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 - August 23, 2021 - Pechanga Center in San Diego, California
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - August 27, 2021 – Simmons Bank Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Damian Priest more than held his own against Bobby Lashley, whilst also teaming up well with Drew McIntyre. Aside from AJ Styles vs Riddle, the rest of the matches felt largely unimpressive.
SmackDown = Although no single match was amazing this week, the blue brand featured another solid cohort of contests. The highlight was the women's Fatal 4 Way Elimination, allowing Liv Morgan to once again look like a star.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = MVP's show opening promo was fantastic, reiterating just how talented he is on the microphone. He also elevated Damian Priest as a result, which is a huge positive to take away from the segment.
SmackDown = Most of SmackDown's promos hit hard this week, but I felt disappointed by Becky Lynch. It is clear that she is on the road to a slow burn heel turn, but the catty nature of the complaints from Bianca Belair, Zelina Vega, Carmella, and Liv Morgan took away from the heat she was trying to generate.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = R-K-Bro were perhaps the biggest and most hyped up part of the show, which truly reflects the value WWE sees in them as a team. Riddle is beloved by the WWE universe, whilst Randy Orton is now in a place where fans look forward to his contributions. AJ Styles and Omos remain their direct challengers, which is at least a guaranteed feud to drum up some interest on the red brand.
SmackDown = The subtle notes of the Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar were great to see. Paul Heyman feeling guilty, whilst Reigns was sickeningly nice, made for great television. This made me appreciate the lack of a Lesnar appearance.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was it's typical level of boring frustration, but there were some isolated pockets of solid pacing and structure.
SmackDown = SmackDown was a solidly paced show, feeling well structured for the most part.
WINNER: SmackDown
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for seemingly grooming Damian Priest for a place in the main event scene.
Raw loses points for the lacklustre effort in The Miz's turn on John Morrison. I just couldn't give a damn!
SmackDown gains points for suddenly remembering that Finn Balor has a legitimate claim to a WWE Universal Championship shot.
SmackDown also gains points for maintaining Otis' current dangerous level of momentum.
SmackDown loses points for having Rey Mysterio essentially abondon his son, Dominik Mysterio. As a father myself, it irks me that Rey would all of a sudden feel the need to do this, especially when there is more mileage for them as a tag team.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+1 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = SmackDown
With a score of 4 to 1, SmackDown wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Raw wasn't as bad as it usually is, but it has much further to go in order to be palatable viewing each and 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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