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 15, 2021 - Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - February 19, 2021 – Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Aside from the gauntlet match to determine the entrant who would leave their Elimination Chamber pod last, it was a tough night for matches on Raw. Nothing really stood out as great, whilst some matches were straight up awful. Lacey Evans and Peyton Royce vs Charlotte Flair and Asuka was an example of this, eschewing capable wrestling for boring and painful mediocrity.
SmackDown = SmackDown featured a number of decent matches, although none of them were particularly mind blowing. Shinsuke Nakamura vs Apollo Crews was entertaining, whilst Reginald pinning Nia Jax was simply absurd. Thankfully, the main event was a solid match, but it felt like a means to an end in getting Edge and Roman Reigns to interact once more.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = I enjoyed Alexa Bliss’ promo. I have to admit I am a sucker for the darker side of this universe, therefore the allusions to the pentagram and the spirit world really intrigued me. Bliss played her role perfectly, evidencing just how talented she is as a character actress.
SmackDown = Seth Rollins’ promo was delightfully pompous, however it was the strong verbal battle between Roman Reigns and Edge that had me compelled this week. Both men worked well on the microphone, and I cannot wait for them to confirm their WrestleMania 37 main event.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = Lacey Evans is pregnant, purportedly by Ric Flair. Let me join the rest of the world in a collective eye roll. This is an awful development for a terrible storyline, and although it appears she is pregnant in real life, I would have preferred a much better resolution than this!
SmackDown = SmackDown was rightly dominated by Edge’s presence, with The Rated R Superstar interacting with many of the competitors in the upcoming Elimination Chamber match. The slow burning nature of Edge vs Roman Reigns is unmissable, which makes SmackDown feel more important than Raw.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw unfortunately felt like a chore at times, with pacing that did not create a sense of excitement.
SmackDown = SmackDown was a decent show, although outside of the Edge storyline, it didn’t feel particularly exciting.
WINNER: SmackDown
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for a perfectly booked gauntlet match. It allowed all of the big hitters time to shine.
Raw loses points for the Lacey Evans pregnancy reveal. I thought Vince McMahon fired Paul Heyman from creative?
SmackDown gains points for Edge having a positive impact on the show.
SmackDown also gains points for giving Otis a new direction. A heel stint is perhaps the best option for him at the moment.
SmackDown loses points for the continued silliness that is Billie Kay trying to join a team. It is just not working.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+1 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = SmackDown
With a score of 6 to 0, SmackDown easily wins this week’s Battle of the Brands. Raw was simply a hard watch this week, whilst I actually enjoyed the majority of SmackDown.
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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