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

Hartford is WWE country there, and they showed up for Monday Night Raw with goo reactions from the shake-up.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

Unfortunately, the commentators were immune from the shake-up. At least for now. I was hoping to see Corey just stay on SmackDown, Byron go to NXT with Mauro(not because of my dislike for Byron but because NXT needs better with Mauro), and then have Coach & Cole stay on Raw. We're seemingly straying from the "heel" commentator which is fine with me, so it really just needs to be the best two paired together. Which is Cole & Coach, Tom & Corey, and Mauro & Byron. I would like two man crews much better than three, but I understand why that can't happen.

At the end of the day I am enjoying Coach, Cole, and Corey more than anybody else.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

Jeff Hardy had a busy week after just returning the week before, and that includes winning the United States Championship on Raw and then moving to SmackDown the next day. I think he had two fun matches, and a lot of that may have just been the excitement to see Jeff Hardy. He clearly isn't his younger self, but thats to be expected. He is still beloved, still entertaining, and that is all that matters.

The Authors of Pain are on a fast track to the top of the Raw tag division especially with The Bar jumping shows in the shake-up. Personally, I loved Raws main event. I'm normally not a fan of large tag matches that aren't elimination stipulations, but seeing all these guys together in one match was fun to see. Lashley and Roode together from their TNA days was fun, KO & Sami still together is best for business, and everyone else in that match were studs in their own right.

SmackDown saw Jeff bring the US Championship back right after it jumped ship, and he beat Shelton Benjamin in a 2007 flashback match. Naomi somehow stops The Bludgeon Brothers from destroying The Usos any further. Charlotte is back on her game after beating Billie Kay and then gets some help from Becky and Asuka against The Iconics (not a fan of that name) and Carmella. The main event saw arguably the greatest pure working tag team ever in AJ & DB take on Rusev & Aiden English but to no finish as Big Cass makes his SmackDown debut and interrupts the match alongside Shinsuke. Oh yeah! Samoa Joe beats people up really well.

I am going with SmackDown on this one. Hardy vs. Benjamin is a flashback starter that I loved, and the main event had arguably the three most over guys in the business right now with AJ, Bryan, and Rusev.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

Raws promo with No Way Jose just dancing makes no sense and is really awkward. I don't see his character doing much unless he is completely repackaged. MizTV was good like always and pushes forward the whole "The Authority hates Angle"... angle? Saying that they hired KO & Sami over his head. I like this, but Stephanie could literally just fire him if they didn't like him but you cannot apply logic to wrestling. I love the thought of Ziggler and McIntyre together. I don't know why, but that just sounds like something fun and new for Dolph who I still think is vastly underrated. Roman says everything that Roman normally says, because he is Roman.

AJ and Shinsuke finally have clear cut heel & face going so the promos are way better. AJ is money no matter what he does, so his promo about Shinsuke being a con-artist was good. I love Shelton Benjamin and he could be a guy to help put over any young guy you want (Andrade, maybe?) because he can still put on great matches with the shape he's in, and the promos he can still give. Carmella and Charlotte have their little spout, but everyone knows who the better of the two is by a long shot. That is why Carmella as a heel cheating champion is going to work so well. Everybody knows Charlotte is better, but Carmella cheating to win is going to get her that much more heat because of it.

In terms of promos, Raw had more to chew on and gets the win.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

This Superstar Shake-Up business always has its moments that make zero sense to me. Jinder gets moved to Raw along with Singh Brothers since they're part of his gimmick, but The Miz gets moved to SmackDown without the Miztourage? The Bar have an advertised match for the Raw Tag Team Championship at The Greatest Royal Rumble event, but just got moved to SmackDown? Those are just a few of the holes in the storylines.

Starting with Raw, AOP is going to be a big player in the tag scene. I am excited for the eventual Bobby Roode and Seth Rollins feud that I am hoping to see. Jinder needed a new scene and I'm glad he got it. He's a true heel in todays WWE, and can work with a lot of different guys. I think this is a breath of fresh air for Ziggler that he absolutely needed, and pairing him with someone like Drew will be a good fit for a little while since McIntyre needs to get his feet wet again on the main roster especially after injury. Baron Corbin needed new opponents too, and ones that could work around him and make his matches a bit better. Guys like Seth and Finn for example. The Riott Squad is kind of whatever to me right now, but we'll see what Raw can do with them.

SmackDown has some huge players. Jeff Hardy & Samoa Joe coming over is good stuff. Joe alongside AJ, Nak, and Daniel Bryan.. Whew. Thats worker country right there. Then you grab fan favorite Jeff Hardy to pair with guys already there like Shelton and newcomers like an Andrade Cien Almas is awesome. The tag scene got a boost too with both The Bar and SAnity coming in to pair with Usos, New Day, and The Bludgeon Brothers. Not to mention Eric Young as a singles talent is big money with the rest of those guys too. R-Truth is a "meh" addition. A veteran for the locker room of younger/new WWE talents. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville coming over with Paige being the GM makes some sense too.

All in all, I am judging this on who got the better end of the shake-up since no real storylines have had time to come to light with the roster changes. SmackDown got some big time moves with Joe, Hardy, Almas, and SAnity along with The Bar. So in the long run I think they'll have the more fun storylines play out.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

If you have trouble watching three hours of Raw, watch it on Hulu. It makes it a much better experience with being only roughly an hour and forty-five minutes with a few ads. But, in real-time TV SmackDown is always the better watch with two hours.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

Samoa Joe, SAnity, Andrade, and The Bar coming to SmackDown is great for them and seeing Joe back was great.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

The Jeff Hardy switch was great, and ending on SmackDown with his surprise switch was a nice touch.

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


SmackDown had a great week with the shake-up and got some great stars to match with the ones they already have. This is a great fit for SAnity and Almas, who will have vets like Benjamin and Hardy to work with and SAnity has The Usos and New Day to work with as well. Overall, I am expecting big things with Joe, Nak, AJ, and Bryan all on the same roster. They get the win 5-3, and I have a feeling they can own the wins for the next couple weeks.