WWE has been making the new brand extension seem like it’s a weekly life-and-death situation for the GMs and Commissioners. Both shows are trying to prove supremacy, but both of them have reasons why one is better than the other.
Here are 5 things that SmackDown Live does better than RAW:
#5 Title Feuds
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While RAW may have a larger field of challengers for many of its titles, SmackDown has the advantage in terms of actual feuds for their belts. The Women’s titles are pretty equal, with Charlotte vs. Sasha and Becky vs. Bliss being simple, concise feuds without a lot of silly crap getting in the way.
Also read: 5 things RAW does better than Smackdown Live
The Intercontinental Title feud over the past few months between Dolph Ziggler and The Miz has been great. Part of why it’s great is the way they have changed it up. It went from Miz vs. Ziggler to Miz vs. Ziggler with Ziggler’s career on the line, to Miz and the Spirit Squad vs. Ziggler. It evolved.
RAW has Roman Reigns assaulting women with cake and convoluted, boring storylines that involve worthless Hell in a Cell matches.
#4 Main Events
RAW has longer, often better matches in general throughout the show, SmackDown has really good main events.
Also read: Vince McMahon reveals the success of Smackdown Live since the brand split
RAW did the Sasha vs. Charlotte match not too long ago, but generally, we get an assortment of tag matches and talking, none of which are memorable. It may have happened multiple times by now, but the Ambrose/Styles matches have been great main events, as was Cena vs. Ambrose.
Hell, even the two Ellsworth/Styles matches were entertaining and memorable. RAW cannot stake a claim to that.
#3 Overall Entertainment
RAW is boring. It’s not bad, necessarily, but it’s long, unfocused, sloppy and boring. There is too much filler both in the ring and out. Why have 5 backstage segments about the same show-long story arc if only 1 or 2 of them are actually going to advance the story?
Outside of Owens & Jericho: Best Buds, the show is devoid of fun. SmackDown has Slater & Rhyno, AJ Styles is cutting the best promos of his life, Miz and Ziggler’s passionate performances and there’s minimal involvement of the show’s authority figures.
Can’t forget James Ellsworth, either. RAW is the same as always, plus, it’s three hours long, which is so often very hard to get all the way through in one sitting.
#2 Women’s Division
The 6 women on SmackDown who are vying for the Women’s Title are all very close in contention. Certain women, obviously, are higher up than the rest, but all of them are featured on the shows in a meaningful way and none of them are being left behind, ignored, or are getting treated like they are substandard.
RAW is getting there, but for a while, it was Sasha vs. Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Bayley. Nia Jax completely disappeared and no other women were around. Meanwhile, we have seen an ongoing rivalry between Nikki Bella and Carmella, Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss and a number of very good matches featuring the women of SmackDown Live.
RAW has been unable to equal the overall quality.
#1 Focus
The three-hour format of RAW is a black hole. The show is disjointed, lop-sided and completely out of sorts. It’s difficult to stay engaged because the show jumps from story to story and back and forth.
There are unimportant segments slathered all over, and instead of doing anything interesting with guys like Golden Truth or The Shining Stars, WWE just puts them on RAW every Monday and has them wrestle each other while the crowd sits on their hands.
SmackDown has one less hour each week and uses it wisely. The fat is usually completely cut off and the show moves at a quick pace in a linear manner. RAW doesn’t seem to know how to get that done.
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