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 - September 19, 2022 - SAP Center in San Jose, California
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - September 23, 2022 - Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = Seth Rollins vs Bobby Lashley and Kevin Owens vs Austin Theory were superb matches, creating a sense of excitement and amazement that is often missing from the first hour of WWE television. All four men put their all into creating superb matches with solid narratives, and I cannot respect that enough.
SmackDown = Braun Strowman vs Otis was a solid hoss fight, but most egregiously, this was as good as the show got. The remaining matches were all poor in their own way, with the women's matches in particular feeling rather neglected.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = Miz TV was a fair, if not unimpressive promo segment. Unfortunately, Dexter Lumis is not helping the quality of The Miz's promos.
SmackDown = The Bloodline and Sami Zayn remain unmissable television. Roman Reigns delivering what initially appeared to be a booting from his Island of Relevancy turned into Zayn being bequeathed the title of Honorary Uso. The promo segment was absolutely fantastic, highlighting just how strong Reigns and Zayn are on the microphone.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = Damage CTRL taking... ahem... control of the women's division remains a highlight of the show. Although some storylines are failing, in the main, Raw is chugging along nicely.
SmackDown = Aside from The Bloodline remaining the highlight of the show, Braun Strowman rehabilitating his character against Otis is a storyline I can get behind. Unfortunately, that was as positive as the show felt in terms of advancing storylines.
WINNER: Dead Heat
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was once again paced solidly this week, despite the threat of three hours becoming too long. The manner in which segments and matches were spaced out lent itself to a much fresher viewing experience.
SmackDown = SmackDown was fairly paced, but was nothing impressive this week.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for the WWE United States Championship match giving the belt a sense of real importance.
Raw also gains points for keeping Judgment Day relevant. I love Dominik Mysterio's current level of heat.
Raw loses points for Dexter Lumis' current portrayal of his stalker gimmick. It needs tweaking, if not outright dropping.
SmackDown gains points for Jey Uso continuing to hate Sami Zayn in a manner which adds a level of humour to the most dominant stable in WWE.
SmackDown also gains points for Drew McIntyre rescuing his segment with Karrion Kross and Scarlett, which could have easily bombed following the botched torchpaper fiasco.
SmackDown loses points for struggling to make it's women's division feel important.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK!!!
Bayley standing tall at the end of Raw. Yes! Damage CTRL are fantastic!
DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK!!!
Liv Morgan deserves much better booking than what she is receiving, and in Lacey Evans, she had an opponent that just did nothing to highlight how strong she is. This was simply a huge missed opportunity.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
With a score of 3 to 2, Raw just about edges this week's Battle of the Brands. Both shows were good, but Raw came out fighting with a superb and enjoyable set of matches. Despite Roman Reigns' return, SmackDown was lacking in respect for the women's division this 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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