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After the most unpredictable Superstar Shakeup in WWE history, the WWE Universe was set to witness a plethora of fresh feuds on WWE TV this week. The Creative team have set their eyes on the Money in the Bank pay-per-view as 3 matches were made official for the event this week.
On this week's RAW episode (read results here) we saw AJ Styles emerge as the new #1 contender for the Universal Championship. While on SmackDown Live (read results here), the match between Roman Reigns and Elias was announced for the show along with a SmackDown Women's Championship bout between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. The RAW Women's Championship between Becky Lynch and Lacey Evans was already booked last week.
There was no focus on the tag team divisions this week. Also, there was no build-up for the 2 Money in the Bank ladder matches on both the episodes. So which show was better?
To determine the winner, we’ll be analyzing the opening segment, the mid-card, the tag-team division, the women’s division, and the main event of both the shows. Then we will conclude who wins when it comes to WWE Raw vs SmackDown Live.
#1 The opening segment
RAW: Triple H kicked off Monday Night RAW to address the WWE Universe. Home state hero Seth Rollins then joined him in the ring as we came to know that there will be a new #1 contender crowned by the end of the show. All the six candidates then marched down to the ring to present their candidature before Seth Rollins shut them all with his one-liner promo.
SmackDown Live: The Best in the World opened SmackDown Live and called out Roman Reigns as he was a man who had hit another man's father.
It seemed like WWE hinted at a future match between Shane McMahon and Roman Reigns but Elias interfered and attacked the Big Dog from behind. Elias and McMahon stood tall at the end of the segment.
Which was better? While the opening part of RAW did not progress a future storyline, the SmackDown one did lead us to an announcement of a pay-per-view match. The promos of all the six men did not add value to the show hence, the blue brand takes the victory here.
Winner: SmackDown Live
#2 The mid-card
RAW: The mid-card champion of RAW, Samoa Joe made his first appearance on the red brand this week after being moved from SmackDown. He was a part of one of the two triple threat matches that took place on the show but unfortunately he could not win that match.
Besides, Sami Zayn cut a brilliant heel promo which drew nuclear heat towards him. Cedric Alexander and Cesaro too had a decent match. We even saw the glorious debut of Robert Roode and Bray Wyatt finally made his return to the red brand. RAW's mid-card looks really fresh and promising now.
SmackDown Live: Finn Balor and Andrade had yet another solid encounter but this time Zelina Vega could not help El Idolo take the victory. As mentioned ahead, a match between Reigns and Elias was made official.
Lars Sullivan crushed Chad Gable, the Singh Brothers and Jinder Mahal in a disgusting manner.
Which was better? - RAW's mid-card has been revamped completely. The characters of Sami Zayn, Robert Roode and Bray Wyatt have the calibre to deliver the entertainment that fans need. Meanwhile, the fans are not that exciting for the match between Reigns and Elias and Lars Sullivan's future on SmackDown Live. So, RAW levels the score here.
Winner: RAW
#3 The tag team division
RAW: The RAW Tag Team Champions, Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins did not appear on this week's episode. In fact, there was no tag team competition on the 'A' show this week. The only match between the Viking Raiders and Lucha House Party never got underway thanks to a pre-match attack from the Viking Raiders.
WWE also teased a future feud between The Revival and The Usos.
SmackDown Live: The SmackDown tag team champions, the Hardy Boyz also did not show up this week on WWE TV. Only Heavy Machinery appeared on the blue brand this week that too on a SmackDown exclusive video which did not air on TV.
Which was better? - Well, it is really difficult to choose the winner here as the tag team division of both the shows received poor booking. However, I see the Viking Raiders as future RAW tag team champions and WWE took a step forward in that direction, hence RAW takes this point as well.
Winner: RAW
#4 The women's division
RAW: The reigning champion of both the brands, Becky Lynch battled Alicia Fox in an underwhelming match on RAW. The Man dismantled Fox in quick time but soon after the match was over, Lacey Evans came out and delivered nasty blows to Lynch. Looking at the way how Evans hit the champ, expect their Money in the Bank title match to be underwhelming as well.
On the other side, one of half of the women's tag team champions, Billie Kay suffered a defeat at the hands of Naomi in another poor match-up.
SmackDown Live: SmackDown's MVP, Charlotte Flair clashed with Bayley in what was the best women's match of the week. Flair overcame the Huggable One to earn a future shot at Becky Lynch's SmackDown Women's Championship.
Another half of the women's tag champs, Peyton Royce lost to Kairi Sane this week on the blue brand. It is pretty unclear in which direction are we heading as far as the women's tag team division is concerned.
Which was better? The match between Bayley and Charlotte was way better than the women's action we have seen on RAW episodes after WrestleMania. Also, Asuka and Kairi Sane have a meaning behind their matches with the IIconics unlike Naomi. So, this point goes to SmackDown Live.
Winner: SmackDown Live
#5 The main event
RAW: After 2 fantastic triple threat matches, we got a singles encounter between AJ Styles and Baron Corbin in the main event of RAW. Styles pinned Corbin after a grueling bout which entertained the fans. Also, the confrontation between Styles and Rollins after the match was chilling and they received a loud pop as well.
SmackDown Live :In the blue show's main event, we had yet another Kevin Owens betrayal but this time Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were at the receiving end. WWE told a good story over the last two weeks and took the perfect advantage of Big E's real life injury. Kevin Owens vs Kofi Kingston for the WWE title will be announced in the coming weeks so expect the Prizefighter to execute more vicious beatdowns on the champ.
Which was better? To be frank, I was really happy the way things panned out on RAW this week. We have finally gotten over random Brock Lesnar appearances and also meaningless #1 contender matches on pay-per-views. For the first time in history, the Universal Championship will be on the line on the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. While, SmackDown Live always delivers good quality content to the WWE Universe. I will go with RAW because of the vast improvement witnessed and hence, RAW wins this week with a score of 3-2.
Overall Winner: RAW
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
