Smark Out Moment

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.

BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:

RAW vs. SMACKDOWN

FACTOR 1: CROWD

So Raw had a good crowd, and it was great that really both shows had a good crowd. I hate seeing the inevitable dead weeks that one show usually has every week. But this week Louisiana showed up strong, Thanks to Money In The Bank, SmackDowns was better.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

I have two words for you: Bear Puns. Monday Night Raw featured a match that had a bear in it.. Yes, an Indie guy dressed as a bear and then eventually Dean Ambrose, but the Raw commentary team was all over the incredibly bad but yet simply amazing bear puns throughout the match. I’m a sucker for a good bad pun so they get the win.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

How about that main event for Monday Night Raw! That two out of three falls tag team championship match was executed beautifully in a short amount of time. I really think that Elias Sampson can be a big player for WWE moving forward, and its time Miz & Dean Ambrose separate from one another after another wacky match/segment. But that’s about it in the way of matches for Monday Night Raw.

The only match of note for SD Live was their six man main event, and it was pretty good. Other than that, it was a go home show which is generally short on matches. So Raw gets the win.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

How about Goldust? Cutting great, short promos and showing the young guys how you do it. Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar, and Samoa Joe are money together and another promo together proves that. Bray and Seth also had a good promo and their feud is really starting to heat up as well. All of this is accompanied by an awkward Bayley interview with Corey Graves.

It was the same promos on SD Live. Nothing new happening which is disappointing for a go home show for one of the most impactful PPV’s of the year. Also, John Cena is set to return! As a free agent.. So, SmackDown takes an L here.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

I was so excited when Joe got his #1 Contendership for the Universal Championship. I knew I’d love Joe vs Lesnar with the Heyman aspect thrown in, but I didn’t know I’d like it this much already. The two short segments they’ve had o far have been great in my opinion, and I’m ready for the match itself. The Raw Tag Team scene has been great with an awesome 2/3 falls match on Raw this past week. I still love Alexa as champ, but I’m very much so ready to see Bayley move on. The same sentiment goes for Ambrose and Miz as I’m ready to see them separate.

The Money In the Bank ladder matches still have all my attention however. The landscape of SD Live can change significantly come Sunday. Which is good, because they are droping the ball with Jinder Mahal as they have him doing the same promo every week. Thanks to the ladder matches, SD Live wins.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

Two hours > three hours. Every time.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

I really like how SD Live does their camera work from promos to matches to interviews and so forth. Its fast, it’s clean, and I’m taking notice.

WINNER: SmackDown

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Nothing here.

POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+0 / -0) / SmackDown (+0 / -0)



SmackDown wins with a 4 to 3 tally thanks to their upcoming PPV and ladder matches giving us a lot of “what if” scenarios that us wrestling fans love. I’m expecting a swerve here as Jinder Mhala being champ proves that they’re willing to take chances on their product. I expect Raw will get better as they inch towards a Joe & Lesnar headlined event. Wrestling is looking good right now, and don’t take that for granted.