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 - September 27, 2021 - Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, Ohio
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - October 1, 2021 – Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Raw featured some fantastic matches this week, with both WWE Championship matches excelling. AJ Styles vs Riddle was an instant classic, whilst the WWE United States Championship contest was off the hook.
SmackDown = SmackDown felt noticeably lacking in quality matches this week, with both Happy Corbin vs Kevin Owens and the unofficial contest between Carmella and Liv Morgan failing to entertain. The eight man tag team match was fine, but the match of the night was easily Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair, with a screwy finish that actually made sense.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = I seriously enjoyed Karrion Kross' promo, which was at least evidence that he is not as one dimensional as previously believed.
SmackDown = Seth Rollins breaking and entering into Edge's home was comedy gold, as Rollins' commentary absolutely made the segment something to treasure.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = The WWE Championship feud between Big E and Bobby Lashley was the highlight of the show, with Goldberg's cameo highlighting the amount of trouble The All Mighty is in.
SmackDown = The show was understandably dominated by the 2021 Draft, but Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar was greatly advanced, whilst Edge vs Seth Rollins felt visceral and enthralling.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was a strong show this week, featuring a level of pacing that has been sorely missing from the show in recent months.
SmackDown = Considering this was the first night of the 2021 Draft, SmackDown felt reasonably well paced and logically structured.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for putting Big E over as the future of the WWE Championship.
Raw also gains points for Shayna Baszler reinforcing the threat she now poses.
Raw loses points for Drew McIntyre making his intentions known to challenge for the WWE Championship, when it was in fact likely he would be drafted to SmackDown.
SmackDown gains points for the camp segment in which Seth Rollins made himself at home at Edge's house.
SmackDown also gains points for not allowing the Draft to take over the show, allowing it to actually breathe.
SmackDown loses points for Sonya Deville not having the balls to invalidate Naomi remaining on SmackDown. What level of authority does she actually have if she cannot affect change?
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
With a score of 4 to 2, Raw wins this week's Battle of the Brands. With a stronger focus on superb wrestling, Raw was a real treat to watch this 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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