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 - April 12, 2021 - Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - April 16, 2021 – Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Despite the fact that the main event was a solid match, most contests on the show felt extremely insulting. This was evident with Rhea Ripley vs Asuka, which was ruined by Charlotte Flair's interference.
SmackDown = SmackDown, on the otherhand, featured some decent matches. The main event was a solid contest, with Cesaro well and truly underlining how he deserves to challenge for the top belt.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = Alexa Bliss and Bray Wyatt delivered poor justifications and reasonings for their actions at WrestleMania, with Wyatt's promo in particular failing to inspire me. Charlotte Flair gave a promo which was a rinse and repeat copy of every promo she has ever delivered. She is the female version of Dolph Ziggler, as she says the same thing for years on end.
SmackDown = Bianca Belair's celebration promo was heartening to watch, as she deserves every piece of success she has. She came across as a strong babyface that fans can feel confident about. Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman also gave strong promos this week.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = T-BAR and MACE are seemingly alligned with The Hurt Business. Just why?!? It makes no sense to kick Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin out, only to have Drew McIntyre taken out by two former members of the awful RETRIBUTION stable.
SmackDown = Cesaro being positioned as Roman Reigns' next challenger was a stunning development, as this could easily be the feud that finally gives Cesaro the credibility needed to be a main eventer.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was quite simply terrible. The pacing was awful, the scheduling made no sense, and the entertainment value was non-existent.
SmackDown = SmackDown was booked much better than Raw, featuring decent pacing that made the show feel less bloated.
WINNER: SmackDown
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains no points for being arguably the worst post-WrestleMania Raw for many years. Nothing was deserving of serious praise on the show.
Raw loses points for completely undermining half of it's roster, especially as Sheamus, AJ Styles and Omos didn't even appear!
SmackDown gains points for creating intrigue over the top belts in both the men's and women's divisions.
SmackDown also gains points for The Street Profits hosting Bianca Belair's celebration.
SmackDown loses points for the introduction of Commander Azeez, which felt far too cartoony.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+0 / -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. Quite frankly, Raw was embarrassing, ruining the legacy of recent post-WrestleMania episodes of Raw.
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!
0 comments: