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 improved this week on Raw. Asuka and Sasha Banks once again put on a television masterpiece as they competed over the Raw Women's Championship. Asuka underlined her dominance by winning, whilst Banks lost absolutely nothing in defeat.

Keith Lee vs Randy Orton was a great match for the most part, however the finish was extremely underwhelming. Lee dominated the match to underline to the WWE universe why fans should care about him, and hopefully this means his match with Orton at Payback will be just as good, if not better.

SmackDown = SmackDown was opened by a fun WWE Intercontinental Championship match between Jeff Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura was highly competitive, whilst Hardy once again turned back the clock to show he can still go in the ring.

The main event was a six man tag team match, with Heavy Machinery and Big E taking on Sheamus, John Morrison and The Miz. Despite being another match to highlight the push Big E is currently receiving, the match was an underwhelming disappointment as it focused too much on Sheamus bickering with his team.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Drew McIntyre opened the show with a strong promo, coming across as passionate as ever. McIntyre has developed a strong promo delivery, and this was on full show here.

SmackDown = Bray Wyatt delivered a strong promo this week from the Firefly Fun House, noting how he will not lose the WWE Universal Championship again. It was chilling how nonchalantly he announced that he had signed the death warrants for Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman, which made for an extremely effective promo.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = With only a week to build towards Payback, it was clear that Raw would need to feature some storyline work. Randy Orton took Drew McIntyre out in multiple vicious attacks, which allowed Keith Lee to slide into his spot at Payback. The fear over McIntyre's future was a great storyline device which really hit hard.

SmackDown = Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and The Fiend were all hounded this week to sign the contract for their match at Payback. It was an interesting sub plot, with Roman Reigns coming across really well as he refused to sign up straight away as he previously would have done. Bray Wyatt refering to the contract as a death warrants was especially noteworthy.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was an interesting show this week, with a good mix of matches and promos. The show did a good job of building towards Payback, whilst also building on the results from SummerSlam.

SmackDown = SmackDown was a solid show this week, featuring a better mix of matches and promos than last week. The show also did a good job of building towards Payback, whilst also promoting the SummerSlam fallout well. The pacing of SmackDown was slightly better than Raw, which gives it the edge this week, whilst the reveal of Paul Heyman as Roman Reigns' manager was the perfect way to end the show.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for creating some debate over whether or not Seth Rollins is linked to RETRIBUTION as they took out Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio to close the show. RETRIBUTION has underwhelmed so far, but this was a good way to rehabilitate the fledgling stable.

Raw also gains points for Bobby Lashley looking like a monster as he tore apart the competition on Raw Underground.

Raw loses points for the mixed manner in which Keith Lee debuted. He lost his first match, albeit by DQ, which left a sour taste in the mouth. It has to be acknowledged that he looked strong prior to his loss.

Raw also loses points for Raw Underground feeling rushed this week.

SmackDown gains points for AJ Styles' contribution on commentary. He was his usual deluded self, delivering funny quip after funny quip. It was also funny to hear Michael Cole of all people mocking Styles.

SmackDown also gains points for the return of Sami Zayn. It was low key, but very effective as he seemingly believed he was the rightful WWE Intercontinental Champion.

SmackDown gains even more points for the reveal of Paul Heyman as Roman Reigns' manager. This was genuinely shocking and a great way to end the show.

SmackDown loses points for Alexa Bliss' apparent heel turn. Although appreciated, it was completed in such an over the top manner that it didn't feel effective.

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


With a score of 5 to 1, SmackDown wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Although Raw featured better matches, SmackDown was a more entertaining show overall. It also helps that SmackDown felt cooler and edgier, mainly due to the apparent heel turn from Roman Reigns.