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WWE decided to split up its roster once again in 2016 and proceeded with the draft, thereby dividing the roster and running RAW and SDL as two different shows once again. Smackdown was rebranded as Smackdown Live and shifted to Tuesdays.
Smackdown Live was arguably the better show ever since the draft took place in July 2016. However, since Wrestlemania, the blue brand has become a shadow of what it used to be in the latter part of 2016.
The championship feuds were brilliant, Bray Wyatt had a long and successful storyline with Randy Orton, which was a delight to watch despite its anti-climatic ending. The Shakeup took Wyatt, Ambrose, Miz to RAW and a month later, perennial jobber Jinder Mahal was holding the prestigious WWE Title.
Learning from the mistakes made in 2016, RAW has steadily become the better brand and even the 3 hours of RAW seem decent and worth watching now.
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#5:Better Use of Talent
Superstars such as Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Curt Hawkins, Titus O'Neil are getting featured on the television more regularly and given proper time to establish themselves. Presently, they might not get booked in the best way possible, but seeing new faces on Television regularly is a welcome change and gives the fans a chance to see something new every week.
The writers are letting the superstars make a name for themselves, which has resulted in The Titus Brand being decently over with the fans and also has given a future top superstar, Apollo Crews, decent recognition with the fans.Miz has started his 'Miztourage' which is again a welcome sight.
Smackdown Live, on the other hand, has failed to give screen time to superstars such as Tye Dillinger and Sami Zayn who are massively over with the audience but are struggling to get featured on weekly television.
#4 Crazy tag team division
Ever since the Hardy Boyz returned at Wrestlemania, the Raw tag team scene has got a shot in the arm. Cesaro and Sheamus have been consistently delivering great matches and have a solid chemistry as a tag team which has led to them to three championship runs already.
The Seth Rollins-Dean Ambrose reunion storyline was brilliantly executed and has made them the most loved team in WWE. Their presence in the tag team division has more than compensated the loss of Enzo-Cass and the Golden Truth.
The Revival are unfortunately injured, but once they return, the 'Top Guys' will undoubtedly be positioned as the top team in the division.
Overall, the tag team division of RAW is in much better shape than Smackdown Live, which has got New Day and Usos feuding since 10,000 BC. Although they have undeniable chemistry and exceptional matches, it just shows the lack of quality teams in the SDL division.
#3: Quality upper mid-card feuds
Raw can boast of having several main event talents in the form of Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Seth Rollins. It is a good problem for any show to have, and the way a company or a show handles this kind of problem will most likely determine l its success or failure. A good example can be the European Soccer champions, Real Madrid. They had a lot of first-team players and adopted a proper rotation policy which led to all of them being utilized in the best way possible.
Reigns and Cena are household names and them being out of the title picture, will not be something WWE would ever want for its top superstars.
Reigns vs Cena is a Wrestlemania worthy feud and will undoubtedly headline it one day, but their current feud has got everyone talking due to their promos blurring the lines between kayfabe and reality which has been a hot topic for discussion amongst the fans. The shoot nature of their promos has been fantastic and has led to both of the superstars giving some of the best promos in their career. John Cena is not only breaking the fourth wall but also acknowledging it!
Their match at No Mercy may not end up being an all-time classic, but the build-up to it has been intriguing and the fans are excited and pumped up to see them collide.
Finn Balor vs Bray Wyatt has been a decent feud with decent matches, the God vs the Demon dynamic has been nicely established and has been fun to watch.Both of them were the top champions of their respective brands in the past year, but are still being kept relevant with decent feuds.
Rusev, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, Sami Zayn are some of the notable names on Smackdown who are main event material but are seen struggling to make a mark in the mid-card. A better utilization of those superstars could help SDL on a whole.
#2: Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar is criticized by many because of his limited appearances on WWE television. He has not been the favorite of many for quite some time now, but the Beast Incarnate is still the biggest advantage that WWE possesses. His drawing power is undeniable and has led him to be on top of the payroll for years now. Just like Reigns and Cena, Brock is a name synonymous with professional wrestling and carries a menacing physique which can scare the living hell out of a normal person.
Brock Lesnar in his second stint with WWE has not really been the guy who puts other superstars over. He has always been the stronger guy in the feuds he has featured in. However, Lesnar in his recent feuds has made Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman look like a massive threat to his throne and has done his part in establishing them as the cream of the crop.
The run-in to the Universal Championship match at Summerslam was exceptional, with no superstar in the fatal four-way playing a face or a heel. Instead, the segment saw four massive wrestlers trying to murder each other.
On the other hand, SDL has Jinder Mahal as its top champion who is currently mocking Nakamura for being Japanese, enough said.
#1: Braun Strowman
Yes, the main reason behind RAW killing Smackdown is this monster, Braun Strowman.
WWE has struggled to find a homegrown superstar for years now, owing to many reasons. Their refusal to believe in their own talent, as well as the incompetent wrestlers getting the spotlight and being put into situations they cannot handle, are two major reasons.
Braun Strowman has made Monday Night Raw his own ever since breaking out from The Wyatt Family. He had a brilliant feud with Sami Zayn last year and since January has had an on-off feud with Roman Reigns which has arguably been the feud of the year. His trifecta with Big Show has been surprisingly good and has caught the attention of the wrestling fans.
Many bashed Strowman for his wrestling skills and linked his push to his massive size. However, Braun has consistently delivered and has quickly become one of the most over superstars in WWE. He will be main-eventing a PPV for the first time at No Mercy and his run to the top of the mountain in WWE has been a treat to watch.
