SmackDown Live won last week and if you’re following this series, that makes it a 2-1 lead to SmackDown Live. Raw was an average show last week and that led to its downfall. It also drew low ratings due to the audience switching over to what is considered more important programming in the NFL.
Raw needs to get back to being the must-see show it used to be in order to compete. It went up against the Presidential debate too this week but coming off an interesting PPV, could it rise up and give us an exciting show?
SmackDown is leading into No Mercy in a couple of weeks and needs to build momentum for their second PPV as WWE Backlash was a forgettable outing for the blue brand. Will they do a Sheamus and take a 3-1 lead?
Without further ado, let’s analyse the best bits of both Raw and SmackDown Live and see who triumphed this week right here…on Sportskeeda!
The Usos debut new theme music
Worth a quick mention, The Usos debuted a new theme song this week which is much more fitting for their heel persona than the previous theme they used. They also managed to pick up a win and for the first time in years, the Usos are interesting. They work great as a heel team and can now be seen as a real threat to the SmackDown tag team championships.
In what is a packed tag team division, each team is having to fight hard for their place and I think we could see the Usos at the top of the pile very soon. They got the win last night in the 8 man tag team match SmackDown Live had to present. So they go into No Mercy looking very strong.
Another Cruiserweight Classic
It was absolutely refreshing to break up Raw with a Tag Team Cruiserweight match. And what a match it was! As usual, the cruiserweights stole the show with technical prowess and aerial manoeuvres some could only dream of.
The best part of these matches is the crowd reaction. There was nothing as they were coming out. It was pretty much silent like no-one had watched the Cruiserweight Classic on the WWE Network. When the guys started to work, the gasps and sounds of complete awe from the audience were a joy to hear.
It was a fantastic match that saw Rich Swann pick up the win. Can you handle this? It’s a shame this didn’t quite carry over to TJ Perkins vs. Tony Nese with disrespectful CM Punk chants echoing throughout the arena. Shame on you Raw crowd!
An eventful homecoming
The Miz just keeps getting better and better lately. I was not looking forward to this segment when it was announced because I thought it would be dry and quite frankly, boring. However, The Miz really did prove me wrong as he dug deep once again to deliver a great promo relating to all his successes.
Dolph Ziggler interrupted the show once again in an attempt to get another title shot but ended up putting his career on the line. This was quite unexpected but welcome move at the same time. It gives an extra level of gravity to the situation at No Mercy.
The Miz went to town on Ziggler on the microphone and just made himself look unbelievably strong. At the moment, the Intercontinental title almost seems like the most important title in the WWE. It’s enough for Ziggler to put his career on the line
This isn’t really a prediction piece but I can see Miz winning by cheating and then dropping the title after the match is restarted due to being caught. You read it here first guys.
Raw is JeriKo
Jericho’s latest run has been entertaining and since he has been with Kevin Owens, it has been phenomenal. His catchphrases are simple and funny at the same time and he still puts on amazing matches on a nightly basis. It’s actually sad to hear that this run may be coming to an end at Hell in a Cell.
The chemistry that Jericho has with Kevin Owens is unrivalled at the moment and it’s also doing wonders for Kevin Owens as a main event talent. Mix this in with a half rivalry against Enzo and Cass and the main event of Raw is shaping up to be a very positive picture.
The highlight reel was one of the best I’ve seen as let everybody shine in one way or another. Kevin Owens referencing the injuries Seth Rollins has inflicted on Superstars was a bit risqué but the way that Jericho acts like a puppy dog steals the show every time. He’s able to provide comic relief without damaging his reputation and that is an extremely hard skill to master.
I wonder what he’ll do when he finds out Kevin Owens threw his scarf away? He might end up on the list.
Hansel and Gretel trail…
Bray Wyatt suffers loss after loss when it comes to his opponents. He delivers great promos, great matches and has managed to bring a supernatural character that’s believable, into a reality based era.
I thought the backstage segments were really well thought out and if you’ve ever seen the ‘Saw’ series of films, you’ll have got a little kick from the instructions painted on the wall as I did. Randy Orton was shown to be avoiding Bray Wyatt’s traps throughout the show. Avoiding the ambush by Erick Rowan who had an evolved sheep mask on.
Orton eventually caught up to Bray Wyatt and made him flee after inflicting a little damage on him with standard punches. He then put the sheep mask on and otherworldly things began to happen. I hope something will come of this next week as I’d like to see Orton’s mind twisted by the mask. It would make for simply fantastic programming.
It all depends whether the WWE Creative team can hold their nerve or not. They usually stop these storylines because they think heroes going down a dark path doesn’t work. Examples include Cena as a part of Nexus and Daniel Bryan as a part of the Wyatt family. These storylines should go on for months, not a couple of weeks.
Here’s hoping that with the brand split, they feel more confident to take the risk with Orton.
Who won?
Here comes the difficult bit!
I lied, it’s not difficult. SmackDown Live blew Raw out of the water this week. For the first time since I started doing these articles, it wasn’t even close. Raw really needs to up its game as it’s in danger at the moment. It’s a shame as they have great talent and a Cruiserweight division but they just aren’t being used effectively.
We had rematches from Night of Champions which is always pointless as it takes away from the special feel of the PPV match-ups – especially when they’re for the titles again! SmackDown Live had a great show that was well put together with great segments and an excellent WWE World Championship match.
So there we go! SmackDown Live wins and takes a 3-1 lead! It’s quite fitting that Sportskeeda is blue this week!
Are you Red or Blue this week? Leave a comment and let’s discuss!
