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 4, 2022 - American Airlines in Dallas, Texas
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - April 8, 2022 - Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Bron Breakker defeating Dolph Ziggler for the NXT Championship was enough to give Raw the best match of the week!
SmackDown = Prety much every single match felt unimportant this week, although I did enjoy GUNTHER's glorious squash match.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = Cody Rhodes' promo may have been long, but I'll be damned if it wasn't almost perfect. This is a man who has already put his marker down for his return to WWE in the best possible way.
SmackDown = Ronda Rousey + Promo = Disaster.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = MVP turning on Bobby Lashley to align with Omos was well received, whilst the rest of the show settled into a solid, if not uninspired groove following WrestleMania.
SmackDown = SmackDown didn't do much to grab my interest this week in terms of feuds. The shitshow that is Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey will seemingly continue, whilst Roman Reigns' next opponent seems to be no-one, as no real development was given to his WWE Undisputed Universal Championship.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was a more than satisfying watch this week - as it has been for quite a while now. Although nowhere near as compelling as previous Raw events after WrestleMania, this one was at least better than the poor efforts of the last few years.
SmackDown = The show was once again the drizzling shits this week, with such terrible and insufferable pacing. Hopefully the advent of GUNTHER and Raquel Rodriguez will help.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for keeping Bianca Belair's momentum strong after WrestleMania. She is a main event star, and needs to be presented as such.
Raw also gains points for presenting Cody Rhodes as a huge deal. This was necessary to establish him as a huge and viable name going forward.
Raw loses points for Ezekiel. What in the actual blue hell is all that about?!?
SmackDown gains points for bringing up GUNTHER and Raquel Rodriguez, even if their previous names were more than serviceable.
SmackDown loses points for chugging along without giving the show a real sense of direction. I have said this every week for a while now, which is such a shame.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+0 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
With a score of 5 to 0 Raw decimates and humiliates SmackDown once more to win this week's Battle of the Brands. SmackDown was unable to capitalise on WrestleMania 38, whilst Raw was considerably more enjoyable.
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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