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 24, 2022 - Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - January 28, 2022 – T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, Missouri
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. I fully acknowledge that Raw can usually feature some stinkers, but it genuinely feels as though they are learning how to better craft their matches. This was evident in Austin Theory vs AJ Styles, which was practically fantastic!.
SmackDown = Although once again, The New Day vs The Usos saved the show, the remaining matches all left much to be desired.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = Brock Lesnar dueling with Bobby Lashley on the microphone was highly entertaining, whilst the Becky Lynch and Doudrop interview was perfectly executed.
SmackDown = Sami Zayn shit the bed in the absolute worst promo on SmackDown for a while - thank you Happy Corbin!
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. They actually feel important as we head towards one of the most compelling pay-per-views of the year.
SmackDown = Sonya Deville fell to Naomi, which felt somewhat acceptable. I genuinely hope this is the end of their feud, but I highly doubt that will be the case. Big E returning full time to SmackDown was an intriguing, if not confusing development. Perhaps his singles career has already been ended?
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was paced well, again coming across as a 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. Once again, the overall pacing fell flat.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for Maryse's birthday bash being so delectably over the top.
Raw also gains points for Brock Lesnar's attire - I absolutely love farmer Lesnar!.
Raw loses points for the women's tag match, which was just an excuse to shoehorn Royal Rumble competitors into the show.
SmackDown gains points for giving me an extra reason to watch the Royal Rumble with Sasha Banks' return.
SmackDown also gains points for once again featuring Ricochet, even if it was in a losing effort. He may be losing now, but he's on screen and hopefully working towards something worthwhile.
SmackDown loses points for presenting a disjointed mess of a promo segment involving Sami Zayn. Happy Corbin is just not exciting, which made this segment so tortorous!
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
With a score of 5 to 1, Raw once again smashes SmackDown to win this week's Battle of the Brands. SmackDown essentially offered little excitement this week compared to 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!
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