This past Monday on WWE Raw, Drew McIntyre announced the brand-to-brand invitation. The invitation was extended to King Corbin, who will be appearing on Raw to face McIntyre.
As part of the invitation, Charlotte Flair appeared on Friday's SmackDown and AJ Styles will be part of the Intercontinental Title tournament despite being a Raw superstar.
On SmackDown, Michael Cole offered up more details on the brand-to-brand invitation, saying that superstars will be allowed to appear on the opposite brand four times a year. For those keeping track at home, Charlotte has already used one of her four appearances. Corbin and Styles will also be using one of their four appearances in the next week.
The brand-to-brand invitation comes roughly one year after Vince McMahon announced the Wild Card rule on the May 6, 2019 episode of WWE Raw. The Wild Card rule allowed up to four wrestlers appear on the opposing brand's show by invitation for one night only, though the stipulation was rarely followed with top stars appearing on both shows each week.
News of talent being allowed to crossover between brands was first reported by John Pollock of POST Wrestling. A source indicated to Pollock that the idea came at the request of the networks due to declining viewership.
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