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 Hurt Business vs Apollo Crews and Ricochet was a fun and entertaining match, with everyone involved playing their part well. The Hurt Business have been a standout success on Raw since their inception, and this week was yet another example of how strong they are in the ring. Ricochet bumped around the ring well, but it was Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin who looked strong as they secured the victory.

The six man tag team match which served as the main event of the evening was a great effort. Randy Orton was able to underline how dangerous he is by stealing the victory following an RKO on Drew McIntyre, however the match as a whole was a great vehicle to show how entertaining a feud would be between The Street Profits and the team of Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler. The match didn't outstay it's welcome, which was a relief considering some of the poor matches on offer this week. Braun Strowman vs Keith Lee was a let down, whilst the six women tag team match was quite simply awful to watch.

SmackDown = The Falls Count Anywhere match between Big E and Sheamus was suitably violent and chaotic, with Big E coming out on top to underline the threat he poses in the singles division. Whilst this match would usually be used as a feud ender, it certainly made me hungry for a rematch. Both men were absolute decimated by the chaos they created.

Kevin Owens vs The Fiend was everything I expected it to be, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It was fascinating to see Owens take on Bray Wyatt's dark alter ego, displaying a fire that has been sorely missing from The Prizefighter's offense. The impromptu SmackDown Tag Team Championship match was exhilarating, with The New Day returning to winning ways to recapture the titles. Overall, the matches on SmackDown this week were considerably consistent when compared to the offerings from Raw.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Randy Orton opened Raw this week with a moody promo, noting he was screwed out of the WWE Championship at Clash of Champions. This resulted in him having to take out the WWE legends, adding that he will face Drew McIntyre inside Hell in a Cell. This was a strong promo to open the show, with Orton once again showing how nuanced his promo skills are at the moment.

SmackDown = Seth Rollins was interviewed by Kayla Braxton shortly after being drafted to SmackDown, noting how it isn't his name that matters, but rather the message that he delivers. It was a great promo to watch, with Rollins coming across as a star. It was Roman Reigns, however, who gave the best promo performance of the week as he insisted there will be consequences once Jey Uso says he quits at Hell in a Cell. His promo delivery is perfect, and he comes across as an absolute badass.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = RETRIBUTION have been a laughing stock since they debuted, however this week saw the reveal of Mustafa Ali as the leader of the evil faction, something that came across as genuinely shocking. Ali is simply born to be a face, therefore seeing him orchestrate a beatdown of The Hurt Business was compelling viewing, and I for one cannot wait to see where this angle goes. For once, I feel that RETRIBUTION has genuine and tangible momentum.

SmackDown = Sasha Banks exacted some form of revenge over Bayley by attacking her with a steel chair after their match, and thankfully for fans, they were not separated as part of the WWE Draft. Roman Reigns also enhanced his own rivavly with Jey Uso as he announced their match inside Hell in a Cell will carry the I Quit stipulation.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw was a much better show this week, focusing more on matches and promos than they have in a while. The pacing was good, though not perfect.

SmackDown = The first night of the WWE Draft made for an exciting and intriguing night of wrestling. The matches on offer were well performed, with the Draft segments coming off well.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for featuring the reveal of Mustafa Ali as the leader of RETRIBUTION in an effective manner. Now please, do not give him a silly name!

Raw also gains points for reinforcing how cool The Hurt Business are. They are a strong team, but they have a sympathetic edge to them as they seem to be the only interested resistance to RETRIBUTION.

Raw loses points for featuring a countdown for Murphy apologising to Seth Rollins. This was so cheesy and unnecessary.

Raw also loses points for the poor manner in which the interactions between Braun Strowman and Keith Lee were booked. It didn't benefit either man.

SmackDown gains points for having Stephanie McMahon preside over the WWE Draft. It gave the whole event a sense of importance.

SmackDown also gains points for the trash talking during Big E vs Sheamus. It was appreciated as it gave the match a different dynamic.

SmackDown also gains points for the destructive return of Lars Sullivan. This was an effective way to reintroduce him to the WWE universe, although his new entrance theme sucks!

SmackDown loses points for Paul Heyman using the same description for Roman Reigns as he did with Brock Lesnar. Reigns deserves much more than that.

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


With a score of 5 to 1, SmackDown wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Raw wasn't a particularly strong show, but it did feature a solid heel turn and some good promos. SmackDown was the more complete show, however it was helped by featuring the first night of the WWE Draft. The Falls Count Anywhere match between Big E and Sheamus was a violent encounter, serving as a real highlight of the week.