WWE Raw vs. SmackDown: Winner, Top Highlights and Botches for Week of January 16

As WWE Royal Rumble 2017 approaches, the urgency on both Raw and SmackDown Live is heightened. As such, both shows felt more pressure this week to deliver strong episodes of their weekly programs.

The red brand featured a huge six-man tag team main event pitting Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn and Roman Reigns against Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens—not to mention Brock Lesnar's return to television.

SmackDown Live countered with a Steel Cage match between Becky Lynch and women's champion Alexa Bliss and a showdown between Randy Orton and intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose.

The twists and turns on the road to the Jan. 29 pay-per-view led to an entertaining slate of programming this week, but which brand earned bragging rights, winning this incarnation of the battle for brand supremacy?

Why Raw?

WWE's flagship show put together a broadcast Monday night that effectively intertwined its top stories into two quality segments.

Not only did Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens hype their upcoming championship clash, but Sami Zayn also continued his quest for revenge on Braun Strowman. To top it all off, Brock Lesnar returned, teasing a war with Strowman before rekindling his rivalry with Reigns and dropping him with an F-5.

The six-man war that capped off the show was an energetic match that further positioned Strowman as the unstoppable force of Raw. The attack after the match, which saw Owens put Reigns through a table, only further heated up the Universal Championship feud.

Elsewhere, WWE Creative finally addressed Bayley's character. After months of her wandering aimlessly around the roster, too often coming across as Sasha Banks' little buddy, her character was explained to the audience.

A fan girl from her days as a youth, watching religiously and writing poetry about her future between the ropes, she is much easier to relate to. That was a major concern that needed to be addressed. Now that it has been, it will be easier for fans to invest in her quest for gold against Charlotte Flair.

The angle in which Nia Jax attacked Banks and further injured her knee, which was shot prior to the show, was a unique and fresh concept that made for a more compelling bit of television than the tired, stale backstage vignettes would have.

There are still major issues facing the show, not the least of which is a run time that breeds too much unnecessary filler and ice-cold programs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass may be popular, but their storyline with Rusev and Jinder Mahal has been lackluster, to say the least, as has the questionable pairing of The New Day and Titus O'Neil.

Why SmackDown Live?

Like Raw, SmackDown Live did a phenomenal job of putting heat on John Cena and AJ Styles ahead of the Royal Rumble. The introduction of The Miz to the ordeal was a nice use of the former intercontinental champion and proof that he can thrive in a main event situation.

The spotlight Tuesday, though, was on Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss as they took their rivalry to the steel cage.

With the SmackDown Women's Championship up for grabs, the women performed up to lofty expectations. The psychology was strong, as was the building of drama throughout. The revelation of Mickie James as La Luchadora was a strong development and allows the storyline to move forward without descending into repetition or staleness.

More importantly, the positioning of that match in the main event slot elevated the importance of the rivalry and created a scenario where fans legitimately want to see The Lass Kicker get revenge on champion Bliss and returning veteran James.

The intensifying dissension within The Wyatt Family was properly highlighted as well. Randy Orton and Luke Harper do not get along. Tuesday night, The Viper saw an opportunity to pick up a win over intercontinental champion Dean Ambrose evaporate due to a distraction caused by Harper.

The storyline is deep and psychological, which is something fans have expected to see the Wyatts involved in for years. There is no over-the-top production or laughably bad angles. Instead, it is based on loyalty, one's devotion to his leader and the attention said leader has been paying to his new favorite.

Dolph Ziggler's scathing promo on Jerry Lawler in which he vowed to finish what he started four years ago, when The King suffered a real heart attack after competing against The Showoff, was a brilliant bit of villainy that was based in reality and drummed up just enough controversy to work.

Biggest Botch

Credit: WWE.com

The biggest botch this week belongs to SmackDown Live and its use of Baron Corbin.

For three weeks, the brand built The Lone Wolf into a viable main event attraction. He was competing alongside the likes of Dolph Ziggler and AJ Styles and, last week, squared off with John Cena in singles competition.

This week? He was nowhere to be found, curiously absent from the broadcast.

Why was Corbin, a valuable piece of the SmackDown puzzle and the closest thing the brand has to a young star poised to headline shows for the foreseeable future, not present on Tuesday's show?

One week after being cleanly defeated by Cena in the center of the ring, should he not have been driven to avenge the loss? Should he not have been angry, frustrated and ready to unleash hell on someone?

Instead, he was left off of the broadcast, mysteriously absent during the hottest streak of his career. That could halt any and all momentum he has built to this point, costing the brand a Superstar with the on-screen presence of The Undertaker.

Winner

Raw continues to make strides, but the lack of likable characters hurts the show.

Take a look at the main event roster, and try to pick out a single Superstar who is a credible, legitimate babyface who fans can throw their support behind. Aside from Sami Zayn and Bayley, they are difficult to discern.

That, coupled with a complete absence of truly compelling storylines, will also force the red brand into an uphill climb.

SmackDown Live does not have that problem. The brand maximizes its minutes and utilizes Superstars to their strengths rather than forcing them into roles or stories that do not fit them. Fans witnessed that again Tuesday night, which is why SmackDown regularly feels like a joy to watch rather than a chore.

The historic cage match, the latest chapter in The Wyatt Family saga and the continuous build to Cena vs. Styles III earn the blue brand another victory.

Scorecard

SmackDown: 14, Raw: 7