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 few good matches this week, with Asuka vs Bayley acting as one of the real highlights. Both women compete well against each other, and this week was no different. Asuka won to set up a match against Sasha Banks at SummerSlam, looking utterly dominant in the process.

Although not standard matches, the contests on Raw Underground were actually highly entertaining. Dabbo-Kato looks like a real prospect, and used well he could be a real highlight on the show. He looked seriously dangerous, which makes for great television.

SmackDown = Tangible match quality seemed non existent on SmackDown this week, as none of the matches were overly entertaining. Big E vs John Morrison was the best offering, but the backdrop of RETRIBUTION hurt it significantly. Big E winning was tremendous though.

The women's Battle Royal felt largely inconsequential and disjointed. It featured a small number of botches, whilst lacking the drama which makes Battle Royal matches compelling viewing.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Seth Rollins delivered his usual show stealing promo. It was no surprise to see his delusion on show as the Monday Night Messiah, but it was nevertheless entertaining.

Surprisingly, Randy Orton and Ric Flair engaged in a compelling promo to end the show, with the argument coming across as a real and emotional incident.

SmackDown = Big E delivered a fun little promo to start the show, however it was Alexa Bliss who stole the show. Her sit down interview was well done, whilst her interaction with Braun Strowman was extremely intriguing.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Dominik Mysterio was well and truly accepted as a WWE superstar after taking such a brutal beating from Seth Rollins and Murphy. He looked strong by taking such a vicious assault, however the storyline truly benefitted from the segment. The hokey use of blinding by using the steps was getting boring, therefore to revert to a simple yet effective beating was highly appreciated.

SmackDown = The Fiend vs Braun Strowman featured an interesting dynamic this week, with Braun Strowman appearing to turn heel by attacking Alexa Bliss. Strowman seems to be a changed man, whilst it was unclear if The Fiend was in the ring after the attack to protect Bliss. It has been a confusing couple of weeks, and as much as the storyline has been nuanced so far, it is failing under the weight of it's own complication.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a decent show this week, but it was nothing special. The show was well structured, although the pacing did feel off at times.

SmackDown = SmackDown was an extremely disappointing show. It wasn't overly fun, with the pacing being shot to pieces by the RETRIBUTION storyline.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for bringing back Shayna Baszler's credibility.

Raw also gains points for making Randy Orton look even more unhinged by destroying Ric Flair.

Raw loses points for how late Drew McIntyre came out to save Ric Flair. If he cared about Flair, he would have come out before the Punt Kick, not after. But I guess that is clichéd wrestling timing.

SmackDown gains points for making Tegan Nox look strong by coming close to winning the women's Battle Royal. It was a solid performance from the NXT star.

SmackDown loses points for the manner in which the locker room was made to look stupid whilst RETRIBUTION were tearing things up backstage. They all looked like fools, which was a real shame.

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


With a score of 5 to 0, Raw wins this week's Battle of the Brands in spectacular fashion. SmackDown was just not fun at all, with only a few aspects of the show being bathed in a positive light. Raw wasn't fabulous, but it at least tried to be entertaining. It also helps that Raw Underground is slowly gaining some real credibility.