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Brand supremacy has become a huge thing in the WWE since the brand split and while it's obvious that both WWE Smackdown Live and Monday Night Raw are a part of the same company, that still hasn't stopped fans from picking sides when it comes to which one can put on the better show week after week.
While some think that Raw would be the obvious winner here, especially since they have the bigger names, more time to work with and controversial angles at play, Smackdown Live has done a lot in 2017 to prove that they are no longer the "B show" of the WWE. In fact, it seemed like Monday Night Raw was relegated to the B show" this year.
With that being said, here are five reasons why Smackdown Live was better than Monday Night Raw this year. If you enjoyed the list, please leave a comment below and let us know which show you thought was better in 2017 and why you think that.
#5 Better use of pay-per-views to progress storylines
Smackdown Live might have had a miss here and there throughout 2017, especially with how Jinder Mahal retained the WWE Title during a Punjabi Prison match at Backlash, but Smackdown Live has otherwise done a very good job at making the most of their pay-per-views and progressing storylines in the process.
Take Hell in a Cell for example, where Sami Zayn made a shocking save for Kevin Owens during the hell in a cell match between Owens and Shane McMahon. Not only did the move have the WWE Universe talking for days about what happened, it also created one of the most unique authority vs. good guys storyline in the process.
Smackdown Live also used the Survivor Series pay-per-view more effectively by having Owens and Zayn almost cost Team Blue the win. Of course, the duo were fought off by Shane McMahon, but it was really an awesome way to further the storyline of Owens and Zayn versus McMahon without overshadowing the pay-per-view too much.
#4 More creative
While Monday Night Raw might still be considered WWE's flagship show, its cut and paste format week after week has caused the Red brand to be too predictable. Even worse than that though is that Raw has also underutilised a lot of their top talent throughout this year and it really makes the show hard to watch sometimes.
Compare that to Smackdown Live, where great things like The Fashion Files, The Usos' gimmick and the Jinder Mahal experiment have made the blue brand something that is interesting to watch. They also had the first Miss Money in The Bank ladder match and brought back The Punjabi Prison match, which are things that Raw just isn't willing to try.
Whether all the experiments worked out in the end or not is inconsequential. What is important from all this, however, is the fact that at least Smackdown Live is coming up with creative ways to make the show more entertaining to watch. They try things week after week, and sure, some of them fail, but other ideas pay dividends in amazing ways.
#3 More opportunities for talent
Smackdown Live has been heralded as the "Land of Opportunity" ever since the brand split happened two years ago in July. While some think that's probably just a slogan for the show, it is actually indicative of what takes place on the blue brand. In fact, it's been said time and time again that this is what separates Raw from Smackdown Live.
Would Monday Night Raw have ever taken a chance on Jinder Mahal and made him their biggest champion? Furthermore, would Raw have ever tried something as ballsy as a Miss Money in The Bank ladder match? The answer to these questions is probably not and that's what truly makes Smackdown Live the "Land of Opportunity".
Even stars like Kevin Owens, who was thrown aside in favour of a Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar match for The Universal Title at WrestleMania 33, currently finds himself in a top-level feud against Smackdown Live's authority figures. If nothing else, Smackdown Live utilises their roster in ways that Monday Night Raw would probably never dream of.
#2 More focused on building future stars
One thing that makes Monday Night Raw so hard to watch nowadays is its constant use of the same talent in the same storyline situations. Raw has managed to build up Braun Strowman as the company's next big man, but Smackdown Live has gone above and beyond to turn Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal, and Shinsuke Nakamura into top stars.
Another problem with Raw is that they sometimes have similar main event matches week after week with the same people involved. Yes, Smackdown Live can be accused of doing that as well, but they actually progress the story forward in the process and leave fans with a much better feeling than Raw does.
Take the December 12th episode of Smackdown Live for example, where Daniel Bryan stepped in as special guest referee and seemingly helped Kevin Owens get back into his match against Shinsuke Nakamura.
If nothing else, this proves that Smackdown Live is willing to push the boundaries to the limit and create the stars that Monday Night Raw is unwilling to. In fact, underutilised talent like Bray Wyatt, Finn Balor, The Miz, and Bayley would be so much better off if they were drafted to Smackdown Live in the near future.
#1 Better use of their main title
Monday Night Raw has made a habit of keeping Brock Lesnar off of television, and while some claim it's to heighten the importance of the Universal title when it is defended, it also forces WWE to focus on less prestigious championships to fill the void. Not only that, it robs younger talent of the opportunity to have a run with the belt and establish themselves.
Then there's Smackdown Live, who despite wasting a few months on the Jinder Mahal experiment, tried to build him as a top star for the future. Of course, it didn't work and Styles eventually beat him for the WWE title in Manchester, but at least WWE took a chance on Mahal in the first place.
Furthermore, Smackdown Live gave Bray Wyatt a chance with the WWE Championship earlier in the year and while it too ended disastrously for Wyatt, it is again an example of Smackdown Live taking a chance on a young superstar and using the WWE Championship to do so.
Compare that to Monday Night Raw and their stay-at-home champion, Brock Lesnar, and you have a much more entertaining show to watch. Furthermore, Smackdown Live keeps the title on television as often as possible, which is always a crowd favourite and a great way to create an electric feeling in the building.
