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 quality on Raw this week was slightly lacking, especially when considering the potential of the gauntlet match to be highly entertaining. The gauntlet match didn’t feel as ground breaking as the ones on SmackDown last year, with the format coming across as very formulaic.

Fortunately, Drew McIntyre vs Murphy was a solid and enjoyable match. Not only did McIntyre look strong, but Murphy showed his limitless potential.

SmackDown = SmackDown featured a mixture of interesting matches this week, with Sonya Deville vs Mandy Rose the surprising pick of the bunch. Their feud has been stellar so far, and this match showed passion and fire that has been sorely missing from their respective performances so far. It may not have been a 5 star performance, but it was certainly a solid and enjoyable contest.

Tamina and Lacey Evans vs Bayley and Sasha Banks was a decent offering as we head into Money in the Bank, with Tamina picking up yet another victory. The action wasn’t off the hook, but it was perfectly acceptable.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Asuka and Shayna Baszler actually excelled on The VIP Lounge, with Baszler coming across as an absolute badass. The segment had all the potential to stink up the joint, but the efforts of Asuka, Baszler and Nia Jax ensured it was memorable for all the right reasons.

SmackDown = Bray Wyatt delivered a strong promo with Braun Strowman, as he once again offered Strowman a place within the safe confines of the Firefly Fun House. Wyatt even spoke of relieving Strowman of the burden of the WWE Universal Championship, however the champion stood strong and didn’t allow Wyatt to win this week’s mind games.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Storylines were somewhat neglected this week, as the majority of Raw was centred around the build for Money in the Bank. There was some build to Drew McIntyre vs Seth Rollins, however it felt lacking when compared to the build to Braun Strowman vs Bray Wyatt.

SmackDown = SmackDown highlighted the feud between Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt, whilst Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville advanced their burgeoning feud.

Tamina was also able to lay down a marker before Money in the Bank by pinning Bayley, with even more dissension evident between Bayley and Sasha Banks. This has been a great storyline, which can clearly only get even better.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a difficult show to watch this week, as the layout of the gauntlet match left a lot to be desired. The show wasn’t flat out bad, but it would have benefitted from a more coherent and logically built gauntlet match.

SmackDown = SmackDown was a fun show to watch, with the storylines presented as more important than those on Raw. Match quality was good, whilst the show felt enjoyable and meaningful.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for making Liv Morgan look strong in defeat. She is a talented wrestler, and a strong performance against Charlotte Flair was enough to prove to fans that she is not being buried.

Raw loses points for making AJ Styles look like the only credible Raw option to win the Money in the Bank briefcase. Aleister Black seemed a cert to win, however Styles’ promo made him seem like the only choice.

SmackDown gains points for Otis struggling to climb a ladder. This adds a strategic layer to the Money in the Bank match, and gets my hopes up that we may see some helicopter related shenanigans.

SmackDown also gains points for building their storylines rather than just focusing on the Money in the Bank build.

SmackDown loses points for the poor SmackDown hacker vignette. It was repetitive and boring.

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


With a score of 5 to 0, SmackDown wins this week’s Battle of the Brands. Raw was not as enjoyable as SmackDown, as SmackDown once again felt like a more complete show.