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 2K
Every game in the "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw" series includes a roster of "superstars" and "Divas" based on superstars who compete for WWE. Every year, WWE acquires new superstars and releases old superstars. As a result, every time a "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw" game is released, the new superstars are added into the game and the old released superstars are removed from the game to reflect the changes in the actual WWE. From the release of "WWF SmackDown!" to the release of "WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It", superstars were not divided into brands. In 2002, the WWE split its entire roster into two brands of wrestling, called Raw and SmackDown!, which were named after WWE's television shows. The WWE Brand Extension was first featured in "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth". In 2006, WWE launched a new brand, called ECW, which was named after the original Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion. The new ECW brand was first featured in "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008". WWE holds an annual draft lottery, in which WWE superstars switch brands. The games in production when the draft occurs include the changes that take place in the draft. For example, when "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008" was in production during June 2007, the 2007 WWE Draft took place, and the draft changes were included in the video game. Another brand of wrestling included in the series is the legends program, which was first included with the release of "WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain". Popular WWE alumni or members of the WWE Hall of Fame have been included since then under the legends program. This was featured up until the release of "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008", as alumni and Hall of Fame members were not featured in "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009" due to production of "WWE Legends of WrestleMania". "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009" was also the first game to feature characters as downloadable content.