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.
WWE Monday Night Raw - September 20, 2021 - PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
WWE Friday Night SmackDown - September 24, 2021 – Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
BATTLE OF THE BRANDS:
RAW vs. SMACKDOWN
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
Raw = The six man tag team match between The Bloodline and The New Day was a great way to kick off the wrestling week. Roman Reigns once again proved how dominant he is, especially when he triumphed over Bobby Lashley and Big E in an epic triple threat. The remaining matches were fair to average, but the strength of the upper card carried the show this week.
SmackDown = Roman Reigns vs Montez Ford was a quality contest, with Ford more than carrying himself like a future star. Shinsuke Nakamura successfully defended his WWE Intercontinental Championship in a solid match with Apollo Crews, but Zelina Vega vs Liv Morgan was frankly embarrassing.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
Raw = Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair failed to insipre this week, which was endemic of the quality of the rest of the promos on Raw this week.
SmackDown = Montez Ford referring to The Bloodline as bitches was fabulous, especially when he doubled down on it. In terms of Happy Corbin's new talk show, it was obnoxious gold, something I did not expect.
WINNER: SmackDown
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
Raw = The anticipation of the main event between Roman Reigns, Big E, and Bobby Lahley easily dominated the show. There was little in terms of real storyline development, but the anticipation for the titanic collision in the main event was superbly handled.
SmackDown = The show was carried by Roman Reigns, which is honestly the case for pretty much every SmackDown. Due to the mysterious nature of The Demon, it was fitting that he only turned up at the climax of the show.
WINNER: Raw
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
Raw = Raw was another well paced show this week, coming across as a much more cohesive effort than normal.
SmackDown = SmackDown was a strongly paced show this week, ending in a strong climax to set up Roman Reigns vs The Demon.
WINNER: Raw
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
Raw gains points for having the balls to have the Fox Sports backed Roman Reigns go over USA Network backed Raw wrestlers. Twice!
Raw also gains points for making Shayna Baszler look like a badass once again.
Raw loses points for the dull promo segment between Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair.
SmackDown gains points for promoting Montez Ford as an important part of the show.
SmackDown also gains points for approaching The Demon with a 'less is more' approach.
SmackDown loses points for Becky Lynch's disjointed promos.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: Raw (+2 / -1) / SmackDown (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = Raw
With a score of 4 to 2, Raw wins this week's Battle of the Brands. It is true that Roman Reigns contributed to Raw's success, but at least the red brand is starting to put on more consistent shows.
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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