Raw (WWE brand)

WWE Raw

Logo for the brand and the Raw television program
Product type	Professional wrestling Sports entertainment
Owner	WWE
Introduced	March 25, 2002 (first split) July 19, 2016 (second split)
Discontinued	August 29, 2011 (first split)
Related brands	SmackDown ECW NXT
Commissioner: Stephanie McMahon (July 19, 2016 – present)
General Manager: Kurt Angle (April 3, 2017 – present)

Raw is one of WWE's brands which was first established on March 25, 2002 with a draft on Raw and went into effect one week later on April 1. The brand split was discontinued in August 2011, but was brought back in July 2016. Wrestlers assigned to the Raw brand wrestle predominantly on the Raw television program as well as Main Event, the cruiserweight-exclusive 205 Live; and Raw branded or co-branded pay-per-view events and WWE Network events. During the first brand split, they also competed on Heat and ECW under a talent exchange.

In early-to-mid-2002, then World Wrestling Federation (WWF) underwent a process they called the "brand extension". The WWF divided itself into two de facto wrestling promotions with separate rosters, storylines and authority figures.Raw and SmackDown! would host each division, give its name to the division and essentially compete against each other. The split came about as a result of the WWF purchasing their two biggest competitors, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW); and the subsequent doubling of its roster and championships. The brand extension was publicly announced by Linda McMahon during a telecast of Raw on March 25 and became official the next day.