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 11, 2022 - Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - April 15, 2022 - DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Veer Mahaan squashing the living daylights out Dominik Mysterio was great to watch, but it was the superb contest between The Miz and Cody Rhodes that capped off a solid night of wrestling. It also served to confirm Rhodes as a growing force in WWE.
SmackDown = Whilst the main event of Riddle vs Jimmy Uso was as fun and entertaining as it should be, the remainder of the show featured some rather insipid matches.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = Miz TV was fantastic, as it usually is. Cody Rhodes and The Miz worked solidly with each other, creating an extremely intriguing narrative.
SmackDown = It was Charlotte Flair's turn this week to produce a promo of such terrible and meandering quality. Her feud with Ronda Rousey is just not clicking at all.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = The Bloodline coming to Raw in order to impose themselves over WWE was not the magnificent event it should have been. It feels as though WWE doesn't know what to do about Roman Reigns' presemtation as the true top guy in WWE.
SmackDown = SmackDown actually presented The Bloodline vs R-K-Bro as a real feud. Although the quality of the promos was lacking, the in ring action more than made up for this.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = A few mediocre segments aside, the show was positively paced and rather enjoyable.
SmackDown = SmackDown was a slight improvement over last week, but it still remained a struggle to get through.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for presenting Cody Rhodes as the huge star he truly is.
Raw also gains points for pushing Veer Mahaan as the monster he needs to be.
Raw loses points for continuing the Ezekiel debacle. It actually brings down Kevin Owens' reputation by virtue of his association to this pathetic storyline.
SmackDown gains points for having Ricochet retain his WWE Intercontinental Championship. Let's continue to push him!
SmackDown also gains points for Drew Gulak looking comfortable in his new non-wrestling role.
SmackDown loses points for the mess that was Natalya trying to seem imposing.
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. Although SmackDown made an improvement, it was still the worst show of the 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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