2011 WWE draft
The Brand Extension storyline was initiated in March 2002, in which WWE's Raw and SmackDown television programs were made into brands (similar to conferences within a league) to which employees were assigned; the ECW brand was additionally involved between 2006 and 2009. Annual drafts have followed since this occurrence, except for in 2003. As with past drafts, the purpose of the 2011 WWE draft was to increase television ratings of WWE programming and refresh the rosters for each brand. The 2011 event was confirmed by the RBC Center in April 2011, with WWE officially announcing it on the April 18 episode of "Raw". A USA Network executive had also confirmed the event to occur via a press release on the same day of the WWE announcement.
WWE Judgment Day
In 2002 a court order led to WWF changing its name to WWE. Later that year, WWE held a draft that split its roster into two distinctive brands of wrestling, Raw and SmackDown., and ECW in 2006. Before the draft, matches featured wrestlers from the roster without any limitations; after the draft, matches only consisted of wrestlers from their distinctive brands. The first Judgment Day event to be produced under the WWE banner and with roster limitations was Judgment Day (2003), which took place on May 18, 2003. The following year, WWE announced that PPV events, excluding WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble, would be made exclusive to each brand; Judgment Day was made exclusive to the Smackdown! brand. After three years of being produced as a brand exclusive event, Judgment Day (2006) was the final Judgment Day event that was brand exclusive, as WWE announced that PPV events from then on would feature all three brands of WWE.