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
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!
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