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 focused on the WWE Championship number one contendership this week by showcasing a series of singles matches that lead to a Triple Threat at the end of the night. Keith Lee took advantage of his opportunity to defeat Dolph Ziggler in a strong match, whilst coming ever so close to winning the Triple Threat. Randy Orton won, but it was Lee who captured the hearts of fans.

The remainder of Raw's matches were inoffensive, however Raw Underground featured some intriguing contests. Jessamyn Duke made her Raw Underground debut and underlined just how dangerous she is. It is clear she could easily make Raw Underground her own domain.

SmackDown = The Fatal Four Way match was a fun main event, with Jey Uso shocking the WWE universe to become the number one contender to the WWE Universal Championship. Matt Riddle was the star of the match, which indicates he is still high up on WWE's agenda.

Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax defended the Women's Tag Team Championship against Bayley and Sasha Banks in a solid rematch of their Payback contest. The match quality was just as high as Payback, with the finish highlighting the threat Jax poses.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Randy Orton delivered a strong promo, however it wasn't as impactful as it should have been. It was more of the same of what we have become accustomed to from The Legend Killer, but it was still entertaining to watch.

SmackDown = Paul Heyman opened the show with an incredible promo on behalf of Roman Reigns. Heyman explained how he and Reigns had been let down by WWE, therefore they are a great match for each other. Reigns added how he is now the chief, which is an extremely cool way to refer to himself.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Aleister Black continued his one man crusade against Kevin Owens this week. This gives both men something tangible to do, whilst also highlighting how dangerous Black can be.

RETRIBUTION also appeared, but the less said about them the better. They still come across as hokey.

SmackDown = Bayley finally turned on Sasha Banks this week following their loss against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. Bayley took advantage of Banks' knee injury to completely decimate her. She ended the savage beating by Pillmanizing Banks' neck with a chair, sending a cruel and painful message to The Boss. This was a truly unhinged Bayley, however the attack does not automatically make Banks a face.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was well paced this week, with no particular segments failing to make much of an impact.

SmackDown = The pacing of this week's show was noticeably poor, as segments transitioned to one another in a haphazard manner. This was particularly noticeable with the main event.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for continuing to push Keith Lee as a big part of the show.

Raw also gains points for daring to split The IIconics.

Raw loses points for continuing to push RETRIBUTION without giving us a real reason to actually care.

SmackDown gains points for going in a different direction than expected with the WWE Universal Championship. Jey Uso is a left field choice that will make for some intriguing television.

SmackDown also gains points for opening the show with such a strong promo. It suitably set the tone for the rest of the show, whilst reinforcing how much Roman Reigns has changed.

SmackDown loses points for featuring two stretcher jobs in one night. It reduced the impact of Sasha Banks' beatdown.

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


With a score of 4 to 2, SmackDown wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Although paced poorly, the show featured great matches and storyline development. Raw was much improved this week, and hopefully focusing on Keith Lee will increase the quality of the show.