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: MATCHES

Raw = The matches on Raw this week all delivered in one form or another, however the highlight of the night was surprisingly the last woman standing match between Natalya and Lacey Evans. This was a match that I was not looking forward to, however it ended up being a hard hitting contest that was set out well.

The Viking Raiders continued their recent run of good form as they defeated Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler in a highly entertaining match. Not only did they look strong, but they set up a Raw Tag Team Championship match for next week’s episode of Raw, which promises to be a great match.

Overall, there wasn’t a single bad match. Every match was well performed and logically executed. This sentiment even extends to the squash match between Aleister Black and the Singh Brothers, which was entertaining for a multitude of reasons.

SmackDown = SmackDown featured Seth Rollins vs Roman Reigns as the opening match, and this contest did not fail to capture the imagination of fans. Both superstars put on a great match, with Reigns looking just a bit more impressive than Rollins. The only issue is that a clean result never happened due to interference from The Fiend.

Charlotte defended her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Bayley in a quality match. Bayley debuted a more serious look, and was able to channel this into a victory, regaining the SmackDown Women’s Championship in the process.

Overall the matches on SmackDown were good, however they were unable to match the quality on offer from Raw.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = The promos were a mixed bag this week, however the promo between Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury was engrossing for all the right reasons. The build up to their potential clash was well set out, with Strowman performing well during the promo. Both men were able to sell their potential clash well, which was surprising considering the goofy manner in which Fury debuted last week.

Rey Mysterio explained why he brought Cain Velasquez to WWE in a good promo, with Miz TV also delivering in what was a great promo between Charlotte and Becky Lynch. This effectively built towards The Kabuki Warriors vs Charlotte and Lynch later in the show.

SmackDown = Due to the start of the Draft, promos weren’t a big feature of SmackDown, however the communications relating to the Draft picks were well executed by Stephanie McMahon.

Paul Heyman delivered a great promo, noting what Brock Lesnar actually fears in order to advance his feud with Cain Velasquez. This was an effective promo to build up Velasquez and highlight just how much Lesnar wants to avenge his previous loss. The only criticism in Velasquez’s response was the fact he used Rey Mysterio as a translator.

King Corbin shared another pre-match promo as he ran down Chad Gable, who is now seemingly called Shorty Gable. Corbin has taken well to his new character, and his promo delivery effectively gains the level of heel heat the King character needs in order to be effective. Corbin should be commended for the level of dedication he shows to his new persona.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Disappointingly, there was no follow up on Raw to the storyline between Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt, with neither wrestler making an appearance. This was a shame, as there should have been some storyline development in relation to the controversial finish of the Hell in a Cell main event.

Refreshingly, there was a big focus on the women’s tag team division, with Asuka once again resorting to the heel tactics of using her green mist in order to win a match. Not only does this show the lengths she is prepared to go to in order to win, but Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross came out after the match to exact some revenge for losing the Women’s Tag Team Championship. The increased focus on the women’s tag team division is greatly appreciated.

SmackDown = The Fiend made a memorable appearance as he dragged Seth Rollins below the ring to cause a DQ in his match with Roman Reigns. Once again, Rollins was made to look weak whilst The Fiend looked strong. With Bray Wyatt being drafted to SmackDown, it remains unclear if their feud will continue, with Rollins’ long term future still to be decided.

The King Corbin and Chad Gable storyline was advanced, with Corbin continuing to dominate Gable. This was another in a string of impressive victories for Corbin, who is slowly turning into a dependable wrestler and compelling character.

Overall, SmackDown felt like the show this week that advanced storylines in a more effective manner.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was easy to watch this week, serving as a big improvement over last week’s show. Raw was well set out and organised, with no segment feeling out of place.

SmackDown = SmackDown felt refreshing, as there was a perfect mix of great matches and interesting developments as a result of the Draft. SmackDown was the easier show to digest this week, however that is not to say that Raw wasn’t as good. SmackDown’s 2 hour run time gives them the edge over Raw.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for focusing on the women’s tag team division this week, which made everyone involved feel important.

Raw also gains points for the highly effective manner in which they set up the potential match between Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury. The break apart segment is often over played, however it felt highly appropriate and effective here.

Raw loses points for having no follow up to the Hell in a Cell main event. Whether or not WWE wanted to avoid the controversy of The Fiend vs Seth Rollins, there should have been at least some follow up to their storyline on Raw.

SmackDown gains points for the visual of The Fiend dragging Seth Rollins into the depths of the ring. It was suitably creepy, reinforcing the idea that The Fiend is capable of anything. This was only further reinforced when he appeared at the top of the ramp just seconds later.

SmackDown also gains points for Bayley cementing her change in character by destroying the inflatables she uses as part of her entrance. Bayley has been long overdue a visual change to indicate her recent transition to becoming a heel, and this was a great way to achieve that.

SmackDown loses points for the embarrassing manner in which the network executives reacted to the Draft picks. They seemed extremely contrived and didn’t benefit the show.

SmackDown also loses points for failing to present Kofi Kingston as a vengeful wrestler who wants his WWE Championship back. Kingston has seemingly been pushed back into the tag team ranks with The New Day, which is a real shame considering how long he was champion for.

POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -2)


With a score of 3 to 2, SmackDown edges Battle of the Brands this week to once again be considered the best show of the week. This is due to the better level of presentation on the show, in addition to advancing storylines in a better manner to Raw.