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 = Raw featured a great collection of matches this week, with the Raw Tag Team Championship match the standout highlight. The Viking Raiders defeated Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler in a hard hitting encounter that not only catapulted them to the top of the Raw tag team division, but effectively sent Roode and Ziggler packing to SmackDown.

Becky Lynch vs Charlotte was a quality match which put over how important the first draft pick was, whilst Andrade vs Ali was the perfect match to highlight 2 up and coming wrestlers. Andrade winning was the correct decision, as he is expected to shine over the coming months.

SmackDown = Shinsuke Nakamura defended his Intercontinental Championship against Roman Reigns in the opener, which was an interesting match until King Corbin caused a DQ by hitting Reigns with his sceptre.

The 8 man tag team match between The New Day and Heavy Machinery vs The Revival, Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler was disappointing in it’s execution, as it never felt important.

The women’s six pack challenge was good, however it felt sloppy at times. Nikki Cross winning was the right choice, however it feels like she will be a lamb to the slaughter when she actually faces Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Overall, the matches on Raw just felt that little bit more important, with a higher level of quality also on offer.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = As the second night of the Draft, Raw felt lighter on promos than usual, however the interactions for the Draft were pulled off well by Stephanie McMahon. The Draft picks felt important, which legitimised the Draft as a monumental event.

The Street Profits and The OC had a great promo segment in which they questioned why The Street Profits were drafted to Raw. This led to The OC destroying The Street Profits, in a move that immediately sets up their first main roster feud.

SmackDown = Bayley was a guest on Miz TV, cementing her recent change of character. Bayley was accompanied by Sasha Banks, delivering a heartfelt promo which was effectively and supremely anchored by The Miz. It was a great follow up to last week’s events, and felt like a seismic change in Bayley’s overall character arc.

King Corbin also provided his best promo in months, simply through refusing to answer Kayla Braxton’s questions. This effectively highlighted how much of an insufferable jerk he has become.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Raw was light on storyline development, mostly due to the presence of the Draft. Unfortunately, one of the storylines that was advanced was Lana and Bobby Lashley’s burgeoning relationship. Lashley gave Lana a seductive massage, however the segment felt cheesy and uninteresting.

Seth Rollins took another step towards taking out Bray Wyatt by turning up to the Firefly Fun House, destroying both Wyatt and the Fun House itself. The interesting aspect to this was how Rollins was booed despite being the face in this feud. Wyatt and his alter ego The Fiend have captured the imagination of the fans to the point that they will cheer him over Rollins.

SmackDown = Baron Corbin set up his next feud with Roman Reigns by costing him the Intercontinental Championship, which also drew out Daniel Bryan. This effectively set up Reigns and Bryan to feud with Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura, and that feud promises to be intriguing at the very least.

With no Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Bray Wyatt or Tyson Fury, SmackDown felt light on storyline progression to build towards Crown Jewel. Next week promises to be better as Lesnar and Velasquez are scheduled to appear, but for this week at least, their absence was deafening.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = This week’s episode was easy to watch, with a combination of great matches and intriguing Draft choices. Raw remains a delight to watch under the guidance of Paul Heyman, without feeling like a chore to watch.

SmackDown = SmackDown was easy to digest this week, partially because of the 2 hour run time. As the first episode of SmackDown after the Draft, there was a higher focus to the episode compared to recent weeks.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for having Andrade drafted in the first round. This sets him up as a force going forward, which was immediately confirmed with his victory over Ali.

Raw also gains points for the incredible acting of Bray Wyatt. His facial expressions and cadence of voice are near perfect, and he deserves a lot of credit for his character work.

Raw loses points for the awful Lana and Bobby Lashley segment. It was poorly acted and should never have been aired.

SmackDown gains points for the hilarious inclusion of Drew Gulak’s PowerPoint on how Braun Strowman can defeat Tyson Fury at Crown Jewel.

SmackDown loses points for Kofi Kingston’s involvement in The New Day’s skit with Heavy Machinery. Kingston continues to act like he has no issue with losing the WWE Championship, which is both confusing and infuriating.

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


With a score of 4 to 1, Raw was by far the better show this week and wins Battle of the Brands. Raw was a more consistent show, with SmackDown feeling inconsequential. Both shows were good, but Raw was just a little bit better.