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

I think everyone knows who wins here. That Seattle crowd let everyone know who they liked and who they didn't. Let's just say they weren't quite.. Walking With Elias.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 2: COMMENTARY

So, I was out of the country for about 3 weeks. That being said, this is being written from a perspective of walking into it off a short break. Renee Young is a breathe of fresh air that was so desperately needed on commentary. She brings something new whether its a new voice or new perspective. She brings it, and brings it confidently and professionally.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 3: MATCHES

Some real crazy stuff happened in terms of matches this week. Shelton Benjamin got a W over Daniel Bryan on SD Live, McIntyre beat Rollins, and Kevin Owens defeated Bobby Lashley. Outside interference notwithstanding, but in the record books it shows those guys beat those guys. Which is.. Strange. Overall, outside of Benjamin and Bryan SmackDown had very little to offer when it came to in-ring action. That makes this a real easy win for Monday Night Raw.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 4: PROMOS

We could go through every little promo and break it down, but the fact of the matter is we saw one of the best moments of the year in a promo this Monday. Kevin Owens and Elias hit a sore spot in Seattle by mentioning the SuperSonics. It was classic cheap heat dogging on the city, but the SuperSonics mean more than life itself in Seattle. And Seattle let them know that.

WINNER: Raw

FACTOR 5: STORYLINES

So, being gone for several weeks I am out of the loop to say the very least. Kevin Owens and Elias said some stuff that makes sense to me, and that was that some stuff just doesn't make sense. Cena & Lashley? Why? It makes no sense to me. Lesnar is back and doing stuff when I thought he was gone. I'm getting more and more comfortable with the Strowman heel turn, but it isn't my favorite. I have been enjoying Ronda Rousey just running through everyone like a train off its tracks though. However, the Bella Twins could've stayed gone FOREVER.

Samoa Joe is still a dirtbag and I'm totally here for it. Becky Lynch is a great heel even though she is a face in the crowds eyes, and I am hoping for something more to happen with this Miz and Daniel Bryan stuff. The whole, "I'm gonna interfere in your matches over and over until we fight." thing is getting stale. The New Day are amazing still, so that hasn't changed. Overall, neither show is standing out to me in terms of storylines. SmackDown needs the point, so I'll give it to them.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 6: SCHEDULING / PACING

I was gone for awhile, but somethings never change.

WINNER: SmackDown

FACTOR 7: VISUAL PRESENTATION

The several minutes of boos raining down on Owens and Elias as they soaked it all in was memorable stuff at its finest. Amazing work by two of the best heels in the biz.

WINNER: Raw

EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!

The highlight reel moment that was KO and Elias deserves an extra point here. If that doesn't get special points, then what does in todays WWE?

POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+1 / -0) / SmackDown (+0 / -0)


Raw wins with a blistering 6-2 tally thanks to an extra point in the bonus column. The thing is, Raw doesn't seem like a 6-2 better show than SD Live, but when it's broken down they just have more going on. SD Live had some useless matches, one seeing R-Truth beat Andrade. Why? You only have two hours, do something with it. Raw gets a big win this week thanks mostly to Elias and Owens being great heels.