The brand-to-brand invitation has been extended.
On Monday's WWE Raw, Drew McIntyre announced a "brand-to-brand" invitation that would seemingly allow Raw talent to appear on SmackDown and vice versa. McIntyre announced that the brand-to-brand invitation would be kicked off by him taking on SmackDown superstar King Corbin in a singles match on the May 18 WWE Raw.
NEXT WEEK ON #WWERaw:@WWE Champion @DMcIntyreWWE vs. #SmackDown's King @BaronCorbinWWE! pic.twitter.com/ku6JROHWgw
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 12, 2020
Right after the announcement, it was confirmed that Charlotte Flair would appear on WWE SmackDown. Flair is the NXT Women's Champion who continues to appear on WWE Raw as she was drafted by the red brand.
The brand-to-brand announcement comes 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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