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

Staples Center always shows out for WWE which is why the company is so loyal to this arena. They showed out for Monday Night Raw too.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

There isn't a whole lot to note here. I do recall, however, that when Hardy revealed himself to be Woken(instead of Broken) one of the Raw commentators says "Is this what were gonna see from now on?". I don't remember who, but I couldn't help but think that was such a ridiculous thing to say. So, in a petty way, Raw loses here.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

Has to be Raw here. SmackDown only had a good main event and everything else match wise was kinda blah. Raw had a decent match between Reigns and Jordan, a fun cruiserweight bout even though that division has seemingly fallen to the wayside, and the main event for the tag titles was really well done in my opinion with the match restart.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

Sarah Logan= Really bad on the mic. Like really bad. I hope that she just had a rough night, and isn't regularly as awful as she was on SmackDown this week. Outside of that Zayn and KO delivered a good promo just like normal, and The New Day did as well.

The opening promo on Raw was okay. Nothing special, but Jason Jordan is 10x better when he just attacks people and doesn't talk as much. Elias drops some awesome lines talking about Angle and his bias towards his "bastard son". Elias also had a fun little thing Braun, and I think he is really starting to prove himself. Then, of course, the Wyatt & Hardy angle that I'm hoping really takes off. Just no "House of Horrors" please. All in all, Raw had a better night on the mic, and don't be surprised if SmackDown loses a point on Sarah Logans bad night.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

Not seeing both main titles on TV this week really bothers me. Especially the WWE Championship. I'm conditioned for this when it comes to the Universal Championship and Lesnar, but AJ needs/should be on weekly. Also, it is pretty clear that Randy & Nak will take on KO & Sami, and that should be fun. I really hope The Buldgeon Brothers take off, and they strengthen the tag scene even more. And the triple threat that is brewing for the US Title between Dolph, Corbin, and Roode could be very very good.

Raw has a lot going for it too however. The fatal four-way/triple threat for the IC Championship with Joe, Reigns, Jordan, and possibly Elias could be amazing. The Bar vs. The Shield has been as good as you'd expect, and Asuka should be holding the Women's Championship for what could be a record breaking run shortly. Only thing that disappoints me with Raw is how Finn is being used. I want him to be the one that takes on and defeats Lesnar, but that could be hopeless.

All in all, I like where both rosters are going, but I'll take SmackDown. I love everything they're doing right now.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

You already know. SmackDown used their time so much better.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

Two words: Braun Strowman. Taking a guitar shot like that and not moving just has to be mentioned.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

Okay, I won't take any points off for Sarah Logan, but if it happens again expect some consequences.

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


SmackDown and Raw advance their storylines in two different ways. Raw is more match oriented, whereas SmackDown is more promo based. If SmackDown could just have a few more higher profile matches, even if its just one, they would win here more often. Raw wins this week 4-3.