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

Having both shows in the same venue is always tough for me to gauge on this one. Paige being announces GM of SmackDown Live got a nice pop even though I'm not a huge fan of the idea. Really, Raw had a good crowd. I loved the pop that Lashley got on his return even though it could've been a little better. They reacted to Paige's retirement announcement that everyone has known for months. And the "New Japan" chants for Sami & KO cracked me up.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

If you followed the live coverage of Raw, you'll see Tony get upset about the "company speak" where they say "the WWE Universe will sometimes boo who they normally cheer". They say that on Raw way too often about Reigns to not lose on this one. Awful. I know it is being fed to them, but man it sucks.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

Even though Bryan and AJ didn't end cleanly thanks to Shinsuke, it was still awesome. Carmella cashing in and winning was a risky move, but one that I liked. Orton comes out on top over Rusev & Bobby Roode for a US Championship match, and The Usos win over New Day for a tag title match.

Nia helps Ember Moon get her first win on the main roster in a tag match. No Way Jose gets a win over Jobber 1. The Revival (!) get a win to advance in the Tag Team Eliminator tournament to face Woken Hardy & Wyatt who got a win later in the night. The Authors of Pain get their debut win over Slater & Rhyno. Kevin & Sami have a fun match ending in a no contest, and Jeff Hardy joins Balor and Rollins to beat The Miztourage! Raw has the better line up for sure.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

With it being the shows after 'Mania it was all about debuts and surprise returns. Lasley comes back and beats down Elias, and Jeff Hardy is doing WWE things again after some time off. Also, Angle drops a killer TNA line on KO & Sami, Roman complains about Lesnar while getting boo'd a lot, Paige announces her retirement, Stephanie continues to be one of the best heels there is, and Matt Hardy along with Bray Wyatt is WONDERFUL!! Oh yeah, Braun explaining that him and Nicholas can no longer be tag champs because he is a fourth grader is also fantastic.

Paige debuts as the new SmackDown GM which I'll hit on in the storylines segment a little more. The Iconics debut to beat down Charlotte leading to Carmella becoming champ, and Shinsuke interferes in the Bryan/AJ match. Raw has more to chew on here, and they get the win with the all around better content.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

What happens next with Braun? He is the future of this company hands down. His move at WrestleMania is proof to me that they're tailoring him to be the next monster babyface.With him dropping the tag belts, thanks to his partner being a fourth grader, he should be in the running for the Universal Championship. But with Lashley in the running now and a potential Lesnar vs. Lashley blockbuster at SummerSlam, I think we may have to wait a bit longer for that one. Nia is the champ, and time will tell if that is the best move or not. The tag division got a boost in AOP coming up, The Revival returning, and Wyatt & Hardy running rampant. I have no clue what is going to happen with KO & Sami, but it'll be something fun I think. Ember Moon boosts their Asuka-less women's roster, and lets hope some sort of long awaited heel turn is waiting for Roman Reigns.

Going into AJ vs. Shinsuke, I was expecting a heel turn by one of them. It didn't matter which because AJ is a proven heel, and Shinsuke would be a killer one too. They went with Shinsuke which is a good move, and I think it will work out awesome against the likes of Bryan if they stay together on the superstar shake-up. Carmella is the champ! It was bound to happen, right? They wanted the surprise and they finally pull the trigger. I'm not the biggest Carmella fan, but she has clearly gotten better in every way and it is time to see if she can hold the top of the division. The Usos stay in the tag title picture which is fine. They needed a tag team to come up, but it didn't happen. So hopefully the superstar shake-up brings some fresh teams over. Orton will take on Jinder in what once was the WWE Championship feud, but now for the US Championship. Lets get to the weird stuff... Paige is the GM. Why? Did they really want her to be on tv that badly? I don't get it, but we should give it time. Overall, I'm looking forward to what the Raw roster can pull off right now. Granted, the superstar shake-up could just destroy everything I'm thinking.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

SmackDown still gets the W here.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

AJ vs. Bryan. Thats enough for me right there.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Zero.

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


This week may not mean a lot in the long run. With the superstar shake-up looming a lot of things may change. Why wasn't the superstar shake-up this week? Let guys and gals surprise us on different shows the week after 'Mania. That wasn't the case, and we'll see some changes next week. Nonetheless, the Raw brand takes home a 4-3 win this week.