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 20, 2022 - Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - June 24, 2022 - Moody Center in Austin, Texas
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = The women's match to kick off the show was a solid and entertaining slog, which was a positive indicator for the rest of the show. The true beauty of the show was in the main event, as Asuka and Becky Lynch truly starred.
SmackDown = The content of most matches this week was of a higher quality than recent weeks, with GUNTHER's performance a particular highlight. Tamina vs Shotzi was awful, however, but the show was rescued by a more than satisfactory main event.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = Bianca Belair truly displayed her talking chops as her solid promo kicked off the show. She is fantastic in the ring, and evidently underrated on the microphone.
SmackDown = I understand what Natalya was trying to acheive as she lampooned Ronda Rousey, but the segment came off as a ridiculous load of rubbish. Rousey tried to rescue the segment, but her inexperience on the microphone was unable to help.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = Becky Lynch's descent into despair and desperation has been a joy to watch, which deservedly carries the red brand at the moment.
SmackDown = Natalya vs Ronda Rousey was advanced, but the feud still comes off as petty and uninteresting. Pat McAfee setting up a match with Happy Corbin was cool to see, but it does not salvage the mess that is Corbin.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw returned to a fairly solid and entertining level of pacing and scheduling this week.
SmackDown = The show was an improvement over last week, but the pacing is still a clear and notable issue.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for truly booking Becky Lynch in the best possible fashion.
Raw also gains points for focusing heavily on it's women's division this week.
Raw loses points for Vince McMahon's unwanted appearance.
SmackDown gains points for GUNTHER establishing himself as perhaps the best protected wrestler in WWE at the moment. His WWE Intercontinental Championship defence was everything that he needed to continue his burgeoning momentum towards the main event scene.
SmackDown also points for The Street Profits coming across as jokers. They are so loveable at the moment!
SmackDown loses points for Natalya using a stroller as a weapon. Yes, it may be a believeably painful weapon (which as a father, I fully understand) but it seemed so out of place that it genuinely detracted from the segment.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
With a score of 5 to 1, Raw once again wins this week's Battle of the Brands. A better focus on the women's division and a much more platable pacing resulted in a better show overall.
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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