rdfs:comment
| - World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), formerly the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) before May 5, 2002, utilized a brand extension (officially known as the WWE Brand Extension) to assign on-screen employees to one of its primary television programs. Originally, WWE used both Raw and SmackDown! to promote on-screen talent, storylines, and matches. However, with the Brand Extension, each program would featured distinct wrestlers, storylines, and matches. In this instance of a brand extension, each brand is treated as a conference that is a part of a governing body, in that each brand features distinct production relating to its own roster that help promote the governing company, WWE.
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abstract
| - World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), formerly the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) before May 5, 2002, utilized a brand extension (officially known as the WWE Brand Extension) to assign on-screen employees to one of its primary television programs. Originally, WWE used both Raw and SmackDown! to promote on-screen talent, storylines, and matches. However, with the Brand Extension, each program would featured distinct wrestlers, storylines, and matches. In this instance of a brand extension, each brand is treated as a conference that is a part of a governing body, in that each brand features distinct production relating to its own roster that help promote the governing company, WWE. First used in 2002 with Raw and SmackDown, the WWF conducted a mock-sports draft lottery in which the storyline owners of each brand, Ric Flair (Raw) and WWF Chairman Vince McMahon (SmackDown), drafted wrestlers onto their brand during an episode of Raw and over the WWF's official website until every wrestler was assigned a brand. In 2006, WWE extended its franchise by adding the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) brand, which was headed by Paul Heyman, and ECW on Sci Fi program. Heyman drafted one superstar from Raw and SmackDown, while the rest of the roster consisted of alumni of the original Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion and other signed free agents. The ECW brand operated until 2010, when WWE Chairman McMahon announced its termination.
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