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 were rather exciting, with Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane putting on a wrestling classic. Baszler was due to compete against Asuka, however her wrist injury prevented that dream match from happening, but we were treated to yet another solid match between 2 wrestlers who know each other well. Sane looked strong, but Baszler looked even stronger, which serves her well going into Elimination Chamber.

Liv Morgan secured a surprise victory over Ruby Riott, with Sarah Logan serving as the referee. This made for a compelling match from a storyline perspective, but despite the poor quality of the wrestling, this was a match which set up all 3 wrestlers well for the women’s elimination chamber match on Sunday.

SmackDown = SmackDown featured a tag team gauntlet match to determine who would enter the elimination chamber last, which was understandably the focus of the show. SmackDown has successfully used gauntlet matches in the past to build new stars, however this match failed captivate fans in the same manner. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode were victorious, but it was the run of Heavy Machinery that captured the imagination of fans.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Paul Heyman delivered his typical promo in support of Brock Lesnar, although it loses meaning each time he delivers it. It was entertaining, but it was very much more of the same.

AJ Styles bemoaned his loss to The Undertaker at Super Showdown, adding that Mark Wahlberg’s warning towards him was unwarranted. This was a great promo, with Styles playing up to his whiny heel role perfectly.

SmackDown = Bray Wyatt returned to the safety of the Firefly Fun House, delivering a quality promo against John Cena. Ramblin' Rabbit made an appearance to clarify how Cena had defeated Wyatt at WrestleMania 30, with Wyatt himself explaining how this defeat ultimately created The Fiend. This was a captivating promo, with Wyatt once again coming off as the right kind of creepy.

A Moment of Bliss featured an appearance by 3 members of nWo, however the interview felt off in terms of promo quality. It was a fun nostalgia segment, but considering the abilities of everyone involved, it fell short of my expectations.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Brock Lesnar’s feud with Drew McIntyre heated up this week, with McIntyre well and truly getting the upper hand over The Beast. McIntyre looked like a true star, which only helped convince fans that he can actually win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36.

Randy Orton belittling Beth Phoenix was a shocking segment, but it was the RKO to end the show which really shocked fans. This was perhaps the most impactful action of this year’s road to WrestleMania, and it is an action that will surely anger and trigger Edge into seeking revenge.

SmackDown = The lack of major storylines on SmackDown was a glaring issue, with Bray Wyatt tasked with building towards his WrestleMania 36 match with John Cena. The part timers on the SmackDown side of the WrestleMania 36 card are creating a severe issue, as the build falls on the full timers, which in turn makes the feuds feel very one sided.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a great show this week, with most promo segments coming off well. The match quality was much improved, with the women’s elimination chamber match in particular benefitting from an increased focus.

SmackDown = SmackDown was an entertaining show, but despite being an improvement over recent efforts, there was a noticeable lack of star power.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for superbly building interwoven storylines for the women’s elimination chamber match.

Raw also gains points for making Drew McIntyre look like a real star. It has been so long since Brock Lesnar was dominated in such effortless fashion, which only enhanced the impact of the segment.

Raw loses points for the continued burial of Ricochet. Unless there is a plan to rehabilitate his character, this seems like a burial for all the wrong reasons.

SmackDown gains points for featuring nWo, as Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman all looked healthy and motivated.

SmackDown loses points for failing to build towwards Goldberg vs Roman Reigns, but this is understandable considering Goldberg cannot be at SmackDown every week.

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


With a score of 5 to 0, Raw wins this week’s Battle of the Brands. Raw was a fabulous show, with a strong emphasis on building towards WrestleMania 36 matches. SmackDown was a good show, but it wasn’t as consistent or entertaining as Raw. It was heartening to see SmackDown improve as we head towards WrestleMania 36, and hopefully this will continue next week.