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

Since I am from Indiana, I really want to pick Indianapolis here just out of hometown bias.. But, Chicago is ALWAYS a fun stop for any wrestling promotion, and WWE always shows out in ChiTown so ChiTown is always loud for them.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

I am still loving Renee Young on the Raw team, and I hope it stays that way. The commentary has been so lackluster for months, but she brings something new.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

Let's just hit on the big matches here. On Raw Lashley beat Owens and turned heel, Balor and Bayley beat Mahal and Alicia Fox, Roode and Gable helped continue the downfall of The Ascension, and Strowman alongside Ziggler and McIntyre took down The Shield causing Ambrose to walk away. Oh, Kurt Angle also won a battle royal dressed up as a conquistador to win a spot in the World Cup tournament.

Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women's Championship by double count-out, but suffered a spear through the LED paneling on the stage. Jeff Hardy defeated Samoa Joe after the ref decided Joe couldn't continue with his leg injuries. With this win, Hardy qualified for the World Cup tournament. AJ Styles defeated Shelton Benjamin, and Randy Orton took down Big Show to qualify for the World Cup tournament. I really enjoyed the SmackDown lineup of matches, so they get the win this week.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

DX is back, baby! And they are teaming up against The Brothers of Destruction!!! Two of my favorites, man. I could not be happier. Heyman did what he does best even though it seems to be the same thing over and over again with this storyline. Trish, Lita, Mickie, and Alexa all cut a promo together as well, and I actually enjoyed it.

Daniel Bryan and AJ are all on MIZTV and it was pretty fun with them hating on The Miz the whole time since they respect each other too much to hate on one another. And we finally saw the Aiden English footage, and it wasn't anything we hadn't seen before.

Raw wins thanks to having more, better promos that advance their story a bit more. SmackDown does not have enough time on their show to hit on both matches and promos like Raw has the ability to do. Which is okay. I think both shows should be two hours, but it is what it is.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

Why is Nikki Bella getting a title shot? Are you telling me that there isn't anyone else on the Raw roster that could have challenged Ronda Rousey? Why do I feel like this is Nikki's Hall of Fame run? There is no other reason for her to be doing this unless, A. She is coming back in some form of full/part time capacity, or, B. She is in the midst of her Goldberg style Hall of Fame run. Either way, I hate it. Someone like Nia, Alexa, or Asuka could easily be in this role. Brock Lesnar is coming back, seemingly in the part UFC fighter part WWE SuperStar role that we all thought was impossible. But he and Braun Strowman continue their impossibly long storyline with Roman Reigns as they challenge for the Universal Championship. I am just ready for Strowman to be champ and this to move to something new. The cruiserweights are the main event in the ring. Nothing comes close to what they're doing right now. Bobby Lashley is a heel now, and somehow I actually found a way to care less about him. Hopefully this heel turn and partnership with Lio Rush makes him brand new. The deterioration of The Shield is underway with Dean Ambrose hinting at a long awaited heel turn to partner with his heel haircut. I would love to see a set of matches between Ambrose and Shield brethren with him as a heel. DX is back and they are taking on one of my all-time favorite teams in The Brothers of Destruction. I love that with every little part of my being.

AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan could be a 5 star classic match, but I have a worry that there is no way that this finishes clean in anyway. WWE has a real problem with "face vs. face" matchups, even though this one does not need a heel. This has the in-ring flair that doesn't need a heel turn by either guy, which neither would make sense, or a third man even though adding The Miz wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. The New Day are Hall of Famers. I love the Last Woman Standing match with Lynch and Flair. People want to see Flair get beat up, and this is a good way to get her beat up without her losing if thats their plan. The storytelling with Samoa Joe and his injuries and everything else he has done lately has been great.

Unfortunately, SmackDown doesn't have the stuff to keep up with Raw.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

SmackDown does so well with this.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

DX IS BACK VERSUS THE BROTHERS OF DESTRUCTION!

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

I could add more points for the DX thing, but I feel like I've beaten that into the ground and Raw doesn't need the points.

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


Raw wins 5-2. SmackDown is doing big things but still feels like its in some sort of slump, and I cannot figure out why I'm not vibe-ing with the SD Live stuff. I think it may just be because that Raw roster has more guys I want to see on a weekly basis right now, but I cannot put my finger on it right now. Either way, Raw wins this week.