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 triple threat match to determine the number one contender to Asuka's Raw Women's Championship was better than it had any right to be, but the responsibility for this falls at the feet of Charlotte Flair. Nia Jax's impact on the match was thankfully reduced, with Natalya also putting in a good performance. Jax winning wasn't a surprise, but at least the match itself was fun to watch.

Apollo Crews challenged Andrade for the United States Championship, with Crews pulling off a genuinely shocking win to capture the title. This was a fabulous match as Andrade made Crews look better than he has ever looked in WWE, with the match also restoring some of the prestige of the title.

SmackDown = SmackDown featured a great mix of matches this week, with a clear focus on the women’s division and the Intercontinental Championship tournament. Sheamus earned a spot in the semi finals against Daniel Bryan through winning a competitive battle royal, only to lose to Bryan in an extremely fun and entertaining match.

Sasha Banks reinforced the threat she poses in SmackDown’s women’s division as she defeated a spirited Alexa Bliss thanks to interference from Bayley. SmackDown has an extremely competent women’s division, with Banks in particular appearing to have rediscovered her best form.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = The Kevin Owens Show gave Charlotte Flair, Nia Jax and Natalya a platform to stake their claim to the Raw Women's Championship. Asuka was the original guest of the show, therefore it was a good choice to have her appearance interrupted to cover for her lack of coherent English. Bitchy comments from each wrestler aside, the segment was well performed, which made the fight to become the number one contender to Asuka's title feel more important.

SmackDown = SmackDown was light on promos this week, but Mandy Rose and Otis put on an entertaining video package by the pool. Not only was this as kitsch as anything we have seen for a while, it was also genuinely funny. The connection between Rose and Otis makes for highly entertaining television, and I’m not ashamed to say they are a true highlight of SmackDown each week.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Seth Rollins' Monday Night Messiah gimmick continues to thrive on Raw, and this week was yet another powerful step towards Rollins becoming the strongest and most interesting wrestler in WWE. His control over Murphy and Austin Theory is compelling, whilst tormenting Rey Mysterio has become an intriguing aspect of the storyline. Despite coming up against the resistance of Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo, Rollins continues to wreak havoc on Raw.

SmackDown = Jeff Hardy was arrested for an apparent DUI, which shamefully mirrored his real life troubles. Not only was this in bad taste, it was hard to watch as Hardy has genuinely put people’s lives at risk with his real life destructive actions. There may be a lot more to this storyline, but I struggle to find any positives with it.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a better show this week, and much of this can be attributed to a more streamlined format. Gone were pointless matches, whilst promo quality was much improved. It also helped that NXT superstars surrounded the ring, albeit protected by plexiglass screens to maintain some modicum of social distancing.

SmackDown = SmackDown was an extremely fun show this week. The pacing was sound and didn’t detract from the overall quality, with matches and promos following a logical progression. Overall, this was a better episode of SmackDown compared to recent weeks.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for trying to rebuild Apollo Crews. He has the perfect opportunity as United States Champion to increase his reputation within the company. Whether or not he aligns with MVP, he is sure to be a bright light on Raw over the next few weeks at least.

Raw also gains points for the increased focus on its women’s division, even if this means Nia Jax is being pushed once again.

Raw loses points for not building a new star to challenge Asuka for the Raw Women's Championship. Nia Jax is not an exciting opponent for The Empress of Tomorrow, with someone like Liv Morgan or Shayna Baszler better suited to being number one contender. Jax feels like the very definition of a placeholder feud for Asuka.

SmackDown gains points for trying something different with the Intercontinental Championship tournament. AJ Styles continues to act in a suitably pompous manner, whilst Daniel Bryan looks as strong as he has ever been.

SmackDown also gains points for the positive attention afforded to its women’s division.

SmackDown loses points for the tasteless Jeff Hardy DUI incident. The less said about this the better, as it is hard to appreciate a storyline which mimics the real life actions of a troubled man.

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


With a score of 4 to 2, SmackDown wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Both shows were a huge improvement this week, with a clear focus on better matches and storylines. Apollo Crews winning his first title in WWE was a memorable moment, whilst SmackDown featured some quality matches. I hope both shows continue to improve, as this will make the build to SummerSlam feel important.