'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAf/2gAIAQEAAAAAgxv/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECEAAAAG//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB/9oACAEDEAAAAH//xAAiEAEAAQMBCQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBAUREhQhIjFBYbH/2gAIAQEAAT8Ankaa2I7NKlGQBJ4ybve+3Km7jL04iHgbyvyv/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECMf/aAAgBAgEBPwDJR//EABcRAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAyL/2gAIAQMBAT8Appj/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This week on WWE TV, the WWE Creative built up the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view which will take place this Sunday at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
The red brand also focussed on the top WrestleMania matches but a major part of the show was boring. Vince McMahon closed the show by naming the Nature Girl, Charlotte Flair as the replacement of Becky Lynch in the RAW Women's Championship match of WrestleMania 35.
SmackDown gave the WWE Universe a memorable gauntlet match featuring all the six participants of the WWE Championship match which will headline the Elimination Chamber show. Kofi Kingston wrestled for over an hour in that match to grab the spotlight. This episode made sure that the fans are excited about the Elimination Chamber show.
So which show was better?
Last week, RAW scored a victory over SmackDown Live by a close margin of 3-2. So, did SmackDown come up with a better showing this week?
To determine the winner as always, I’ll be looking at the opening segment, the mid-card, the tag-team division, the women’s division, and the main event of both the shows. Then I’ll be able to conclude who wins when it comes to WWE Raw vs SmackDown Live.
#1 The opening segment
RAW: Monday Night RAW kicked off with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H in the ring. The couple cut the same cringeworthy promo as heel Authority figures but Becky Lynch interrupted them. After a back and forth on the mic, Triple H asked Becky to apologize for her actions before the night ends, to save her place in the RAW Women's Championship match.
SmackDown Live: 'The Queen' Charlotte Flair, opened SmackDown Live this week to address Vince McMahon's decision of choosing her as the replacement of Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 35. She praised the Chairman's decision saying that she wasn't picked by Mr McMahon because she's his favourite but because she was a winner. The crowd booed her immensely during the opening segment, which saw Charlotte leave the ring after pointing at the WrestleMania sign.
Which was better: SmackDown's opening segment was way better than RAW as the WWE Creative brought back the same old Triple H and Stephanie McMahon segment this Monday, which no one likes.
Winner: SmackDown Live
#2 The mid-card
RAW: RAW's mid-card had a segment featuring Elias and the Lucha House Party which saw Elias beat Kalisto with a guitar. There was a singles match between Finn Balor and Drew McIntyre. Balor took McIntyre to his limit but the Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley interfered in the match leading to a disqualification finish.
We then got a six-man tag team match where Finn Balor teamed up with Braun Strowman and Kurt Angle to take on the team of Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley. The match had multiple restarts, but Balor and co. won the match eventually.
SmackDown Live: Shockingly, the mid-card of SmackDown Live was completely absent from the show. The new United States Champion, R-Truth did not show up. There was no development in the Rey Mysterio vs Andrade feud as well. None of the mid-card rivalries got progression on SmackDown Live.
Which was better: Undoubtedly, this one goes to RAW. Multiple feuds were built up on the show, while SmackDown's mid-card feuds were given another off this week.
Winner: RAW
#3 The tag team division
RAW: Finally, this week we saw Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson capture the RAW tag team titles that had been eluding them over the past few months. However, this Monday the Revival defeated the team of Bobby Roode and Chad Gable in what was the best match of this week's RAW.
While some may argue that this match could have taken place at Elimination Chamber, but the quality of this week's RAW was so poor that the WWE Creative might have been forced to take this decision.
SmackDown Live: The SmackDown tag team champions, Shane McMahon and the Miz hosted a special edition of McMiz TV on the blue show. Their guest was none other than their Elimination Chamber opponents, the Usos. Both the teams cut solid promos to hype up their match scheduled for Sunday.
Which was better: A tough one to pick, but given that the red brand's tag team division seems to be moving in an upward direction, I'll give this point to RAW.
Winner: RAW
#4 The women's division
RAW: This week's entire episode was built upon Becky Lynch. After she was asked to take a decision in the opening segment, we saw Becky interact with friends and foes backstage who gave advice to her. In the closing segment of the show, Vince McMahon dropped a bombshell by replacing Lynch with Charlotte Flair in the WrestleMania match.
Elsewhere, all the three representatives of RAW in the women's tag team championship match collided in a triple threat match. The losers of the match would enter the Chamber match first this Sunday and the Boss 'n' Hug Connection emerged as that unlucky team.
SmackDown Live : SmackDown followed the same booking formula as the three representatives of SmackDown Live in the women's tag team titles match battled in a triple threat match with the same stipulation. The team of Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville ate the pin, which means that they will join Sasha Banks and Bayley to start the Women's Elimination Chamber match.
Which was better? : The SmackDown Women's Champion, Asuka was absent from the show and RAW's women division clearly gave the fans a better show than SmackDown's women division. Thus, RAW takes one more point here.
Winner: RAW
#5 The main event
RAW: The Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar was missing from the show once again. This week's episode saw the return of Seth Rollins, as he and Paul Heyman tried to build up the WrestleMania 35 main event. Both Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar are not expected to perform at WWE Elimination Chamber, this Sunday.
SmackDown Live: The 6-man gauntlet match which went on for over an hour on SmackDown Live impressed the WWE Universe. From Kofi Kingston's outstanding performance to Randy Orton's final RKO, everything was perfect about this match. This match has definitely excited the fans for the Elimination Chamber match involving the same superstars.
Which was better: The show's premier champion was absent on one show, while the other show was all about the show's top champion and the 5 challengers. So SmackDown grabs a point here.
Winner: SmackDown Live
It was a close contest once again this week with the scores being 3-2, but -
Winner and best show this week: RAW
