WWE Battle of the Brands: Raw vs. SmackDown - Best Show of the Week (February 8-12, 2021) | 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.

WWE Monday Night Raw - February 8, 2021 - Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

WWE Friday Night SmackDown - February 12, 2021 – Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

which WWE TV show was better this week Raw vs SmackDown

BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN

FACTOR 1: MATCHES

Raw = Most matches came across as boring contests to watch, with Charlotte Flair vs Lacey Evans a notable failure. Damian Priest succeeded in his match against Angel Garza to evidence his growing reputation, but unfortunately, Randy Orton vs Drew McIntyre was an unmitigated failure. At least Keith Lee vs Riddle was a success, with both men coming across as stars, but still, Raw simply failed to to sparkle this week inside the squared circle.

SmackDown = SmackDown featured a number of qualification matches for the WWE Universal Championship number one contenders Elimination Chamber, and although the match quality wasn’t anything special, it was great to see 4 of the 6 spaces earned. The Street Profits also managed to drag a good match out of Otis, which is quite the achievement.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: PROMOS

Raw = Ric Flair's brief promo was memorable, but it has to be noted that he appeared on the verge of a heart attack. Overall, promo quality was good, if not spectacular.

SmackDown = Seth Rollins addressed the SmackDown roster, highlighting his recent change in character. Despite claiming to be a changed person, Rollins is clearly still a dangerous man to deal with. His promo came across really well, allowing him to regain the momentum he had prior to Survivor Series.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: STORYLINES

Raw = Charlotte Flair once again continued her turgid feud with Lacey Evans, with Ric Flair now emerging as the primary focus. I absolutely hate how The Queen has been reduced to this, but hopefully Asuka can put Evans away to set up the inevitable collison between the two former Women's Tag Team Champions.

SmackDown = Roman Reigns continued to exert his control over Adam Pearce, managing to get out of an appearance within the confines of the Elimination Chamber. Kevin Owens ensured that he was front and centre by taking everyone out at the climax of the show, keeping his feud with Reigns highly interesting.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING

Raw = Raw didn't feel as vibrant as it perhaps should have done, with some glaring pacing issues having a detrimental effect on the enjoyment value.

SmackDown = SmackDown was a fairly entertaining show, creating much more interest in Elimination Chamber than Raw. The pacing was good, but could have been better.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Raw gains points for continuing to showcase Damian Priest in a positive manner. His first two weeks have been more successful than those of Keith Lee upon his own promotion to Raw.

Raw loses points for featuring no captivating storyline development, and this also extends to the insipid manner in which the Elimination Chamber was announced by Adam Pearce and Shane McMahon.

SmackDown gains points for the strength of Cesaro’s continued push.

SmackDown also gains points for the slight retool of Seth Rollins’ character.

SmackDown loses points for the limbo Bayley is stuck in.

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

THIS WEEK'S WINNER = SmackDown

With a score of 5 to 0, SmackDown wins this week’s Battle of the Brands. In every category, the blue brand surpassed the quality on offer from the red brand. Raw is struggling, with only a few wrestlers giving fans a reason to tune in every week.

That's my pick for the better show of the week, but how do YOU stand?
Which was better, Raw or SmackDown?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Subscribe to Smark Out Moment on YouTube, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

AUTHOR OF THIS POST: DALLAS ALLSOPP

Dallas Allsopp is a writer with two main interests, Pokemon and wrestling. He has been writing for a few years for his own personal blogs and is now taking his passion for wrestling and putting it into his writing. You can follow him on Facebook.

0 comments:

Current EVENTS

Watch AEW Full Gear 2024 PPV Live Results

AEW Full Gear 2024 Predictions and Results

Watch WWE Survivor Series 2024 PPV Live Results

WWE Survivor Series 2024 Predictions and Results

WANT TO WRITE FOR US?

If you would like to join the Smark Out Moment writing team, please send an email via the contact form.

Follow Us

SITE SEGMENTS

LIST OF SPECIAL EVENTS

BRANDS AND SHOWS

TYPES OF POSTS

SUPPORT SMARK OUT MOMENT

JOIN THE TEAM

FOLLOW AMT ON SOCIAL MEDIA