Though the recent brand split promised that Raw and SmackDown would be separate entities, it looks like there will be more intermingling between the brands on next Monday’s edition of Raw.
WWE.com posted an article on Friday afternoon claiming that Raw General Manager Mick Foley has invited SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan to appear on Monday’s Raw.
The possible appearance comes after last week saw Randy Orton attack Brock Lesnar at the end of Raw, and Brock Lesnar appear on SmackDown looking for revenge against Orton. The Lesnar vs. Orton inter-promotional match is one of the key selling points for SummerSlam, and WWE has used it to create tension between the two brands.
The brand extension and some subsequent production changes aimed to give both Raw and SmackDown distinct identities, but the cross-brand appearances of Lesnar, Orton, and now potentially Bryan have been used as focal points of the post-draft television.
It isn’t clear if these appearances will be a regular thing or if they’ll only be used to promote events like SummerSlam that feature both brands.