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 main event of Bayley and Sasha Banks vs The Kabuki Warriors was solid way to end the show. The match was extremely entertaining, although it would have benefitted from being about five minutes shorter. All four women had an opportunity to shine, with Bayley and Sasha Banks able to underline just how dominant they are at the moment.

Bianca Belair returned to Raw to support Ruby Riott in her ongoing feud with The IIconics. Although her return was impressive, Belair could not prevent the match from being anything other than underwhelming. This was also the case for most of the matches on Raw this week, with no other match getting out of second gear.

SmackDown = Big E vs Cesaro was a delight to watch this week, with the match combining quality wrestling with great storytelling. Cesaro looked strong whilst Big E showed just why he should be considered for a singles run once Xavier Woods returns. The finish was great, with the post match action also coming across well as we look towards Extreme Rules.

AJ Styles defended his Intercontinental Championship against Matt Riddle in a fabulous match, with Styles winning the contest to retain the title. The action was frenetic and exciting, with the quality of the bout feeling akin to a pay-view-view match. Riddle looked really strong with his performance, and it is clear that he can become a real star on SmackDown.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Shayna Baszler returned to give a short but sweet promo about how the rest of the women's division should be scared of her. It was well performed by Baszler, however her words lose impact when they are uttered in her child like voice. Regardless, it was great to see her return and put the women's division on notice.

SmackDown = A Moment of Bliss was an extremely strong segment, with Alexa Bliss effortlessly shining on the microphone. Nikki Cross came across well, however it was Bayley who made the segment feel complete. Her narcissistic arguments made fans hate her even more, which ensured this segment came off well.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = The match stipulation for Drew McIntyre vs Dolph Ziggler is still to be revealed, and it is this element of the storyline which has kept the feud interesting. Ziggler has little to no credibility, and unless he pulls a rabbit out of the hat when he chooses the stipulation, it is clear McIntyre will retain. Ziggler and McIntyre have tried hard, but their feud is lukewarm at best.

SmackDown = Bray Wyatt brought back the Firefly Fun House to further his feud with Braun Strowman. Not only was it a great promo in isolation, it also furthered the storyline well by delving deeper into what the Wyatt Swamp represents. Strowman noted before his match that he needs to beat Wyatt before he transforms into The Fiend, which hinted at the third and final stage of their feud. We've seen the 3 faces of Mick Foley, but the 3 faces of Wyatt are unmatched in terms of fear and threat.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a lethargic show this week, with the show failing to build adequately to Extreme Rules on Sunday. The main event was a great match, but nearly everything else on the show felt ineffective and poor.

SmackDown = SmackDown was a good show this week, featuring a better build to Extreme Rules. Pacing and presentation was much better on SmackDown which contributed to a much more enjoyable show than Raw.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for the return of Bianca Belair. It was great to see her return to Raw as she has been completely wasted on Main Event.

Raw loses points for being a poor go home show for Extreme Rules. It was just so underwhelming that it didn't increase the anticipation for the show at all.

SmackDown gains points for the unique start to the show. Although cheesy, it made the show feel important.

SmackDown also gains points for the positive return of the Firefly Fun House, which has been sorely missing from SmackDown.

SmackDown loses points for continuing the underwhelming build towards Sheamus vs Jeff Hardy. It just isn't doing anything positive for either wrestler.

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


With a crushing score of 5 to 0, SmackDown wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Raw was such an anaemic show, feeling like a real chore to get through. SmackDown wasn't perfect, but it was a much more enjoyable show which actually built towards this weekend's Extreme Rules pay-per-view.