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#2: SmackDown pushes WWE's creative boundaries and experiments with content more often than RAW
One other reason why SmackDown's stories draw more attention is directly related to the fact that show can explore some bizarre creative turns when the WWE audience least expects it.
Nobody thought that The Fiend Bray Wyatt would go after Alexa Bliss in a feud with Braun Strowman, but it happened. On paper, this experimental move could have been disastrous from a PR perspective, but the creative team managed to make it seem more plausible in the recent few weeks.
RAW also features some exciting and shocking moments, but those instances — like Randy Orton brutally attacking legends — all fit within the confines of WWE's normal creative boundaries.
Being experimental doesn't always result in success, as evident by Sheamus and Jeff Hardy's long-running feud that featured urine samples and addiction themes to a point where the viewers felt uncomfortable. The same goes for a "karaoke night" segment that was hosted on the Blue brand recently.
Both of these examples sound so bizarre that they manage to draw attention anyways, irrespective of the quality. In the longer run, some of those experimental ideas pay off in a massive way, just like Roman Reigns' unexpected creative direction on WWE SmackDown.
