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 match offerings this week were largely uninspiring, as we were treated to yet another Aleister Black squash match, with Asuka also enjoying a squash match victory over Kayden Carter. These weren’t exactly insulting matches, but they were also not inspired choices.

The 6 man tag team match, however, was a much better contest, with Kevin Owens and The Street Profits winning to carry momentum into WrestleMania 36.

SmackDown = We had a strong match in the form of Shinsuke Nakamura vs Daniel Bryan, and despite the match featuring less fire than expected, it was still a fun match to watch.

Unfortunately for SmackDown, the women’s triple threat match was an atrocious offering, with Tamina winning in an extremely turgid fashion. This match stripped any interest from the SmackDown Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 36, and should never have been allowed to air.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Becky Lynch delivered yet another strong promo, in which she insisted she was going to defeat Shayna Baszler. This was a good promo which felt more impactful due to the attack afterwards by Baszler.

Paul Heyman. Promo. Success. Once again, Heyman delivered a strong promo on behalf of Brock Lesnar, however the way in which he built up Drew McIntyre as a special wrestler was amazing to see. Heyman has increased McIntyre‘s credibility tenfold through his promos alone, which has to be considered a huge success.

SmackDown = John Cena accepted Bray Wyatt’s stipulation of a Firefly Fun House match at WrestleMania 36, only to be interrupted by the cast of the eponymous Firefly Fun House. Cena once again killed it, and I will genuinely miss the class he brings to the show once he returns to his acting career.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Raw didn’t feel like a regular WrestleMania go home show, which is a real shame considering the fractured manner of the build to the biggest show of the year. Brock Lesnar vs Drew McIntyre aside, only Becky Lynch vs Shayna Baszler received any real attention.

SmackDown = Braun Strowman was announced as Roman Reigns’ replacement in the WWE Universal Championship match, however there was no real explanation for this. This felt highly insulting, and was a slap in the face of fans and every wrestler involved in this situation.

The SmackDown hacker debuted this week, however there is still mystery surrounding who they really are. The hacker revealed Sonya Deville had impacted Otis’ date with Mandy Rose on Valentine’s Day, but the entire storyline has been a dumpster fire so far. The idea of a SmackDown hacker is interesting, but set against the backdrop of the Rose love triangle, the credibility of the hacker character is already being affected. However, in terms of initial impact, the hacker had an effective debut.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a fun show, but despite being better than recent efforts, it felt lacking as it didn’t adequately build to WrestleMania 36.

SmackDown = SmackDown was an entertaining show, however some awful segments brought down the overall quality.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for highlighting the very real threat that Drew McIntyre and Shayna Baszler pose to their WrestleMania 36 opponents.

Raw loses points for feeling lacklustre in terms of overall build to WrestleMania 36.

SmackDown gains points for the creative spot of Bray Wyatt confronting John Cena in the ring whilst The Fiend was staring from the stage. This could only be achieved through the taped nature of the show, but it was highly effective.

SmackDown loses points for the bad acting in the SmackDown hacker segment. Sonya Deville, in particular, put in a very cringeworthy performance.

SmackDown also loses points for trying to turn Tamina into a credible threat. She is a poor wrestler who has done nothing of note in such a long time. Having her win the women’s match to establish her as a threat seems extremely short sighted.

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


With a score of 3 to 0, Raw wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Neither show was the strong WrestleMania 36 go home show that was required, but Raw as an overall show was just head and shoulders above SmackDown. It is unclear if Raw and SmackDown will be aired for much longer due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but it is perhaps an opportunity for wrestlers to take a break and come back re-invigorated. The writing staff would clearly benefit from a break too, as this would allow for more natural and interesting storylines to be considered.