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

Man, I really enjoyed both crowds this week. From the awesome Paul Heyman promo interruption via a crowd proposal (she said yes- I think) on Raw to the amazing Charlotte crowd for Flair and the Raw team attack, they were both great. The only thing I could think of during Raw team ambush on SmackDown this week is the pop that Daniel Bryan would have gotten coming to the rescue of his fellow SmackDown comrades. It would've blown the roof off the place. But in terms of pops, I think the SD Live crowd had some gas and they get the win.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

I'm struggling to see vast differences in the commentary teams, and maybe that is because how similar Phillips and Cole are. Choosing my favorite right now, it might be Raw. I like how they mesh together as a group with Corey being on the fence, Booker being seemingly heel in a lot of aspects, and Cole being as babyface as it gets.

I really thought that Byron Saxton was moving up my list, but listening to him this week I found myself with the same anger and hatred(not really-just dislike his style). So I'm going with Raw.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

I love watching The Shield in action as a full team. Very few three-man teams work as well as those guys do together. They and New Day are top tiers along with those as the Freebirds. Their match with The Bar & The Miz was a fun one for me. Seeing Balor and Joe team together again was fun, but outside of that, there wasn't much else to talk about. Seeing Kane get chokeslammed through the floor by Strowman was a great sight.

SmackDown had some fun stuff too. I love watching New Day perform just like The Shield, and even though their match was interrupted by Raw brand ambush they still put on a good show with Sami & KO. Seeing Charlotte win her match for the title in her hometown was also super cool, and it was a good match to boot. SmackDown had more good promos than matches, but that seems to be the norm with this show.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

Between Stephanie, Kurt Angle, and Paul Heyman(a very short but beyond effective promo by HHH as well) Raw had some great promos. Stephanie & Paul will always be A+ on the mic. Two of the best in this category. We may not see as good a heel as Stephanie McMahon in a power position like GM or Commissioner in a long time. She always delivers. Paul Heyman is the GOAT to me, and he has the improv skills to be funny but effective if things go off kilter. He proved that by making a fan's proposal about himself and Brock Lesnar. Kurt Angle has done a good job showing emotion in his promos with Jason Jordan, and his stone cold FU attitude toward Shane and SDL was fantastic too. HHH said maybe 20 words, and his Pedigree on Jason Jordan spoke louder than any of them. But we all know how good he is.

Shane, AJ & D-Bryan, and Charlotte head the way for SD Live. Also New Day at the beginning of the show. For whatever reason, I found Shane annoying on the mic the last couple weeks but this week he had an inspirational promo to "rally the troops" at the beginning of the show. New Day shined in their pre-match promo like always. Charlotte had an emotional promo, and the Flairs are really good at crying. Like all the time. But it works. Daniel Bryan had arguably the best promo of the week alongside AJ Styles taking it to Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar. He took some serious shots at The Beast Incarnate, and I loved every minute. Thanks to DB putting the promos over the edge in this show, SmackDown wins.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

The storylines and build up for Survivor Series has been nuts and all over the place. From big-time title changes like AJ & Charlotte to 5 on 5 team shake-ups like HHH and John Cena. For the record, I love this kind of booking. It may be that they don't have a clue what they really wanted, or they just want to be unpredictable but the changes they made were necessary. Lesnar vs. Styles & Charlotte vs. Bliss is 10000000x better than Lesnar vs. Mahal & Natty vs. Bliss. Also throwing in HHH over Jason Jordan is best for business.

With the shows being intertwined with Survivor Series, I'm going with who's teams/champs I like the most. SmackDown has the better women's team by far. I love The Bar as tag champs, but The Usos are studs too. The Miz > Baron Corbin and it isn't even close. It is a toss-up between Charlotte & Bliss for me, and I'll take AJ over Lesnar any day. And that isn't a shot to Lesnar. I wish it was Bryan over Shane for SD Live, but I love both five-man teams. Angle, HHH, Strowman, Balor, & Joe? Geez... Shane-O-Mac, Roode, Nak, Cena, & Orton is just as scary...

It is nearly impossible to say which team is better here. I have to go with Raw since my hand is being forced. Balor & Joe is amazing, HHH is one of my all-time favs and Braun Strowman who is probably my favorite act today.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

You know how I am here.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

Two words... Braun Strowman. Oh and Triple H.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Nothing.

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


Survivor Series is always one of my favorite events. Seeing star-studded five-man tag matches is amazing. You'll never see combinations like you do at Survivor Series. Having a true brand rivalry helps everyone too. Raw comes out on top this week but just barely with a 4-3 tally. Both shows were so good this week, and it has me looking forward to seeing what happens at Survivor Series and moving forward.