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 - June 13, 2022 - INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - June 17, 2022 - Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Seth Rollins vs AJ Styles was yet another reminder for fans of how talented both men are. They worked superbly together, weaving in a solid storyline to complement the narrative of the moves themselves, and how important the victory would be to each man.
SmackDown = Although the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship match was fine, Roman Reigns retaining left a sour taste in my mouth. In addition to this, the Last Laugh match was laughably terrible!
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = I absolutely adored the promo between Riddle and Paul Heyman this week, especially as it made Riddle seem like a huge star. Which, he arguably is, with or without the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Heyman exceeds expectations every time he is on the microphone, as I always feel he cannot top his years of fantastic service to the promo world, but this week at least, he made Riddle look $20,000,000.
SmackDown = Natalya's promo was awful! Awful! It is not a hyperbole to say that someone of her 'experience' has no excuses for struggling in the manner she did.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = Riddle vs Roman Reigns was advanced fairly well through Paul Heyman, but it was Seth Rollins' dominance of the show that felt most notable. His presence is so entrancing and captivating that he never fails to astonish and keep fans eating out of the palm of his hand.
SmackDown = I love Brock Lesnar. I really do. He brings a presence and level of star power that very few can touch. However, the 6,666th iteration of Lesnar vs Roman Reigns is a development that I really cannot stomach. Riddle's current redemption arc has been pointlessly sacrificed for yet another meeting between two men who seem to have worse matches each and every time they lock up.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Pacing was more than enjoyable this week for the red brand. There were some moments of downtime, but overall, it was an enjoyable and easy to digest three hours of wrestling.
SmackDown = Opening the show with Vince McMahon's pathetic and frankly offensive appearence set the tone for the rest of the show. Fans felt as though there should have been something of value come from his mouth, therefore, there was a feeling he should return later to actually apologise and announce his departure. Simply put, pacing was a trainwreck this week.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for presenting Seth Rollins as the guy on Raw moving forward.
Raw also gains points for Becky Lynch's harsh and realistic promo, detailing her frustrations in a solid manner.
Raw loses points for Ezekiel promising the return of Elias next week. There is no possible way they can pull this off with any level of satisfaction for fans.
SmackDown gains no points for feeling like an abject disaster of a show. Not only did they not pull the trigger on Riddle (which is admittedly the direction they should have gone in given Roman Reigns' light schedule) but they also failed to create a cohesive and intriguing narrative for the rest of the show.
SmackDown loses points for the disastrous Natalya promo. With her experience, I find it utter reprehensible that she clearly required the assistance of cue cards. A legend she really is not!
SmackDown also loses points for Adam Pearce detracting from the Drew McIntyre and Sheamus feud. His delivery was just poor.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+0 / -2)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
With a score of 6 to 0, Raw absolutely annihilates SmackDown this week. Vince McMahon acted as a toxic cloud over the show, contributing to a level of mediocrity that was simply inexcusable.
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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