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 an intriguing collection of matches this week, with the show opener of Asuka and Charlotte Flair vs Bayley and Sasha Banks serving as a great way to get the action started. The interference from The IIconics actually added to the quality of the match, with all four women putting on a solid match.

As good as that match was, it was easily surpassed in quality by Asuka vs Flair, who were once again able to put on a superb match. Nia Jax interfered in this contest, directly leading to Flair stealing the victory. Once again, Jax's interference in a match detracted from the overall quality, but Asuka and Flair were still able to put on one of the best women’s matches on Raw for quite some time.

SmackDown = AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan was destined to be a strong match, but their contest this week on SmackDown defied all expectations. The action was of the highest quality, with both men putting on a top quality performance. Styles managed to secure the win and WWE Intercontinental Championship with a strong Phenomenal Forearm, highlighting a true return to form for The Phenomenal One. This was the best match on WWE television for many years, and could not be touched by anything on Raw.

The New Day engaged in a non title match against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, with all four men putting on a decent performance. The match was nothing special, but it was a serviceable match which helped Cesaro and Nakamura look like genuine threats to The New Day’s SmackDown Tag Team Championship.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Drew McIntyre’s feud with Bobby Lashley and MVP was advanced further with a solid promo between McIntyre and MVP. This was a fun segment, but it highlighted how MVP has to carry Lashley’s side of the feud to make up for the shortcomings of the challenger. McIntyre came across very well here, especially when giving MVP a countdown to a Claymore.

SmackDown = SmackDown was light on promos this week, but Bayley and Sasha Banks’ celebration of their Women’s Tag Team Championship victory was entertaining. Both Bayley and Banks came across as brash and entitled, which certainly made for an entertaining segment.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Nia Jax continued to interfere in Asuka’s matches, once again costing her the victory against Charlotte Flair. It would appear the momentum is with Jax as we head into Backlash, but in a one on one match it would be silly to rule out Asuka retaining her Raw Women’s Championship.

SmackDown = The feud between Jeff Hardy and Sheamus sunk to new lows this week, with Sheamus ultimately being pissed on by Hardy. This followed yet another promo segment in which Hardy was belittled by The Celtic Warrior, playing on the documented alcoholism and drug issues that have plagued Hardy throughout his career. This was an uncomfortable segment to watch, with the storyline failing to captivate fans in a meaningful manner.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was an exciting show to watch at times, with only a few negative segments detracting from the overall quality. The show was paced well, with a logical progression from segment to segment.

SmackDown = SmackDown was essentially a one match show, but that one match was one of the best television matches in SmackDown history. The rest of the show straddled the line between boring and entertaining, but the show was much better than last week.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for Asuka and Charlotte Flair pulling double duty. Not only did they contribute to multiple quality matches, they also evidenced their indispensable value to WWE.

Raw loses points for continuing it's shameful advertisement of Randy Orton vs Edge as the greatest wrestling match ever. It won't be great, and Backlash as a whole is sagging under the weight of expectation.

SmackDown gains points for restoring some of the prestige of the WWE Intercontinental Championship by having such an incredible match determine who would win the vacant belt. As decorated former WWE Champions, both AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan’s desire to win undid a lot of the mistakes from the previous 12 months.

SmackDown also gains points for the hilarious public service announcement from Sheamus. The rest of the segment may have been poor, but this was a genuinely hilarious statement.

SmackDown loses points for once again failing to adequately build to the WWE Universal Championship match at Backlash. Everything about Braun Strowman vs The Miz and John Morrison reeks of indifference, and this shows in the poor presentation of the title on SmackDown.

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


With a score of 3 to 2, Raw wins this week’s Battle of the Brands. Both shows were fun to watch, but Raw was a more complete show. Yes, both shows were underwhelming in building towards Backlash effectively, however it was refreshing to see a greater emphasis on quality matches.