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WWE's RAW and SmackDown brands may go head-to-head only once a year during the Survivor Series pay-per-view, but the content they broadcast is compared every week.
Over recent weeks, RAW episodes have drawn criticism from the WWE Universe, while the Blue brand has been praised.
Both shows have strong champions at the helm with Roman Reigns holding the WWE Universal title and Bobby Lashley holding the WWE Championship. Mid-card titles have also been the focus of attention on both shows, as Apollo Crews and Sheamus have proven to be excellent champions.
Meanwhile, both women's rosters are going through a change of era, as Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair now hold the titles.
Despite the apparent similarity in the strength of both rosters, SmackDown has been the better of the two shows. Let's take a look at five reasons why SmackDown is currently better than WWE RAW.
#5 SmackDown has better long term booking than RAW
RAW's booking has never been the neatest. In fact, week in and week out, the Red brand has seen haphazard match-ups, which don't always make sense.
The feuds that start seem to come out of nowhere, and it appears as if the matches have all been thrown together at the last minute. Other than two or three storylines, most of the bouts seem to be throwaway matches of no consequence.
Superstars that were once over have lost their momentum thanks to this sort of booking. The Red brand has the likes of Ricochet and others, simply sitting and waiting for something to happen to them. The breakup of the Hurt Business, the apparent lack of a storyline for RETRIBUTION before they broke up and other such storylines have hurt the show overall.
When it comes to SmackDown, the matches have a greater purpose. There's been better long-term booking with acknowledgment of previous storylines. Kevin Owens' involvement with Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins' silent respect for each other and Daniel Bryan's retirement match have all been compelling storylines.
#4 SmackDown's mid-card title is better booked than RAW's
SmackDown's Intercontinental title picture is one of the best-booked storylines currently on the Blue brand. While Apollo Crews' new gimmick was initially met with skepticism by fans, it has since won them over.
The pairing of Crews with Commander Azeez has made him more compelling. Chasing the title, Big E has found his footing as a solo star on the SmackDown roster.
Meanwhile, the addition of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to the title picture has added just enough uncertainty to keep things interesting. The matches have not been repetitive, as SmackDown's booking keeps changing as and when required.
RAW's booking of the United States Championship, on the other hand, has been iffy at best, and criminal at worst. Before WrestleMania, WWE needed Bobby Lashley to drop the title. Riddle was chosen to win the belt after original pick Keith Lee needed time off.
It was clear over the next few weeks that despite some wins, WWE didn't think much of Riddle as a champion. Sheamus has now claimed the title after defeating him. He is looking to bring back a certain level of legitimacy by challenging stars week to week.
If this booking continues, the United States title could become a major player, but it will take some time to forget the damage done by Riddle's brief title reign.
#3 SmackDown has helped revive characters while RAW has not
Several superstars on SmackDown have gone through a career rejuvenation since the start of 2021. For a long time, there were a lot of stars on SmackDown, who the fans knew had the potential to be a lot better.
The past five months of SmackDown have seen these stars go through a career revival. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura were never booked strongly on the brand. Both stars, individually capable of great runs, never found that success on the main roster.
In a matter of months, Cesaro is now challenging for the Universal title, while Shinsuke Nakamura looks much better than he has for a long time.
Aleister Black just received a new gimmick. Apollo Crews, as mentioned previously, finds himself the new Intercontinental Champion as a fresh new heel character. Even Tamina, who fans had long given up on, has found herself being booked better. Paired with Natalya, she appears to be ready for anything.
RAW, on the other hand, has not been similarly successful. Their roster has suffered from a lack of clear direction. Mustafa Ali, after a revival, has once again fallen by the wayside, as has Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin.
Only Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, Drew McIntyre and Sheamus have been booked with any sort of consistency.
#2 SmackDown's women's title picture is booked better than RAW's
Bianca Belair has been the focus of the SmackDown's women's title picture for a while now. Since winning the WWE Women's Royal Rumble match earlier in the year, WWE has booked her as one of SmackDown's biggest stars.
She has faced Sasha Banks and Bayley and has consistently been the one who is at the center of the storyline. Holding the title now, it's clear that everything is aimed towards making Belair the women's star to beat on the main roster. She's done a good job as SmackDown Women's Champion and has held her own thus far.
On RAW, however, despite Rhea Ripley's massive win, she is not the focus of the storyline. Ripley is currently a heel, and her feud with Asuka could have seen her establish herself as the rightful champion. Instead, WWE has decided to focus once again on Charlotte Flair.
Charlotte may be one of the best women's heels in the company, but instead of facing other stars to raise them up, her involvement often takes away from their achievements. Such is the case, once again, with her involvement in the RAW title picture.
Instead of a future feud with long-term booking between her and Ripley, the two have been thrown together on RAW, alongside Asuka. As a result, the spotlight has moved from Ripley to Charlotte, damaging her run as the RAW Women's Champion.
#1 SmackDown's two hours are better than RAW's three hours
SmackDown's two-hour events have always been better than RAW's since the Red brand's show became three hours long. The length of WWE's RAW shows have long been a reason for some of the WWE Universe's complaints.
WWE made the change several years ago and, since then, RAW has suffered the consequences. Three hours every week is a lot of programming to fill. While the Red brand has a huge roster, WWE's creative team is not known for its consistency.
Even if one week they manage to book an amazing show, the next week, they fall apart. The feuds and matches become repetitive, with a lot more filler segments than the show requires. Instead of giving the focus to stars who might otherwise not feature, WWE books the same big stars week in and week out.
SmackDown's two-hour events, next to these, have shown exactly why smaller shows might be the answer to WWE's problems. Tightly booked, each SmackDown event shows exactly what's necessary, and yet they also manage to make the best use of their roster.
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