The first WWE Brand Extension lasted from 2002 to 2011. For the wrestlers active during this era, see the following pages.

* [[Characters/WWERuthlessAggression The Ruthless Aggression Era]]: For the time period between the first WWE Draft in 2002 and [=WrestleMania=] 24 in 2008, when the company began shifting to a PG rating.
* [[Characters/WWEUniverse The WWE Universe Era]]: For the time period between the RAW following [=WrestleMania=] 24 in 2008 and [=WrestleMania=] 27 in 2011, when the company's World Wrestling Entertainment name was abandoned and the Brand Extension was phasing out.

In mid-2016, a second Brand Extension was created. For the wrestler's active during that era, see [[Characters/WWENew The New Era]].