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 - May 9, 2022 - XL Center in Hartford, CT
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - May 13, 2022 - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, PA
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = The WWE Raw Tag Team Championship match was quite frankly amazing. The Street Profits brought their A-Game, but the irrepressible power of RK-Bro proved too much for them to handle. The women's main event was solid, whilst every other match on the card served a positive purpose - even including Veer Mahaan's squash match!
SmackDown = Match quality was much improved this week, featuring a number of solid and exciting encounters. Riddle vs Sami Zayn was thrilling, whilst Ronda Rousey vs Raquel Rodriguez left me hoping for a rematch. Even Butch vs Xavier Woods kept me interested!
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = RK-Bro kicked off the show incredibly, leading to a fantastic promo duel with The Street Profits.
SmackDown = RK-Bro excelled on the microphone when kicking off the show, benefitting from the contributions of Sami Zayn. It was an entertaining segment, lifting all involved.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = Whilst The Bloodline vs RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre had suitable attention, Judgement Day and the Raw women's division were presented as important lynchpins of the show.
SmackDown = The Bloodline vs RK-Bro and Drew McIntyre was once again expertly expanded upon. Riddle looks like an absolute star, whilst McIntyre continues to present a threat to Roman Reigns.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was better this week, coming across as a well paced and genuinely intriguing three hours of wrestling.
SmackDown = The blue show was a much tighter, consistent, and pleasant show to watch this week, with satisfactory pacing.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for the fantstic WWE Raw Tag Team Championship match. Both teams are stars!
Raw also gains points for Rhea Ripley looking every bit the evil bitch that her new character needs her to be. I am a big fan of this new direction.
Raw loses points for inadequately presenting Alexa Bliss' Raw return.
SmackDown gains points for the sumptuous GUNTHER chop on Drew Gulak.
SmackDown also gains points for Happy Corbin cracking the 'Moss-pital' joke.
SmackDown loses points for the Madcap Moss stretcher job. It just felt somewhat unnecessary.
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. Both shows were a great watch this week, but Raw was the better overall package.
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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