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 - November 21, 2022 - MVP Arena in Albany, New York
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - November 25, 2022 - Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = There wasn't a single bad match this week on Raw, with each contest featuring something unique and compelling. I mean, we even got a good Baron Corbin match for crying out loud!
SmackDown = If you remove the absolutely turgid women's match, this week's show offered up an extremely strong night of wrestling. Each mens match felt important, with real stakes on the line. Even the strange Braun Strowman vs Ricochet match had a positive vibe to it.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = Judgment Day vs Brawlin' Brutes wouldn't usually provide much in the way of solid promos, but Finn Balor absolutely killed it this week. His promo skills are getting better every week, slowly transforming into the complete package.
SmackDown = I cannot explain enough just how much I love the promo segments between Bray Wyatt and LA Knight. It is clear from my writing that I am huge fan of Wyatt, but I am positively surprised with just how much he is elevating Knight, a wrestler I have no real interest in. Yet again this week, both men succeeded with aplomb.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = Raw continued to present some solid red brand exclusive storylines this week, such as Seth Rollins' feud with Austin Theory and Babby Lashley, but they fail to match the heights of SmackDown's main storylines.
SmackDown = Bray Wyatt vs LA Knight and The Bloodline vs Brawlin' Brutes, Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens continue to carry the show. This is in stark contrast to the shitshow that is any Ronda Rousey feud, as she and Shotzi are continually stinking up the joint.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was just as pleasantly paced this week as it normally is, which was great for the go home show for Survivor Series.
SmackDown = I hate to highlight how poor the women's division is on SmackDown, but their segments were truly the only negative aspect of this week's offering. Overall, the pacing was extremely positive.
WINNER: Dead Heat
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for creating the illusion that Austin Theory's character is not dead in the water.
Raw also gains points for Baron Corbin having a strong match. Granted this was down to Drew McIntyre, but still...
Raw loses points for the women ending the show with a huge brawl - I wanted them to hold off until Survivor Series.
SmackDown gains points for Ricochet defeating Braun Strowman in such smart fashion.
SmackDown also gains points for creating the narrative that the blue brand can once agin be the land of opportunity.
SmackDown loses points for continuing to present the idea that Shotzi has a chance against Ronda Rousey - she just doesn't!
HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK!!!
Rhea Ripley vs Asuka. Simply fantastic.
DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK!!!
Shotzi. And I feel like an asshole for highlighting this, but she should not be on the main roster.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = SmackDown
With a score of 3 to 2, SmackDown narrowly wins this week's Battle of the Brands. Both shows produced great offerings in the lead up to Survivor Series, but it was the blue brand that came out on top with a higher quality presentation.
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!
Subscribe to Smark Out Moment on YouTube, iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!
`
0 comments: