotlight that they have while single-branded shows are still on-going, may not be there when the dual-brand schedule kick-starts.
