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 = Match quality was markedly better on Raw this week. Asuka teamed up with Shayna Baszler to take on Bayley and Sasha Banks, and despite the pointless interference from Nia Jax, it was an extremely solid and interesting match. Asuka and Baszler looked strong as a team, whilst it was satisfying to see Bayley and Banks lose so decisively.

The issue with some of the matches was the lack of importance, as too many matches felt like filler. Despite featuring some quality wrestling, The Hurt Business vs Apollo Crews, Mustafa Ali and Ricochet just felt unimportant.

SmackDown = None of the matches set the wrestling world alight this week, however Big E vs Sheamus was the best offering. This was yet another opportunity for Big E to prove he could hang as a singles wrestler, and once again he passed with flying colours. The match was interesting and hard hitting, with Big E securing the victory with a fortuitous rollup.

Naomi competed in two women's matches this week, and although she lost in under four minutes to Sasha Banks, she redeemed herself by toppling Bayley. This was a great advertisement of Naomi's skills, whilst reminding fans that there are more than just three women in the entire division.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Shawn Michaels delivered a solid promo as he ran down Randy Orton to end the show. It wasn't ground breaking, but it certainly added to the intrigue of Orton vs Drew McIntyre at SummerSlam.

SmackDown = Bray Wyatt delivered a great promo from the Firefly Fun House. He once again tapped into the wealth of options he has in the form of Huskus and Ramblin' Rabbit, whilst also summoning the strength of The Fiend. The promo hit all of the right notes perfectly as we look towards SummerSlam.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = RETRIBUTION didn't feature much past the opening segment, diluting the threat they pose to WWE. If they wanted to seem dangerous, they should have actually had an impact on the rest of the show.

The Hurt Business continue to be well represented on Raw, whilst MVP remains one of the stars of the show. He even suggested that Apollo Crews was behind RETRIBUTION, which hinted at The Hurt Business rallying to take out the anonymous stable. The Hurt Business have simply made Raw a fascinating show to watch, if only during the segments they feature in.

SmackDown = Braun Strowman vs The Fiend was the primary focus on SmackDown, as Strowman delved deeper and deeper into his darker character. He essentially tried unsuccessfully to kill Bray Wyatt, whilst The Fiend displayed a lighter side to his character as he displayed more expressions than usual. The feud has been highly intriguing, and this week continued to increase the interest in the storyline.

It was great to see Sonya Deville excel on the microphone as she tapped into her dark character. Her match at SummmerSlam with Mandy Rose may have a new stipulation, but she remains a strong presence as we head towards their collision on Sunday.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a better show this week, providing a better mix of promos and matches. Raw Underground was presented well, whilst the overall pacing was much improved.

SmackDown = SmackDown's presentation was so much better than Raw, primarily due to the use of the WWE Thunderdome. It wasn't quite the same as an arena full of fans, but it certainly was a marked improvement on using Performance Center recruits. This also helped make the show feel better paced.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for Raw Underground starting to establish a groove for itself. The segments seemed to hit much harder this week.

Raw also gains points for ending the show in the best possible manner to make Drew McIntyre vs Randy Orton at SummerSlam feel more personal.

Raw loses points for Nia Jax's appearances, which did absolutely nothing to benefit the show.

SmackDown gains points for the visual aesthetic of the WWE Thunderdome. It isn't perfect, but it is the best setup we have had in WWE since the COVID-19 outbreak. Let's hope it can be improved further over the next few shows.

SmackDown also gains points for the interesting opening to the show. The Fiend approaching Vince McMahon was an amazing visual, whilst RETRIBUTION getting their ass handed to them by the SmackDown locker room was extremely satisfying.

SmackDown also gains points for the strong manner in which Sonya Deville was presented. She looked like the badass she truly is.

SmackDown loses points for depriving us of a healthy Jeff Hardy. A straight up one on one match without a knee injury as a backdrop would have been much better received.

POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+3 / -1)


With a score of 6 to 1, SmackDown wins this week's Battle of the Brands. The blue brand was simply better in all areas this week, with the show building to SummerSlam in impressive fashion. Despite being an improvement over recent shows, Raw felt lethargic in comparison, but with Raw also taking place in the Amway Center next week, there is a chance they can take the fight to SmackDown. This will be important as we only have one week to build towards Payback.