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 = Seth Rollins vs Ricochet vs Bobby Lashley was a thrilling match to determine the number 1 contender to Brock Lesnar's WWE Championship, with Ricochet picking up the shocking victory. All 3 men put on a great performance, however this match was arguably Ricochet's true coming out party, as he put on an impressive individual showcase.

Rey Mysterio vs Angel Garza was a highly effective contest which underlined the potential Garza has to be a star within WWE. With Andrade suspended, Zelina Vega used Garza to further her feud with Mysterio, and the resulting match was a great display of luchadore wrestling. Mysterio has been a consistent performer over the past few months, with Garza showing he has the talent to hang with the best wrestlers in WWE.

SmackDown = SmackDown featured a handful of interesting matches, with The Usos defeating Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode in an extremely entertaining opener. This match highlighted the strength in depth of SmackDown's tag team division, with The Usos shining once again.

Cesaro and Elias put on a fun little match, with both wrestlers benefitting from having a competitive match for once. There was a noticeable lack of intensity within the match, but taken in isolation, it was a great offering. This was also the case with Daniel Bryan's match against Heath Slater, who he defeated quickly and easily. It was refreshing to see Bryan win a squash match, especially over such an entertaining character in Slater.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Charlotte Flair came out to say how she has previously beaten Becky Lynch and Bayley, therefore it would make no sense for her to challenge either of them at WrestleMania 36. This brought out Rhea Ripley, who challenged Flair to a match at WrestleMania 36 for her NXT Women's Championship. Flair stared Ripley down before simply leaving, which left fans craving for future interactions between the pair. Flair looked suitably cocky, whilst Ripley benefitted from being the confident upstart.

Becky Lynch answered Asuka's challenge for a rematch, noting the only thing better than beating Asuka is to do it all over again. This was an effective promo segment as Lynch came across as confident, whilst also hinting at a subtle heel turn.

SmackDown = Bray Wyatt interrupted Goldberg to announce he would indeed be accepting the challenge of a match for the WWE Universal Championship at Super Showdown. Wyatt was his usual comedic self, whilst Goldberg intensely noted he would not be falling for Wyatt's so called tricks. This was an effective promo segment which played to the strengths of both wrestlers.

The Dirt Sheet opened the show, but it fell into the trap of being a show opening promo with no impact. Both The Miz and John Morrison seemed ill suited to this kind of promo segment, whilst the interruptions from The New Day and The Usos did not help the flow of the segment. Overall, this was disappointing considering the promo talents of The Miz.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Brock Lesnar imposed himself on Ricochet as soon as he became the number 1 contender to the WWE Championship, delivering a destructive F5 to stand tall. Ricochet challenging Lesnar at Super Showdown will be compelling viewing, as reality dictates that he would have no chance of dethroning The Beast. However, anything can happen in WWE, and it is great to see WWE follow up on Ricochet's established history with Lesnar.

Liv Morgan once again defeated Lana in an atrocious match, however Ruby Riott made her long awaited return to Raw to take out her former stablemate. Morgan is in dire need of a real feud to validate her new character, therefore a feud with Riott is the perfect opportunity for both wrestlers to stake their claim for a shot at the Raw Women's Championship.

SmackDown = Carmella announced herself as the number 1 contender to Bayley's SmackDown Women's Championship by winning the fatal 4 way match, with Bayley immediately taking her out to send a message to the Princess of Staten Island. This is a great option for both wrestlers, as Carmella has genuine name value, whilst Bayley could benefit from taking out yet another challenger.

The never ending feud between Roman Reigns and King Corbin continued this week, with Reigns announcing they would compete in a steel cage match at Super Showdown. This storyline is officially doing nothing for Reigns or Corbin, with both stuck in storyline purgatory. I hope their match at Super Showdown will be the final chapter in what has ultimately been an extremely disappointing feud.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw felt much improved this week, with the 3 hour run time flying by. Matches were better this week, whilst the overall theme of the show was better than most weeks.

SmackDown = SmackDown was easy to watch this week, although some segments did feel bloated and out of place. The Dirt Sheet wasn't good, but the majority of the show was fun to watch.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for Zelina Vega unveiling Angel Garza as a client of hers. This was a great way for Garza to debut, with Vega continuing her personal crusade against Rey Mysterio in an effective manner.

Raw also gains points for Ruby Riott looking strong on her return to the ring.

Raw loses no points as the show genuinely had no bad segments outside of the Liv Morgan vs Lana match. However, the post match angle implies that particular feud is now over, which is a huge relief.

SmackDown gains points for the dating montage between Otis and Tucker. It was hilarious viewing, with Heavy Machinery playing up to their roles perfectly.

SmackDown loses points for The Dirt Sheet. It was a segment that came off poorly, especially with the number of interruptions.

POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -0) / SmackDown (+1 / -1)


With a crushing score of 6 to 0, Raw wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Raw felt refreshing and compelling this week, whilst SmackDown just couldn't get out of second gear. Any goodwill from Goldberg's appearance on SmackDown was destroyed once it was revealed he would be competing for the WWE Universal Championship, whilst Raw instead highlighted new blood over established talent.