During a press conference and Q&A session during last week’s Cannes festivities, Stephanie McMahon and John Cena discussed the upcoming WWE Brand Split and Draft, and more. Here are some highlights:
* Stephanie noted that both shows would have their own talent rosters. Cena brought up that NXT and RAW have similar environments, but what sets them apart is the talent. He says that the talent will make each show unique.
* Stephanie said that they lost the ability to tell stories over a longer time because they had three hours of RAW and then needed to continue the storylines on SmackDown. She said that with the separate rosters, they can slow down their storytelling and elaborate more and connect with their audience in bigger ways.
* John Cena brought up being a part of the first brand extension in 2002, and said that there would be no John Cena if there wasn’t a brand extension. Cena said none of the storylines would carry over between the two shows.
