Since the brand extension came into full effect last year, WWE has done a good job ensuring the rosters remain split and don’t integrate too much on WWE programming.

Obviously, we’ve had a few exceptions where SmackDown LIVE’s Randy Orton was another victim to Monday Night RAW’s Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, while the Survivor Series event was the perfect setting for the rival brands to battle it out for supremacy.

BRAND SPLIT

However, since then, there hasn’t been anything else that has connected them.

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That was until Saturday night, when Shinsuke Nakamura was replaced at the SmackDown live event in Vancouver by – rather surprisingly – Seth Rollins.

The Kingslayer defeated Jinder Mahal in their WWE Championship match via disqualification thanks to the sneaky Singh Brothers, which meant the Modern Day Maharaja retained his title.

Fans of the blue brand were in for a treat, and they’re set for something much bigger at the July 29 SmackDown house show in Detroit, Michigan.

THE BEAST IS COMING TO SMACKDOWN

It’s been revealed by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that The Beast Incarnate will be in action, and he’s going to be putting his Universal Championship on the line against SmackDown’s Mr. Money in the Bank, Baron Corbin.

Right off the bat, the thing you note is that it means Lesnar will defeat Samoa Joe at Great Balls of Fire to retain the crown, 20 days before The Lone Wolf gets an opportunity.

Also on the night, Kevin Owens defends the United States Championship against AJ Styles and Sami Zayn in a triple threat match, while Mahal and Randy Orton battle it out once again for the WWE Championship – so WWE is going all out to give the Joe Louis Arena one final, epic memory before it closes down.

Corbin is an interesting choice to go with, as there are arguably much bigger names on the SmackDown roster which could make it more of a must-see event, as it marks the first time the Universal crown is defended on the opposing brand and it’s also the first time The Beast has appeared on a SmackDown show since sneakily attacking The Viper during their feud last year.

While Lesnar is obviously going to retain, this is fantastic news for Corbin as it shows that the company trusts him enough to put him into this position.

Not only that, but they could be testing the waters to see how he fares in a major championship match against possibly the biggest star in the company, as he could be our next WWE Championship whenever he’s given the green light to cash in the contract.

The Detroit fans are going to be in for one hell of a treat.

What do you make of WWE’s decision to book Baron Corbin in this match? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and the third episode of GiveMeSport’s WWE podcast is here! Check it out via this link. https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-all-the-fallout-from-wwe-payback

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