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

Boston is generally a great stop for any sort of wrestling promotion. WWE especially since they always draw heat from the big cities. It was no different Tuesday night as SmackDown had a pretty good crowd. They win.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

The streak for SmackDown commentary winning may come to a screeching halt after this week. Byron Saxton was moved to blue brand in what was basically a trade for David Otunga. However, Booker T will be replacing Otunga for 6 weeks. SmackDown wins this week, but they get Byron next week. So...they're in trouble.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

SmackDown always seems to be on the short end of the stick here. There roster is more than capable of great matches, but they generally only have time for 3 matches. Nothing in this business is perfect, so its hard to have three great TV matches on a weekly show.

Raw has more time to accommodate for a larger roster, and they just have more time for better matches. This week, that's what they had. Revival had a great showing, Sami and Miz had a decent one, and Dean and KO had a decent main event. SmackDown had a great triple threat main event, but that's really all. Three good matches to one? Raw wins.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

I was really disappointed(but happy at the same time) to see Sami on SmackDown. He and Kurt had a pretty funny promo on Raw, and could have several more since both characters can be decently comical. If you want to count the brawl between Reigns and Strowman that ended up with Braun tossing an ambulance, then Raw wins off that alone.

SmackDown had no outstanding promo's, but KO's at the beginning of the show was decent.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

The Superstar Shake-up did exactly what it was supposed to do. I think the right moves were made for each show, and most importantly AJ stayed on SD Live.

Let's start with Raw. Braun and Roman could end up being one of the most talked about feuds in awhile based off what these men can do strength wise alone. Braun did flip and entire ambulance last week. Raw is really confusing at the moment with no other clear storylines thanks to some shake-ups. But Finn is back, and things are looking up with Kurt at the helm too.

SmackDown has a lot going for it now. Yes, they lost Alexa Bliss and The Miz—two really hot heels they needed—but they got KO and Charlotte in return. To me, that's a great deal for SmackDown. KO is now set up to feud with AJ Styles after he beats Jericho one more time (talk about feud of the year). Shinsuke and Dolph seem to be feuding now as well which could generate one of the best matches we see. Adding New Day to an ultra weak tag team division is a great grab as well. I like SmackDown Live.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

I thought Raw did a great job with their schedule in this show. No dragging. No boredom. Yes, a few bad matches but you'll have that. I'm really needing SmackDown to throw in one more match per show. I'd love to see some more people on their roster regularly.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

This is still a toss-up. I was really hoping to start seeing some separation in the two brands, but its nothing crazy yet. So, I think SmackDown is still more enjoyable here.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Nothing for this week.

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


Raw was still a super good show, but SmackDown won the Superstar Shake-up, hands down. It'll be exciting to see where each show goes, but as of now, SmackDown still reigns supreme.