5 reasons why Smackdown Live is better than RAW

Since its inception in 1999, Smackdown was mostly considered an inferior show to WWE's "flagship" show RAW, especially from the mid-2000s.

Barring a few feuds, most storylines from Smackdown were not given much limelight and often ended up in undercards.

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However, since rebranded as Smackdown Live and started airing LIVE on television from 2016, the blue brand has started gaining some praise from the critics all over the world.

The critical acclaim is so overwhelming that even though with its weaker television rating, it is considered the show with better quality by many wrestling fans. Here, we look at 5 reasons why we think SD Live is better than RAW.

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#5 Not much time for filler segments

The July 23, 2012 edition of RAW was the 1000th episode of RAW

On May 17, 2012, WWE and USA Network announced that Raw would switch to a permanent three-hour format beginning with the 1000th episode on July 23, 2012. However, more air time means they needed more content.

So they began pumping filler segments without any sort of continuity ever since that episode. Smackdown, on the other hand, is still a two-hour show and does not need to have much filler segments.

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#4 Better tag team division

The Usos - New Day feud was one of the best feuds of 2017

Be honest. When was the last time were you invested in a RAW tag team feud? The tag team division in RAW was in shambles ever since the Bar and Ambrose-Rollins feud abruptly ended due to the Lunatic Fringe's injury in late 2017.

However, with fresh and exciting matchups and brilliant storytelling, SmackDown tag division is on fire. New Day, Usos,The Bar, Good Brothers, Sanity, Bludgeon Brothers, Rusev Day - the tag division in SD Live is so stacked that it is almost criminal to see most of these teams missing out on making the card for PPVs

#3 Better continuity

In the latest episode of RAW, it was Kevin Owens who led the charge of the RAW heel roster in aid of Braun Strowman

Ever since Kevin Owens was drafted back to RAW, he has been feuding with Braun Strowman. Strowman made life hell for the prizefighter - basically bullying him mentally and physically.

At Summerslam, he squashed Owens in a few minutes. However, in the latest episode of RAW, it was Kevin Owens who led the charge of the RAW heel roster in aid of Braun Strowman, mere two weeks after all the hell he has been put through.

This is one of the numerous times RAW failed to follow up its own story.

Other than deciding whether Rusev is a heel or a face, Smackdown is brilliant in this aspect, especially since the 2018 superstar shakeup.

#2 Better treatment of talents

R-Truth was in the main event of the latest episode of Smackdown Live

Smackdown Live is called the land of opportunities for a reason. R-Truth main eventing a WWE TV episode for the first time in many years, Rusev getting his one on one WWE championship match after four years from his debut and Andrade Cien Almas having brilliant matches week after week against top-tier talents like AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan are testaments to this.

The red brand is notorious in this aspect. Top talents like Finn Balor, Kevin Owens and Bobby Lashley are afterthoughts at this point in time and it is disheartening as a wrestling fan to see RAW misusing its talents

#1 It does not revolve around ONE guy or feud

The Shield - Monster Show has been the central focus of RAW ahead of Hell in a Cell

RAW likes to put all its eggs in one basket. As we are just days away from 2018 Hell in a Cell, we can easily understand that RAW only prioritizes the Shield - "Monster Show" feud.

However, if we take a look at the Smackdown side of things, we can see that there are at least three marquee matches from Smackdown - AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe for the WWE championship, Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch for the SD women's championship and Randy Orton vs Jeff Hardy.

Even the mixed tag team match is a part of a bigger storyline. This is ironical since RAW has three hours and Smackdown just has two hours. Maybe this is why they say - "Quality above quantity"