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 - July 11, 2022 - AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - July 15, 2022 - Amway Center in Orlando, Florida
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Rey Mysterio vs Finn Balor was fantastic, highlighting how both men are still capable of brilliance. Bianca Belair vs Carmella was better than it had any right to be, but the main event of Seth Rollins and Theory vs Riddle and Bobby Lashley was a superb way to end the show.
SmackDown = Liv Morgan vs Natalya was a sloppy mess, but I can't help but think it was yet another case of Natalya being an unprofessional disgrace. Morgan has improved so much in the ring, but it appeared as though Natalya was sandbagging, as evidenced by the awful execution of ObLivion. The rest of the matches were solid, but the stink of the women's match lingered.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = Happy Brock Lesnar + Paul Heyman = pure gold!
SmackDown = Pat McAfee opened the show with a fabulous promo - he can really talk! Not that it was ever in doubt. I genuinely feel his presence in WWE is one of the best decisions in recent years.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = Raw continues to give most of it's storylines adequate time to grow and develop, but the managed use of Brock Lesnar whilst Roman Reigns is away has been perfect. This is the correct approach to ensure he heads into SummerSlam as the fan's favourite.
SmackDown = The Usos vs The Street Profits bubbled along nicely, but GUNTHER's continued exertion of control towards Ludwig Kaiser was enthralling. It also helped the show that Lacey Evans continued to underline her heel credentials.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = The pacing this week was more of the same - which is not a bad thing at all.
SmackDown = The layout of the show was detrimental to the overall pacing, but it wasn't as bad as it has been recently.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for continuing to book Becky Lynch in the best possible fashion. This quasi-tweener role is really suiting her at the moment. I say this often at the moment, but she has gone from having X-Pac heat to having some real groundswell of support.
Raw also gains points for Brock Lesnar being a hell of a lot of fun.
Raw gains even more points for reintroducing Dolph Ziggler as a face. I just hope he can do something of note on his return.
Raw loses points for going down the tired and cliched route of undermining the current Mr. Money in the Bank.
SmackDown gains points for Sami Zayn being the surprise star of the show as an 'associate' of The Bloodline.
SmackDown also gains points for GUNTHER being presented as a real force. The WWE Intercontinental Championship really needs him to succeed at this point.
SmackDown loses points for Natalya being presented as a worthy challenger to Liv Morgan. She isn't in the same league, and at this point, she is really showing how the current women's division has surpassed her in every manner.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+3 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
With a score of 5 to 2, Raw easily wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Raw was pleasantly solid, whilst SmackDown was great in places. As has been the case recently, Raw wins by virtue of it's sheer consistency.
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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