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 - January 17, 2022 - Bok Center in Tulsa, OK
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - January 21, 2022 – Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Overall, match quality was of a decent quality this week, with no match stinking up the joint.
SmackDown = Charlotte Flair vs Naomi was pure bait and switch, promising a WWE SmackDown Women's Championship match that was anything but. The main event more than made up for this mess, but the single match that was hyped for this show left a severely sour taste in my mouth.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = The segment between 'The It Couple' and 'The Grit Couple' was pure gold, as too was Otis looking confused during the Alpha Academy and R-K-Bro promo.
SmackDown = 'In-Zayn' was once again a fabulous promo segment, but this was undone completely by how poor Seth Rollins' promo was. Presenting him as a face has well and truly taken any fun out of his feud with Roman Reigns.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = Brock Lesnar vs Bobby Lashley and 'The It Couple' vs 'The Grit Couple' remain highlights of WWE television, by consistently presenting their respective feuds as compelling and important.
SmackDown = As alluded to earlier, Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins has already jumped the shark. This issue was further compounded by yet more bullshit surrounding Naomi vs Sonya Deville. SmackDown storylines are largely circling the drain at the moment.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was adequately paced, coming across as a fairly well structured show.
SmackDown = SmackDown was not as smooth as it perhaps should have been, with the structure and pacing of the show leaving much to be desired.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for Otis' facial expressions.
Raw also gains points for trying hard to make the Royal Rumble feel important.
Raw loses points for the awkwardness of Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins impacting on the enjoyment factor of the show.
SmackDown gains points for giving Aliyah some additional momentum.
SmackDown also gains points for featuring Ricochet, even if it was in a losing effort.
SmackDown loses points for presenting a disjointed mess of a feud between Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
With a score of 5 to 1, Raw once again annihilates SmackDown to win this week's Battle of the Brands. I'm afraid to admit that SmackDown really has fallen off a cliff recently, struggling to come across as an exciting two hours of television.
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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