WWE Monday Night Raw – February 25, 2019 - State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA
WWE SmackDown – February 26, 2019 – Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = This wasn't a match-specific event, but the action was okay in my book. The best one was Finn Balor vs. Lio Rush, probably.
SmackDown = The action on SmackDown was better, in my mind. Just a preference thing. Isn't that the point of this whole BOTB to begin with, by the way?
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = That Roman Reigns promo was one of the best feel-good moments in a long time. That has to win. I also liked the Dean Ambrose bit with Elias.
SmackDown = Big fan of R-Truth's whole thing about John Cena being his childhood idol and all. Charlotte Flair's promo was pretty standard and blah.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = Batista attacks Ric Flair? Ronda Rousey gives Stephanie an ultimatum? The Shield situation hasn't been fully reformed, but they hinted at it? Yeah, this was good for those elements, for sure.
SmackDown = Very curious what's going on with this Kevin Owens thing, but honestly, that's it. Everything else fell short of grabbing my attention as far as storylines went.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was SO much easier to get through this week. Whether that's Bruce Prichard's influence, a combination of factors, or something else, I don't know, but the 3 hours went by so much smoother than normal even with overlap between segments. Maybe they figured out how to tighten it up without feeling chaotic.
SmackDown = The blue brand loses the win this week because of the Flair promo. That halted everything. Then, the AJ Styles backstage segment did something similar.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for "cheese!" as well as the Batista surprise and Rousey saying "belt".
Raw loses a point for having The Revival lose again.
SmackDown gains points for the Kevin Owens and Matt Hardy surprises and "damn, he brave" from R-Truth.
SmackDown loses points for not having Andrade win the United States title (personal preference).
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+3 / -1) / SmackDown (+3 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
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!
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