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 = It was a mixed bag for match quality this week, with some matches clearly head and shoulders above others. The opening match between The Kabuki Warriors and the team of Charlotte and Becky Lynch was entertaining, with all 4 women putting in a good performance. It was another example of how The Kabuki Warriors are elevating the women’s tag team division.

WALTER and his Imperium stablemates performed well in their matches, highlighting the undoubted strength of NXT UK. WALTER did not look out of place on Raw, therefore it is only a matter of time before The Ring General is destroying wrestlers on the main roster on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, there were many short and unimportant matches on Raw this week, which may have been a result of the increased demands of the European tour. Not every match is expected to be a barnstormer, but most matches should at least have some substance about them.

SmackDown = The opening match pitted the team of Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler against Mustafa Ali and Shorty G, in what turned out to be an exciting little sprint. Not only was Ali pinning Ziggler a great way to underline the credentials of Team SmackDown, it also allowed Roman Reigns to embarrass King Corbin.

The New Day defended their newly won SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Revival in a fun match. Big E excelled once again, before The Undisputed Era caused the DQ finish. This was a shame as the match was starting to peak and become really interesting.

The chaotic match between SmackDown women and NXT women was a perfect example of how unpredictable the weekly shows have become. It perfectly encapsulated the current invasion climate of WWE.

The match quality on SmackDown this week was just a step above that of Raw, with no match that stood out as bad.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Lana’s promo on Rusev was quite simply awful, with absolutely no redeeming features. Lana’s delivery was poor, cringeworthy and utterly offensive. Nothing about this promo was positive.

Seth Rollins delivered a good promo as he called out an opponent, which was answered by WALTER. Both Rollins and WALTER spoke well during this segment, which made both wrestlers feel important. This was a much better Rollins promo than we have been treated to recently.

SmackDown = King Corbin once again opened the show, delivering a promo alongside Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. Once again, Corbin’s delivery was perfect, sufficiently riling the fans up whilst also effectively running down Roman Reigns. Corbin is currently excelling on the microphone which is great to see.

Daniel Bryan produced a passionate and heartfelt promo as a guest on Miz TV, before Bray Wyatt made his second appearance of the evening. Wyatt alluded to his past with Bryan, and offered him a match at Survivor Series, which Bryan accepted after initially refusing. This segment was perfect, with both wrestlers providing amazing promos.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Once again, far too much time and effort was put into the love triangle storyline between Rusev, Lana and Bobby Lashley. Despite being absolutely torturous to watch, the segment apparently has high viewing figures. This is astounding, but it also means the angle is likely to continue for many more weeks at least.

Imperium making their presence felt on Raw felt effective, as the NXT invasion narrative was continued. Similarly to SmackDown, the injection of NXT superstars on the main roster has made each show feel unpredictable and interesting.

SmackDown = King Corbin’s issues with Roman Reigns were again revisited, with Reigns seemingly coming out on top. The dynamic between these 2 wrestlers is interesting as Corbin has elevated his performances whilst he has been performing against Reigns, whilst Reigns has succeeded in being accepted by the fans as a true face.

NXT had yet another impact on an episode of SmackDown, with The Undisputed Era costing The Revival their shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. The NXT women’s division also made their impact felt by interfering in Bayley’s match with Nikki Cross, which made the show feel unpredictable.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw felt a little disjointed this week, however that may be due to the nature in which it was taped. The fans seemed somewhat fatigued, and this is no surprise considering Raw was taped immediately after last week's episode of SmackDown. The show itself wasn't bad, but it just felt a lot harder to watch this week than it normally is.

SmackDown = SmackDown felt fresh to watch, and the 2 hour run time absolutely flew by. Each segment felt logically placed, whilst also accommodating the NXT invasion in a way that didn't feel forced.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for featuring Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster on Raw as a treat for the British fans in attendance. This may seem like a move that panders to the fans, but it does provide Andrews and Webster with an opportunity to shine on the main roster.

Raw loses points for continuing to highlight the abysmal storyline between Rusev, Lana and Bobby Lashley. Lana's delivery of her promo was poor, with the entire segment failing to achieve anything positive.

SmackDown gains points for the imposter Roman Reigns that came down to the ring with altered entrance music. Yes, it was extremely childish, but it fell into the so bad it was good category. Sometimes the most harmless segments can actually be funny.

SmackDown also gains points for the manner in which The Undisputed Era continued to wreak havoc on the main roster. They are simply the best faction within WWE, and their heel mentality is evident in the way they take advantage of wrestlers.

SmackDown loses points for using Firefly Fun House to unveil the new WWE Universal Championship. Yes, it makes sense that the title would be recoloured blue, however it was a shame this week’s offering was purely dedicated to this, rather than progressing his storyline with Daniel Bryan. The second Firefly Fun House segment on Miz TV somewhat remedied this, but I still feel it was a missed opportunity to do more.

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


With a crushing score of 5 to 0, SmackDown wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Everything about this week's episode of SmackDown felt better executed than Raw, however I expect a closer battle next week as Survivor Series takes place next Sunday.