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 some strong matches this week, with Andrade vs Akira Tozawa the standout highlight. Andrade continues to impress weekly on Raw, whilst Tozawa reminded fans that he can still put on a great performance.

Raw’s women’s division was highlighted this week with effective matches such as Shayna Baszler vs Indi Hartwell, Liv Morgan vs Ruby Riott and Nia Jax vs Kairi Sane. Whilst none of these were groundbreaking, they all added to the show to create interesting and intriguing matches. At times, it has felt like the division has been neglected outside of Becky Lynch, therefore it is great to see a clear and renewed focus on women’s wrestling again.

SmackDown = The matches on SmackDown failed to impress this week, with no single match standing out as being truly entertaining. The lack of urgency was clear in the women’s tag team match, with Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross defeating Dana Brooke and Carmella. The match failed to create its own identity, as it felt like a standard house match with no real importance.

Drew Gulak tried his best to get a good match out of King Corbin, but unfortunately he was not able to elevate Corbin. The match was very stale, and even the presence of fans wouldn’t have helped the overall quality.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Seth Rollins delivered a message to inform Drew McIntyre that he would be competing against him for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank, and once again he came across as an arrogant and deluded idiot. His character has become a highlight of Raw, with his promos coming across even better each and every week.

SmackDown = Vince McMahon interrupted Triple H’s 25th anniversary celebrations to run down his son in law, which was a very surreal moment. McMahon is still confident on the microphone, however the content of his promo took away from Triple H’s ongoing contribution to the company. The promo also came off poorly once he started attacking Bayley, which was genuinely unwarranted. McMahon's promos are usually a highlight of any show, but this offering fell flat.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Raw chose to focus on Drew McIntyre’s personal crusade with Zelina Vega and her team, with McIntyre coming out on top after a dominant win against Angel Garza. This may only be a mini feud, but it is working well to build McIntyre up as a force to be reckoned with.

SmackDown = The Bayley and Sasha Banks issue continued this week, with Lacey Evans defeating Banks due to miscommunication with Bayley. This storyline remains an extremely slow burner, which creates compelling viewing as fans cannot wait to see the implosion of the best friends. The SmackDown Women’s Championship is highlighted well during this storyline, as other feuds are interwoven within the Bayley / Banks dynamic to keep fans guessing.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a fun show, with a good mix of wrestling and promos. The show didn’t drag as long as recent shows have, which is also a positive.

SmackDown = SmackDown was a good show, however the lack of truly interesting matches hurt the overall quality of the show.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for the increased focus on women’s wrestling compared to recent months.

Raw also gains points for continuing to build McIntyre up as a dominant face. If he continues his upward trajectory, it will mean so much when he loses the WWE Championship.

Raw loses points for featuring a scary bump in the Nia Jax vs Kairi Sane match. Jax is still green in the ring, which is a concern considering she will be competing in the Money in the Bank match.

SmackDown gains points for trying to keep the tag team division interesting, with multiple teams vying for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.

SmackDown also gains points for Shawn Michaels’ social distancing joke. It was a bad dad joke, but it was funny nonetheless.

SmackDown loses points for Vince McMahon coming out and seemingly burying Bayley. There was no need for him to name drop her, especially in such a negative context.

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


With a score of 4 to 2, Raw wins this week’s Battle of the Brands. Raw was a much tighter show, and the emphasis on better wrestling helped it come across as the more entertaining show this week.