Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Battle of the Brands from Smark Out Moment, where we compare this week's episodes of Raw and SmackDown and determine which one of the two was the better show.

BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:

RAW vs. SMACKDOWN

FACTOR 1: CROWD

Both crowds were really pretty good, but SmackDown had a lot more to pop for. They didn't disappoint.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

SmackDown's commentary situation is so confusing to me. I love Tom Phillips and I honestly hope that he takes Michael Coles spot when Cole calls it quits as he is the perfect fit for it, but I don't see Cole leaving anytime soon. SmackDown still has the better crew, but having four people for a two hour show is just overkill unless they are truly trying to ease Phillips into a full time SmackDown spot.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

SmackDown had an absolutely killer Intercontinental Championship match. The finish surprised me seeing Miz take the belt back so quickly, but he and Dolph crushed the match. Thats really all SmackDown had however. Nothing else really sticks out. Watching Kalisto beat Oney Lorcan, who was a surprise to even be there, meant nothing. Nikki vs. Carmella was really nothing thanks to interference from Team Raw. And the the huge tag team match was nothing but a mess.

Raw had some fun matches involving all the Survivor Series team members, and there really wasn't a bad match involving them. Nothing over the top special except Braun Strowman running people over, but it wasn't anything awful either. Raw wins with more consistently good matches.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

This might be the easiest one to choose. SmackDown wins here hands down. Edge and Undertaker on the same Cutting Edge alongside the Survivor Series team was great. Having Undertaker come back on a somewhat more regular schedule would be amazing and it was kind of touched on during the promo. SmackDown wins easy here.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

Around Survivor Series, storylines seem more difficult to do. Especially when its Raw vs. SmackDown at Survivor Series makes it harder for each show to implant its own stories when they need to rely on the only shows roster. With that being said, SmackDown is doing a better job keeping their own storylines prevalent. AJ and Dean, Nikki and Carmella, and of course the Intercontinental Championship scene. Which I'm hoping stays on SmackDown.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

Two hours is still trumping three. SmackDown remains the better show here.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

This is arguably the hardest one to determine. With the stages being identical it really comes down to the creativeness of the superstars and the things they do on screen. With that being said, Undertaker and his epic entrance was on SmackDown. Which is a huge plus in visual presentation. And on the new stage set up each show has, it looked as phenomenal as ever.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

SmackDown gets a point for the return of Edge and Undertaker.

POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+0 / -0) / SmackDown (+1 / -0)


Raw wasn't awful. Really, it was better than weeks prior. But where Raw is good, SmackDown was just better. They wanted to blow us away for episode 900, and they did that. SmackDown wins 6-1 this week and continues to roll over the competition.