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 a number of poor matches this week, and the level of poor matches was confirmed by the fact that a King Corbin match happened to be the most entertaining contest of the night. His match with Drew McIntyre was interesting and hard hitting, with McIntyre stepping up to the role of a strong WWE Champion by elevating the wrestlers he competes with.

In terms of the poor matches, Shayna Baszler vs Natalya was a turgid affair, whilst Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs The IIconics was torture. It was a shame Aleister Black vs Murphy wasn’t a longer contest, as there is no doubt they would have torn the house down.

SmackDown = The match quality on SmackDown was much better this week, with both Intercontinental Championship tournament matches coming off well. AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura was a fun little match, whilst Jeff Hardy vs Sheamus was a quality match which played to both men’s strengths.

Charlotte Flair made the trip to SmackDown to take on Bayley, with Bayley securing the surprise victory to re-establish herself as a force to be reckoned with. Whilst the matches this week weren’t amazing, SmackDown’s offerings were much better than Raw’s.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = The promo delivery on Raw was off the hook, with Edge and Randy Orton delivering big time with their promo. Edge came across as passionate, whilst Orton was believably unhinged. It may seem strange to build towards a standard wrestling match between these enemies, but at least the promos are compelling and entertaining to watch.

SmackDown = SmackDown opened up to Miz TV, with Braun Strowman crashing the show to gloat about last week’s victory over John Morrison. This led to Morrison goading Strowman into a match with The Miz, with The Miz showing his apprehension at the task of defeating The Monster Among Men. The verbal battle here was highly entertaining, with all 3 men looking strong.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Drew McIntyre progressed to his next feud this week, with Bobby Lashley seemingly being set up as the next challenger to his WWE Championship. MVP acting as the mouthpiece for Lashley is guaranteed to keep the feud interesting, whilst McIntyre and Lashley both appear to be motivated for this feud.

SmackDown = The storyline between Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville was advanced this week, with Deville teaming with Dolph Ziggler to defeat the team of Rose and Otis. Whilst the match was serviceable, the feud is being afforded care to keep fans interested in the outcome.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a fun show to watch this week, primarily due to the fact it didn’t feel as much of a chore as it usually is. There is still much room for improvement, but it was an entertaining show nonetheless.

SmackDown = SmackDown was a good little show, with a better mix of matches and promos.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for the fun interactions between Asuka and Kairi Sane. Sane’s use of a recorder was absolutely hilarious.

Raw also gains points for the perfectly executed dismissal of Austin Theory from Zelina Vega’s stable. He was never a solid fit, and hopefully as a face he may be able to come across as a better entertainer.

Raw loses points for pushing Nia Jax hard again. It is understandable that WWE may be struggling to replace Becky Lynch, but Jax should be nowhere near the Raw Women’s Championship picture.

Raw also loses points for the pointless feud between The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders. It is uninteresting and frankly embarrassing.

SmackDown gains points for securing AJ Styles in a trade. Booked correctly, he could realistically be the wrestler to dethrone Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship.

SmackDown also gains points for continuing to tease the split between Bayley and Sasha Banks.

SmackDown loses points for the terrible Forgotten Sons promo. For me, they are treading water on SmackDown, and this promo will not have helped to make them look any more credible.

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


With a score of 3 to 2, SmackDown wins this week’s Battle of the Brands. The show was much easier to watch than Raw, whilst furthering feuds in a more natural and interesting manner.